Food & Agriculture

A bag of groceries can feed a family, but it may not always feel like home. New research led by the University of California, Davis, finds that labeling foods that are meaningful to different cultures can help local pantries better serve the communities they support.

Two new studies examining gray wolves in California paint a complex picture of life on California’s ranching landscapes: Wolves eat cattle more than anything else, and the presence of the predators causes significant stress among livestock.

California’s San Joaquin Valley produces an enormous share of the nation’s fruits, nuts and vegetables. But it takes an unsustainable amount of groundwater to do it. New state rules aimed at reducing groundwater use are expected to force up to 20 percent of the valley’s irrigated fields out of production – a blow to farmers and communities.

Worker bees are the first line of defense when it comes to removing contamination in honeybee colonies, but a queen has her ways, too.

A honeybee queen facing chronic exposure to pesticides will take up that contamination and pass it along to her eggs, a process researchers call maternal offloading. 

The findings, which document for the first time the extent a queen will go to survive, are published in the journal Current Biology. Research was led by the University of California, Davis.

Ice that doesn’t melt. Technology that restores voices. An AI chatbot that can improve your health. Forecasting tools that can protect neighborhoods, people and ecosystems from extreme weather. 

These are just a handful of research advancements supported by federal funding highlighted by UCDavisDelivers, a yearlong online and social media campaign meant to show the impact of research on everyday lives.

Ordering a hamburger might soon come with more than a calorie count. Food systems account for about one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions, and some foods have larger environmental footprints than others. Some restaurants are beginning to display the environmental impact of food items on their menus. A new study led by researchers at the University of California, Davis, shows that climate labels can nudge people toward more environmentally friendly food choices.

The Department of Animal Science is hosting its 33rd Annual Production Sale and showcase later this month to auction off seven horses and two mules bred, birthed and trained by undergraduate interns on the UC Davis campus.

The University of California, Davis, Department of Viticulture and Enology will begin this year’s wine sales June 16 from noon to 4 p.m. The wines are made by students, faculty and staff from grapes they grow on campus and at the Oakville research station in Napa Valley. Six new student-made wines will be released as well as three new UC Davis wines. 

The U.S Department of Agriculture has confirmed a case of New World screwworm in Zavala County, Texas in a three-week old calf. New World screwworm is a serious parasitic fly that can affect livestock, pets, wildlife, and less commonly, people and birds. Adult screwworm flies are about the size of a common housefly or slightly larger. Their larvae feed on the living tissue of warm-blooded animals.

As California lawmakers consider legislation that would require “high sugar” warning labels on restaurant menus, a University of California, Davis, study shows that the labels are effective in dissuading diners from ordering sugary items.