Food & Agriculture

A major

For two and a half centuries, the United States has been founded upon our capacity to feed communities, both at home and throughout the world. Through the forethought of federal legislators and Abraham Lincoln, we now have a complex and interconnected cooperative system for growing, cultivating, harvesting, processing and delivering the food we all rely on. 

The University of California, Davis, has received a gift of more than $25 million that will transform the advancement of agricultural technology and innovation for generations to come, made possible by a bequest from late philanthropist and local businessman Dan G. Best II.

The gift honors the enduring legacy of his grandfather, C.L. Best, an agricultural innovator and founding leader of Caterpillar Tractor Co., whose design of his first track-type tractor in 1912 still forms the basis for all current track-type machines used across the world today. 

Field Day at UC Davis is turning 50 and this year it will bring an estimated 1,650 FFA and 4-H students to campus to participate in 20 contests showing off their agricultural knowledge and leadership skills. 

The annual event is a massive undertaking that brings together 600 student volunteers, coordinators, judges, advisors, faculty and others over one weekend to evaluate knowledge in a variety of topics from agricultural welding and farm management to livestock judging and veterinary sciences. 

Smoke from wildfires can alter grapes and affect the taste and sensory experience of wine, threatening California’s $88 billion industry as it faces an increase in fires on the horizon. 

Researchers from the University of California, Davis, and U.S. Department of Agriculture spent this summer applying a calcium spray to grapes to see if the treatment can protect the fruit from smoke exposure.

Plants have resources, and bacteria want them. Plants have gates on their leaves to keep the thieves out. But a nasty bug called Salmonella has figured out how to trick plants into opening up their safety gates so it can sneak in and live happily inside.

When people eat those contaminated leaves, they can get sick, sometimes severely. Because the bacteria are actually inside the leaves, they cannot be removed by washing.

Researchers from the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and the University of California, Davis, are helping beekeepers protect their colonies from destructive varroa mites. In a new study, the researchers investigate the effectiveness of combining a widely used mite-killing pesticide with an agent that inhibits the mites’ ability to tolerate the pesticide. 

Walk down the aisles of many grocery stores and you’re liable to see claims about products that are “good for gut health,” from yogurt and kombucha to supplements and even sodas. But despite its popularity, the phrase can mean different things to different people and lacks a shared scientific definition.

Fluffy scrambled eggs, omelets and breakfast burritos are all made possible by an egg-ceptional program feeding both campus and the community. Produced by hens raised on campus and cared for by our students, these eggs are part of nutritious meals found in the Dining Commons, a staple at The Pantry and helping local organizations like the Yolo County Food Bank.

Dean Ashley M. Stokes from the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, or CA&ES, will gather with fellow scientists, staff and students in Tulare at the 2026 World Ag Expo. 

The event, which is Feb. 10-12, is the largest annual agricultural show of its kind and brings together farmers, growers, ranchers, prospective students, alumni and leaders throughout the agricultural industry.

The theme this year is “Grounds for Innovation.”