UC Davis Connects with Ranchers at Annual Convention
From policy updates to the latest in rangeland research to how to communicate with the media, ranchers and industry leaders gathered at the 109th California Cattlemen’s Association and California Cattlewomen’s Convention to tackle the issues shaping the future of cattle production in California.
The three-day event was held in Reno, Nevada and is organized by the California Cattleman’s Association (CCA), which is a non-profit membership organization that represents the state’s ranchers and beef producers.
“Our convention is our largest event of the year and so it’s a really great opportunity for us all to reflect on the victories we’ve had over the past year and to look forward to the challenges and opportunities our industry faces in the upcoming year,” said Katie Roberti, Director of Communications for the California Cattlemen’s Association.
UC Davis was well represented at the convention, with the UC Davis CLEAR Center staff and students in attendance. The CLEAR Center also helped to sponsor members of the Young Cattlemen’s Association (YCA) to attend as well.
“It’s very important for our staff, students and researchers to come to events like this so they can understand the real-world challenges ranchers have,” said CLEAR Center Director Frank Mitloehner. “That way we can ensure our research and work addresses the real needs of ranchers and producers.”
In addition, UC Davis Veterinary Medicine attended the convention, and the new Dean of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES), Ashley Stokes, spoke at the second general session and in the Cattle Health and Well Being breakout session as well.
“We were thrilled to have Dean Stokes here at the convention,” Roberti said. “California’s ranchers share the same goal as agricultural researchers at UC Davis, which is to make sure there is a future for cattle ranching in the state. By working together, we can make sure that the research supports the people ranching.”
Dean Highlights Innovation and Partnerships
Kicking off the second day of the conference at the general session, CAES Dean Stokes spoke about advancing the research the college is currently working on and connecting with communities and agricultural industries.
Later, at the Cattle Health and Well Being session, she started out by saying,
“As a land grant university, keeping our working ranches productive, profitable and sustainable, is really at the heart of what we do.”
She added that, “Our work is driven by what y'all tell us. And so, please stay in touch with us because we need to know what your priorities are, for our research areas.”
She then gave as she called it, “a lightening round,” of research and project updates from around the college that could have an impact on the cattle industry.
She pointed to the Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative—developed in partnership with USDA and NRCS—which provides training designed to keep the state’s rangelands productive, and profitable as well as resillient. She also spotlighted Dr. Kristina Horback’s work on cattle behavior and range management, including promising research on virtual fencing that could expand grazing access on public lands while improving weed control and wildlife habitat.
Beyond the rangeland, Stokes noted ongoing efforts to better understand beef quality—such as modeling tools that help producers sort cattle more accurately, and possibly improving profitability, as well as studies examining the health attributes of animal fat across grass-fed and grain-fed systems. She also spoke about emerging work using CRISPR technology to study the cattle microbiome and evaluate feed additives and vaccine candidates aimed at reducing methane emissions, highlighting the college’s commitment to innovation across livestock production.
She closed by sharing about the work researchers at the CLEAR Center are doing, including testing of a one-time methane-reducing bolus (pill) to understand its long-term, possible lifelong, effects on lowering emissions. This research has real world impact as well, as it could help California meet its 2030 goal of reducing methane by 40% compared to 2013 levels.
“They’re running some of the longest studies of their kind, including a 525-day trial evaluating feed additives both on rangeland and in feedlot settings. These efforts, supported by partners such as CDFA, represent some of the most comprehensive methane-reduction research underway anywhere in the world,” Stokes noted.
Communicating the Stewardship Story
In addition to research, the CLEAR Center is committed to making science more accessible to the general public. That commitment was on full display as staff of the Center, along with Roberti, hosted a media training session entitled, “Sharing the Story that Ranchers are Climate Champions.”
The session included the current state of media, why it’s important to get your message out, what to do when a reporter calls you, how to speak in soundbites, and prepping on how to give an interview about climate-smart agriculture with facts and figures that bolster the point that ranchers are part of the climate solution.
“At the CLEAR Center, we believe strongly that offering up authentic, science-based communication is more important than ever as more people are further and further removed from agriculture,” said Joe Proudman, Associate Director for Communications for the CLEAR Center. “And ranchers have a great story to tell. They are the original stewards of the land and that message is one that needs to be told by them—and not by others.”
CCA Trade Show: Conversations That Matter
Hundreds of attendees walked through the California Cattle Industry Trade Show at the convention, visiting booths from a variety of businesses, industry partners and colleges, including the UC Davis CLEAR Center and UC Davis Veterinary Medicine.
Manning the Veterinary Medicine table was Nusaybah Nijem who works with Dr. Gabrielle Maier, an assistant professor in Cooperative Extension for Beef Cattle Herd Health & Production at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. She spoke with visitors about how to strengthen biosecurity preparedness on ranches.
“We are trying to outreach to ranchers and really anyone who owns large animals. We will come out to their ranch and create a biosecurity plan for them, and they can get it certified by the CDFA,” Nijem said. “With a plan, in a case of an outbreak of a disease, they will be able to come out of quarantine sooner and get back to business sooner.”
Meeting with ranchers face-to-face helps researchers like Nijem to ensure their work is relevant to the communities their trying to make an impact on.
“I absolutely love talking to people about biosecurity and working towards a goal of helping communities,” Nijem said, “It's been fun talking to them, and also learning from them and learning about, what struggles they're dealing with and I'm taking notes so I can go back and help them out.”
Helping rural communities is what Samantha Crane does on a regular basis. She is with the Rural Community Disaster Preparedness division of UC Davis Veterinary Medicine Extension.
“Normally, we spend a lot of time preparing rural and isolated communities in California for climate disasters, and medical disease outbreaks,” said Crane. “A lot of these communities don't always have resources, or they aren't well connected to existing resources. So, we go out and do needs assessment-based curriculum and projects to help them. When a disaster occurs, they can face it with confidence.”
Crane added that being a part of the conference was an important opportunity, “to guarantee that she is offering the appropriate resources and help that people can actually use.”
Building up the Next Generation
For the next generation of agricultural leaders, attending the conference helps them to understand issues facing the industry, as well as to build meaningful connections that will hopefully last through their careers. Each year, the UC Davis YCA take several members to the convention, where they are given the opportunity to listen in on current beef industry issues and topics. The event allows students to network, while also aiding them in gaining important professional skills.
“It's nice to see other colleges, and to know that you're in this together and building that comradery and collaboration,” said YCA member, Katheryn Gutierrez. “It just instills hope, and it nurtures the passion that we have for the cattle industry and the industry as a whole.”
Speaking of the next generation of agriculture leaders: some of the CLEAR Center graduate students interviewed for CCA scholarships while at the conference as well. They highlighted their research and overall work on sustainability as well as developing scalable solutions for the cattle industry, now and in the future.