Beyond the Classroom: Sierra College Students Visit UC Davis

There are somethings you can’t always learn from a textbook and lectures alone—you need to see them for yourself. With that in mind, students from Sierra College recently traveled to the CLEAR Center at the University of California, Davis for the opportunity to have a real-world experience that highlighted the role of research in modern agriculture.

Students from the Animal Feeds and Nutrition Course at the community college, came to the UC Davis feedlot to see how research and science are being applied to solve real-world issues in agriculture. The course is taught by Elisa Noble, a UC Davis graduate with a degree in Agricultural and Environmental Technology and a minor in Animal Science. Having lived and worked at the UC Davis sheep barn, she knows firsthand the value of hands-on learning and the long-term impact it can have on students. 

“Our goal is to expose students to opportunities they might not otherwise see,” Noble said. “Visits like this help them to see their future and understand how what they’re learning applies beyond the classroom.”

That emphasis on connecting students to real-world research is echoed by Sierra College professor and Department Chair of Animal Agriculture, Michelle McFarlane, also a UC Davis alum, who said, “Every time I have the opportunity to come out and interact face to face with research and especially graduate students, especially at a place like UC Davis, where I was an alum, I just love it. I love being able to be aware of what’s happening and how we’re trying to solve real world problems.”

During the visit, UC Davis CLEAR Center Ph.D. student, Madison Kindberg shared her own experience working and studying at UC Davis.  Kindberg described how her interest in research developed during her undergraduate studies, when she began working with a Ph.D. student on industry-relevant projects and later pursued a master’s degree with CLEAR Center Director Dr. Frank Mitloehner. She noted that much of the work at the center focuses on communicating science and addressing misconceptions about livestock emissions, emphasizing that the research aims to provide accurate information about agriculture’s environmental impact.

“The research here that we're doing has large scale implications for the industry,” said Kindberg. “And Frank has done a lot of myth busting around methane and cattle over the years.”

Kindberg also gave students a behind-the-scenes look at some of the research underway in the Mitloehner Lab, describing how researchers regularly collect measurements such as body weight and hip height, as well as samples including rumen fluid, blood, and feces. She explained that rumen fluid, which is collected using a probe inserted into the animal’s rumen, helps researchers evaluate how feed additives may be altering the microbial community in the digestive system.

Kindberg then gave students a tour of the cattle pen enclosures, or bovine bubbles, and explained how they are equipped with one-way airflow fans as well as smart scales. She also explained how researchers are measuring emissions with the help of GreenFeed machines and RFID tags.

The system uses smart feeders and RFID tags to track each animal’s individual feed intake and methane emissions. As animals enter the GreenFeed stations, which are as Kindberg described “like automated snack machines,” the RFID system identifies each animal and then dispenses feed. 

“While the animals eat, methane emissions are measured, which allows us to take each animal’s intake, weight, and emissions,” Kindberg told the students. “We need all three to accurately say how much methane each animal is producing.” 

She then went on to talk about her research which involves evaluating methane-reducing feed additives and their long-term effects on cattle, including beef-on-dairy animals raised from early life through harvest. Kindberg noted that researchers are interested not only in whether these interventions reduce methane emissions, but also in whether early-life strategies can influence long-term outcomes such as growth, reproduction, and lifetime emissions. The goal, she said, is to better understand how management decisions made early in an animal’s life may carry through to its development.

“We gave them this methane reducing feed additive early in life, with the intention of seeing if we can have long-term impacts on methane emissions to the end of their life,” Kindberg told the students. 

She also talked about her colleague, fellow Ph.D. student, Sharissa Anderson’s study of early-life intervention on a traditional cow-calf operation. 

“Mine is proof of concept, and hers is proof of application. She’s testing if a bolus (pill) given within 24 hours of birth, could potentially lower methane production long term as well,” Kindberg said.  

As Kindberg continued her presentation, taking the Sierra College students on a full tour of the UC Davis Feedlot, students were thoroughly engaged and asked questions about feed additives, timing of the additives, and emissions measurement. This type of learning offers students additional guidance beyond academics, including insight into research opportunities and career paths that aren’t always covered in class.

“It’s one thing to talk about agriculture in a classroom, but it’s completely different to see it in action,” Noble said. “This kind of experience helps students understand the science and how it has a direct effect on agriculture.”

Kindberg finished up the tour by offering career advice and encouraged the students to get involved in agriculture early and seek out mentorship opportunities, emphasizing the importance of supporting the next generation in the industry. Drawing from her own experience mentoring interns and working with student groups on campus and off campus, she said creating pathways into agriculture is critical for both newcomers and those returning to their roots. She stressed the need to “open the gates” for a wide range of people, from students looking to build a career in agriculture to individuals hoping to return to family ranches. 

“Doors are going to open for you,” Kindberg said. “I didn't think I was going to do grad school, and then a door opened and then I didn't think I was going to do my Ph.D. and then a door opened. And there are going to be times where you can have multiple doors open, and no matter what door you choose it’s going to be the right one for you.”