Salute to Agriculture connects UC Davis fans with California agriculture
The roar of the crowd wasn't the only thing filling UC Davis Health Stadium when the Aggies took on Montana. On the concourse and around the stadium, another kind of energy was felt as the university and its agricultural partners brought the farm to the field.
The annual Salute to Agriculture Football Game, hosted by the UC Davis CLEAR Center in partnership with the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, celebrates California's agricultural heritage while connecting the campus and broader community with the people and science behind the food they eat.
For College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Dean Ashley Stokes, the event was an opportunity to celebrate the people who make the UC Davis agricultural community so strong.
“This is an amazing opportunity to celebrate everything that agriculture contributes to our communities and to celebrate our college. We have amazing staff and students and colleagues, and what a beautiful day to come together and celebrate,” Stokes said.
Fans explored an interactive agricultural experience featuring educational exhibits and hands-on activities from organizations across California agriculture. Industry partners, commodity groups, and UC Davis student-run organizations shared information about farming and ranching, sustainability, livestock production and agricultural research.
“Lots of people are very interested and are asking great questions, which is what you want,” said Mary Kimball, chief executive officer of the Center for Land Based Learning. “The focus on having an agriculture day at a football game, is so important because there's so many different people here. And they're coming from all over California and around the country, so it's really important to highlight what we’re doing here in California.”
The Center for Land Based Learning once again brought out their mobile farmers market which was parked outside the stadium, next to The Mobile Dairy Classroom, brought by the Dairy Council of California, which was a first-time exhibitor at the game. Featuring a cow borrowed from the UC Davis dairy, the 35-foot mobile classroom gave attendees a firsthand look at how milk is produced and the role dairy plays in a healthy diet. The cow quickly became a crowd and selfie favorite before the game.
“This event is celebrating agriculture, and we're so excited to be a part of this,” said Efrain Valenzuela, director of ag education for the Dairy Council of California’s Mobile Dairy Classroom. “The dairy industry is the number one agricultural industry here in California. And we're so happy that we're able to collaborate with UC Davis and represent the dairy industry and really teach kids how milk gets from the farm to their cafeteria in just 48 hours. That's a good message for kids and it's a good message for parents too.”
The Mobile Dairy Classroom was one of several ways the event brought agriculture directly to fans, the highlighting the people responsible for producing the food they eat.
"Salute to Agriculture is an opportunity to celebrate the people who produce our food and to connect fans with the science and innovation happening every day in agriculture and right here at UC Davis," said Dr. Frank Mitloehner, director of the UC Davis CLEAR Center and chair of the Animal Science Department. "Whether someone grew up on a farm or has never stepped onto one, we want them to leave with a better understanding of the important role agriculture plays in all of our everyday lives."
And as part of this one-of-a-kind agricultural celebration, agricultural organizations from across California, along with several UC Davis student and campus groups, hosted educational tables throughout the stadium concourse. Participants included the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Vet Aide Club, School of Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis Swine Unit, UC Davis Young Cattlemen’s Association, Sheep Mowers, Impeckable Chickens, and the UC Davis Young Farmers and Ranchers, UC Davis Horse Barn. Statewide organizations such as UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCANR), California 4-H, the Center for Land-Based Learning, California Cattlemen’s Association, and the California Milk Advisory Board also took part, highlighting the depth and diversity of California’s agricultural community.
As a first-time attendee, the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom saw the event as an opportunity to connect people with the story behind the food on their plates. The nonprofit works to increase understanding of agriculture among California’s educators and students, helping develop curriculum that brings agriculture into the classroom.
“We're so happy to be here and to be celebrating agriculture because it's so important for people to know where their food comes from and who is producing it because farmers work so hard, and we’re happy to be able to highlight that,” said Claire Broaddus, program coordinator for the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom.
Throughout the game, attendees had the opportunity to meet producers and students, ask questions about livestock and crop production, learn about sustainability initiatives and explore career opportunities across California's diverse agricultural industry.
For Joe Proudman, deputy director of the CLEAR Center, the event was about creating conversations that extend beyond the football field.
"One of the best ways to build trust is through face-to-face conversations," Proudman said. "Salute to Agriculture brings together the people raising our food and the public in a setting that's fun and engaging. It's a chance to share agriculture's story in a way that people can experience firsthand."
That connection was especially evident among students, including those who don’t come from agricultural backgrounds, but are finding new opportunities to learn about the industry.
“We have been getting a lot of attention from students with a non-agriculture background which is actually pretty great,” said Mireya Padilla, UC Davis student and vice president of the UC Davis chapter of the Young Farmers and Ranchers program. “And the main question we have been getting is do I have to be in agriculture to be in your program? And we tell them, absolutely not. We actually encourage students who have no agricultural background to come join our group, to learn more of what's going on in our own backyard, when it comes to agriculture, especially here in Davis.”
The evening also featured the First-Year Field Storm, giving new UC Davis students the opportunity to take the field before the game and celebrate the Aggies' first Big Sky Conference home game of the season. And near the end of the first quarter, the focus turned to midfield as Lisa Nash Holmes was recognized with the game ball. A longtime UC Davis mentor in the Department of Animal Science, Nash Holmes has spent decades helping students find their place in agriculture and at UC Davis. The recognition was a fitting moment during Salute to Agriculture, celebrating someone whose work has helped connect generations of students to the people and community that make agriculture such an important part of the university.
The event also showcased UC Davis' longstanding role in agricultural research, education and extension. That connection between research and real-world agriculture was a central theme throughout the evening, giving fans a chance to see how the work happening at UC Davis connects to the farms and ranches that help feed California and the nation.
Although UC Davis fell to Montana 62-22, the result did little to take away from the enthusiasm surrounding the event. For the CLEAR Center and its agricultural partners, the evening wasn’t just about what happened on the field—it was an opportunity to celebrate agriculture and connect with the community.
“We're the Aggies. We are very proud to be the Aggies. We do research. We do teaching and we do it for hundreds of thousands of students,” Dr. Mitloehner said during a halftime interview with play-by-play broadcaster, Scott Marsh of SacTown Sports 1140. “And we are so proud to be the number one agricultural college in the world and share that with our community tonight.”