News

Once fallow tomato fields on the UC Davis campus are now home to irrigated corn fields growing silage that will help feed dairy cows.

The project is part of a new initiative bolstering sustainability and research efforts in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences by bringing dormant fields back in action in support of campus research and facilities.  

April has been a whirlwind of activity this month! We kicked off spring quarter with Aggie Day, where we welcomed thousands of admitted first years, transfers, families and supporters to campus. It is always so exciting to welcome our newly admitted students, learn about their interests, connect them with our faculty, staff and students, and encourage them to say yes to UC Davis – and our #1 ranked college! I also celebrated my first Picnic Day and was so inspired by all the hard work and dynamic presentations from our departments!

Across an expanse of open grassland in Sacramento County, an eight-foot, stream cut bank holds dozens of mud-domed bird nests, where tiny heads peeked out before a colony of cliff swallows took flight. Cliff swallows are small migratory birds that arrive in the Central Valley each spring to breed, and while they now commonly nest on bridges and freeway overpasses, finding their nests built in a natural setting is a striking and special sight, particularly in California’s Central Valley.

California has one of the highest rates of wildfire-driven deforestation in the world, and the trend has accelerated over the past three decades, according to a study from the University of California, Davis. 

A basic income program in Yolo County — one of the first such programs nationwide — lifted unhoused families above the California poverty line for two years. Families could, for a while, spend less time worrying about money and more time being a family, according to new University of California, Davis, research. 

The program provided a monthly stipend to 76 mostly single-parent families between 2022 and 2024, helping them gain housing, food and general wellbeing for two years. 

California’s processing tomato industry, for the first time this past harvest season, agreed to voluntary equipment cleaning and notification guidelines to prevent the spread of broomrape, a parasitic weed that attaches to roots and sucks out key nutrients. 

What does the world look like to a cow and why do goats spook so easily? New tools are helping people experience how livestock perceive and respond to their surroundings—leading to safer, lower-stress handling for animals and the people who raise them. UC Davis researchers and veterinarians are bringing these tools to ranchers and others, showing how understanding animal behavior improves welfare in real-world settings. In this episode of Unfold, we explore where science meets the herd.

On a sunny day in early April, young wheat plants stood waist-high, their heads full of still-green grain. A walk along some furrows left pants and boots covered with a fine, orange dust. These plants in test fields near the UC Davis campus were bred to fight a stubborn pathogen that threatens the world’s wheat: stripe rust.

The UC Davis Olive Center is releasing a new olive oil that’s as meaningful as it is tasty. “Friends Blend” will be available for purchase starting this week and the community is invited to get a free taste during Picnic Day, a beloved campus event that will be held April 18.

Four faculty from the University of California, Davis, have been elected as Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, class of 2025. They are among nearly 500 scientists, engineers and other innovators that the society recognized this year for their scientifically and socially distinguished achievements.

Here are the new fellows, with their fellowship citations: 

Department of Entomology and Nematology, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences