Food & Agriculture Content

Transformative Gift Propels �鶹��ý’ Leadership in Ag Tech

Amy M Quinton — March 03, 2026 - 9:09am

�鶹��ý receives a $25 million gift from the estate of Dan G. Best II to fund endowed chairs, scholarships and agricultural innovation in honor of C.L. Best.

Helping Beekeepers Fight Mites Through More Effective Treatments

Katherine E Kerlin — February 19, 2026 - 2:18pm

Researchers from the USDA and �鶹��ý are helping beekeepers protect their colonies from destructive varroa mites through a promising new line of research.

What is Gut Health?

Amy M Quinton — February 18, 2026 - 8:51am

An international panel led by �鶹��ý professor Maria Marco defines “gut health” for the first time, offering a scientific framework for medicine, research and consumer claims.

Coffee Industry Leaders Give Major Collections to �鶹��ý Library

Julia Ann Easley — January 29, 2026 - 2:46pm

The University of California, Davis, has received three significant collections of coffee-related materials that together illuminate the history, science and global impact of specialty coffee.

The donations to the �鶹��ý Library are from Gerald “Jerry” Baldwin, co-founder of Starbucks and former president of Peet’s Coffee; Russ Kramer, president of Hacienda La Minita and veteran of Green Mountain Coffee; and the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA).

Tell Me Something Good … About Salmon

Katherine E Kerlin — January 29, 2026 - 1:22pm

For every bad thing happening in the world, there are good people trying to make things right. Sometimes they even win. That’s why I’m starting a new series on this blog called “Tell Me Something Good.”

I’m opening it up with Carson Jeffres, a �鶹��ý Center for Watershed Sciences researcher who helped inspire the idea, simply by telling me something good. I needed to hear it. Maybe you do, too.

Grant to Expand Self-Cloning Crop Technology for Indian Farmers

Andy Fell — January 27, 2026 - 9:40am

Venkatesan Sundaresan, a Distinguished Professor of plant biology and plant sciences at the University of California, Davis, has been awarded a Gates Foundation grant to develop self-cloning crops for Indian farmers.

Breakthroughs for Preventing Pistachio Hull Split

Katherine E Kerlin — January 22, 2026 - 12:02pm

�鶹��ý agricultural scientists reveal how pistachio hulls are built and how their cell walls break down, lending new insight for the $2-bilion-a year pistachio industry.

Plant Biologists Win VinFuture Prize for Developing Self-Cloning Crops

Andy Fell — December 08, 2025 - 2:11pm

Two researchers at the University of California, Davis, have been awarded a VinFuture Prize in recognition of their work developing self-cloning crops, a breakthrough for sustainable agriculture.

Rising Heat Leads to Minimal Losses for California Processing Tomatoes

Katherine E Kerlin — December 02, 2025 - 9:00am

California’s $1 billion processing tomato industry is highly efficient and likely will be able to withstand higher temperatures from climate change, as well as traffic.

Cabernet Sauvignon’s Long Memory Revealed

Amy M Quinton — November 18, 2025 - 9:33am

�鶹��ý scientists find chemical "switches" that control gene expression in cabernet sauvignon remain stable across hundreds of years of clonal reproduction.