University of California, Davis, scientists are teaming up with UC Berkeley and UC San Francisco researchers on a $70-million donor-funded initiative that aims in part to cut climate change-causing emissions from cattle by using the genome-editing tool CRISPR on microbes in the cows’ gut.

Catie McVey wants to bring big data to the small farmer.

The Ph.D. candidate in animal biology at UC Davis has developed a customizable artificial intelligence platform called DairyFit to help dairy farmers get a better sense of what is happening in their herds.

McVey combined biostatistics and machine learning into an algorithmic platform where farmers can visualize data that is already being captured and analyze it to look for insights into behavior.

Do you ever wonder why sometimes one, lone cow stands munching grass on a hillside while her fellow cattle graze in groups below?

Animal behavior experts at UC Davis do, and their curiosity may shed light on one of the most critical economic and ecological questions in rangeland management. How can we encourage more cattle to roam?

Producing a liter of milk in California emits less greenhouse gas and uses less land and water than it did in 1964, according to a recent study from researchers at the University of California, Davis.

For the past two years, researchers at the University of California, Davis, have been studying six offspring of a dairy bull, genome-edited to prevent it from growing horns. This technology has been proposed as an alternative to dehorning, a common management practice performed to protect other cattle and human handlers from injuries.

This story is courtesy of the UC Davis Big Ideas.

According to Fitbit’s website, more than 76 million of the fitness devices have been sold worldwide. And that’s just one brand of many in the booming industry of wearable health trackers. 

The cattle industry is the largest agricultural commodity in the United States, generating more than $100 billion in farm cash receipts in 2016. Despite cattle’s economic importance, scientists still have a long way to go to fully understand mechanisms that govern important genetic traits in the animals such as growth and disease resistance.

Expert sees dramatic reduction when cows consume seaweed supplement

Seaweed may be the super food dairy cattle need to reduce the amount of methane they burp into the atmosphere. Early results from novel research at the University of California, Davis, indicate that just a touch of the ocean algae in cattle feed could dramatically cut greenhouse gas emissions from California’s 1.8 million dairy cows.

Farmers gather to see new research in beef, alfalfa and small grains

When it comes to agricultural research, there’s nothing like seeing it in action to learn how it fits on your farm. That’s why farmers, ranchers, crop advisers and many others gathered at UC Davis on a recent sunny day in May to attend field days focused on beef, alfalfa and small grains.

New findings could advance cattle production, help study human disease

For more than 35 years, scientists have tried to isolate embryonic stem cells in cows without much success. Under the right conditions, embryonic stem cells can grow indefinitely and make any other cell type or tissue, which has huge implications for creating genetically superior cows.