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CLEAR Conversations

CLEAR Conversations

Di: UC Davis CLEAR Center
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A proposito di questo titolo

The way food is produced touches everyone, yet most of us are far removed from the farms and ranches where it all begins. That’s the driving idea behind a new podcast from the UC Davis CLEAR Center. Called “CLEAR Conversations,” the show aims to bring together voices from across the agricultural and scientific communities to spark meaningful dialogue about farming, food, and sustainability.

Hosted by CLEAR Center Director and greenhouse gas expert Dr. Frank Mitloehner, along with members of the CLEAR Center communications staff, the podcast will break down complex topics—like climate change, livestock emissions, and the future of food—into clear, relatable conversations.

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Episodi
  • Sustainability VS. Stewardship, What's the Difference?

    Sustainability VS. Stewardship, What's the Difference?
    Jan 21 2026

    This week on CLEAR Conversations, Katie Roberti sat down for a conversation that reflects both her roots and her mission. As Director of Communications for the California Cattlemen’s Association (CCA), Roberti spends her days translating the realities of ranching into language policymakers, media, and the public can understand. But her connection to agriculture is far more personal than professional. Dr. Kelly Nichols, Assistant Professor at UC Davis sits down with CLEAR Conversations host, Tracy Sellers. The Nichols Lab focuses on characterizing the digestive and metabolic flexibility of dairy cattle to elevate our understanding of dietary protein and energy interactions, mammary gland metabolism, and postabsorptive nutrient utilization to improve the transfer of dietary nutrients into milk. Her lab conducts studies investigating metabolite flux at the tissue level (e.g., mammary gland), energy and nitrogen balance, digestibility, and milk production in response to nutritional interventions. Further, she is interested in how the postabsorptive efficiencies of nutrients (e.g., amino acids) interact and change with the physiological state of the cow throughout lactation. Listen on: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/clear-conversations/id1844923534 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0EsxxMUuHGRysasRq5k1bS iHeartRadio: https://iheart.com/podcast/299490214 Amazon Music/Audible: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/94808eee-a498-49ec-a3da-9bae97d0250d
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    37 min
  • Can We Really Fix Methane Without Breaking Digestion?

    Can We Really Fix Methane Without Breaking Digestion?
    Jan 7 2026
    Dr. Kelly Nichols, Assistant Professor at UC Davis sits down with CLEAR Conversations host, Tracy Sellers. The Nichols Lab focuses on characterizing the digestive and metabolic flexibility of dairy cattle to elevate our understanding of dietary protein and energy interactions, mammary gland metabolism, and postabsorptive nutrient utilization to improve the transfer of dietary nutrients into milk. Her lab conducts studies investigating metabolite flux at the tissue level (e.g., mammary gland), energy and nitrogen balance, digestibility, and milk production in response to nutritional interventions. Further, she is interested in how the postabsorptive efficiencies of nutrients (e.g., amino acids) interact and change with the physiological state of the cow throughout lactation. Listen on: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/clear-conversations/id1844923534 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0EsxxMUuHGRysasRq5k1bS iHeartRadio: https://iheart.com/podcast/299490214 Amazon Music/Audible: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/94808eee-a498-49ec-a3da-9bae97d0250d Text File: 00:00:00:00 - 00:00:00:18 Mitigating 00:00:00:18 - 00:00:01:18 enteric methane, 00:00:01:18 - 00:00:02:14 and what could be 00:00:02:14 - 00:00:04:10 the consequences of 00:00:04:10 - 00:00:05:21 drastically reducing 00:00:05:21 - 00:00:07:12 a really essential cycle 00:00:07:12 - 00:00:08:03 in the rumen. 00:00:08:03 - 00:00:09:07 We're very focused 00:00:09:07 - 00:00:10:01 on hitting 00:00:10:01 - 00:00:11:18 those targets, reducing 00:00:11:18 - 00:00:12:07 and coming up 00:00:12:07 - 00:00:13:01 with really innovative 00:00:13:01 - 00:00:14:03 ways to do that. 00:00:14:03 - 00:00:15:09 But we might be missing 00:00:15:09 - 00:00:16:03 some of that down 00:00:16:03 - 00:00:16:12 the road 00:00:16:12 - 00:00:17:15 Consequences, 00:00:17:15 - 00:00:18:10 for example, 00:00:18:10 - 00:00:19:06 how that interacts 00:00:19:06 - 00:00:20:04 with protein 00:00:20:04 - 00:00:28:08 metabolism in the body. 00:00:28:10 - 00:00:28:14 Well, 00:00:28:14 - 00:00:29:22 welcome to the Clear 00:00:29:22 - 00:00:31:05 Conversations podcast. 00:00:31:05 - 00:00:31:15 We're excited. 00:00:31:15 - 00:00:31:23 You're here 00:00:31:23 - 00:00:32:16 with us today. 00:00:32:16 - 00:00:32:20 Today 00:00:32:20 - 00:00:33:11 we're going to be talking 00:00:33:11 - 00:00:35:19 about cows and nutrition 00:00:35:19 - 00:00:36:20 And sustainability. 00:00:36:20 - 00:00:37:09 They're all 00:00:37:09 - 00:00:38:01 tied together. 00:00:38:01 - 00:00:39:10 They're all connected. 00:00:39:10 - 00:00:40:05 And our guest today 00:00:40:05 - 00:00:41:04 is Kelly Nichols. 00:00:41:04 - 00:00:41:20 She's an assistant 00:00:41:20 - 00:00:42:05 professor 00:00:42:05 - 00:00:42:21 of animal science 00:00:42:21 - 00:00:44:03 here at UC Davis. 00:00:44:03 - 00:00:45:11 Welcome, Kelly. Thanks. 00:00:45:11 - 00:00:46:03 Thanks for having me. 00:00:46:03 - 00:00:47:02 Great to be here. 00:00:47:02 - 00:00:47:15 Thanks for 00:00:47:15 - 00:00:48:11 being here with us. 00:00:48:11 - 00:00:49:03 So first of all, 00:00:49:03 - 00:00:49:21 tell us a little bit 00:00:49:21 - 00:00:50:13 about yourself, 00:00:50:13 - 00:00:51:05 your background 00:00:51:05 - 00:00:52:18 and how you got to study 00:00:52:18 - 00:00:53:15 dairy nutrition 00:00:53:15 - 00:00:54:06 in particular. 00:00:54:06 - 00:00:55:05 So yeah, I'm 00:00:55:05 - 00:00:56:16 a dairy nutritionist. 00:00:56:16 - 00:00:58:00 I'm from Canada 00:00:58:00 - 00:00:59:03 originally, didn't 00:00:59:03 - 00:01:00:22 grow up with dairy cows. 00:01:00:22 - 00:01:01:22 I actually grew 00:01:01:22 - 00:01:02:23 up on a horse farm, 00:01:02:23 - 00:01:04:10 so I always knew 00:01:04:10 - 00:01:05:07 kind of the realities 00:01:05:07 - 00:01:06:18 of taking care of large 00:01:06:18 - 00:01:09:18 animals 365 days a year. 00:01:09:20 - 00:01:10:14 At first I thought I 00:01:10:14 - 00:01:11:16 wanted to be a vet, 00:01:11:16 - 00:01:12:22 but when I went to 00:01:12:22 - 00:01:13:19 the University of Guelph 00:01:13:19 - 00:01:15:04 to do my undergrad, 00:01:15:04 - 00:01:17:01 that's where I started 00:01:17:01 - 00:01:17:12 to get involved 00:01:17:12 - 00:01:18:19 in research projects. 00:01:18:19 - 00:01:19:16 And, 00:01:19:16 - 00:01:20:06 one of the labs 00:01:20:06 - 00:01:21:04 I worked in 00:01:21:04 - 00:01:22:10 was a dairy 00:01:22:10 - 00:01:22:19 nutrition 00:01:22:19 - 00:01:24:04 and metabolism lab. 00:01:24:04 - 00:01:25:02 And you combine 00:01:25:02 - 00:01:25:11 that with 00:01:25:11 - 00:01:26:04 some of the courses 00:01:26:04 - 00:01:26:22 I was taking, 00:01:26:22 - 00:01:28:05 and I really fell in love 00:01:28:05 - 00:01:30:12 with ruminant metabolism 00:01:30:12 - 00:01:31:18 and how nutrition 00:01:31:18 - 00:01:32:15 can influence 00:01:32:15 - 00:01:34:00 how, 00:01:34:00 - 00:01:34:20 all of the metabolic 00:01:34:20 - 00:01:35:16 pathways work 00:01:35:16 - 00:01:37:14 in, particularly dairy 00:01...
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    21 min
  • How We Can Make Dairy More Climate-Friendly (Real Farm Solutions)

    How We Can Make Dairy More Climate-Friendly (Real Farm Solutions)
    Dec 3 2025
    Conor McCabe sits down with CLEAR Conversations host, Tracy Sellers. At the CLEAR Center at UC Davis, researchers spend their days asking a big question with global stakes: how can we raise livestock in ways that are more climate-friendly? For PhD student Conor McCabe, now approaching the end of his fifth year in the Mitloehner Lab, that question has fueled not just one research project—but nearly an entire year of long days, early mornings, and a sprawling scientific effort that spans animals, microbes, emissions, and the future of food systems. McCabe didn’t start out as a dairy kid. He grew up on a small farm in Oregon—“pretty much an Old McDonald’s farm,” he jokes—with pigs, cattle, pumpkins, and Christmas trees. His mother once served as a dairy princess, but dairy cattle weren’t part of Connor’s life until college. After studying animal science across Cornell, Purdue, and now UC Davis, he’s seen “different pockets of cows across the country,” as he puts it. But it wasn’t until arriving at Davis that he found the right intersection of ruminant biology and real-world impact. Text File: 00:00:00:00 - 00:00:00:11 Because at the 00:00:00:11 - 00:00:01:07 end of the day, 00:00:01:07 - 00:00:02:06 what we're 00:00:02:06 - 00:00:02:18 thinking about 00:00:02:18 - 00:00:03:19 how can we 00:00:03:19 - 00:00:04:22 improve nutrition, 00:00:04:22 - 00:00:06:07 how can we reduce 00:00:06:07 - 00:00:07:02 environmental impacts, 00:00:07:02 - 00:00:08:12 and how can we help with 00:00:08:12 - 00:00:09:09 the billions of people 00:00:09:09 - 00:00:10:12 that are involved 00:00:10:12 - 00:00:12:01 in livestock systems. 00:00:12:01 - 00:00:12:12 Think about 00:00:12:12 - 00:00:13:08 how do we create more 00:00:13:08 - 00:00:14:07 sustainable food systems, 00:00:14:07 - 00:00:14:23 at least for 00:00:14:23 - 00:00:15:23 for the rest of my 00:00:15:23 - 00:00:23:10 my career here. 00:00:23:12 - 00:00:24:03 Welcome to 00:00:24:03 - 00:00:25:14 Clear Conversations. 00:00:25:14 - 00:00:25:20 You know, 00:00:25:20 - 00:00:26:11 the clear center. 00:00:26:11 - 00:00:27:03 Our researchers 00:00:27:03 - 00:00:27:23 are testing ways 00:00:27:23 - 00:00:28:19 to make livestock 00:00:28:19 - 00:00:30:01 more climate friendly. 00:00:30:01 - 00:00:30:10 And today, 00:00:30:10 - 00:00:31:02 we're going to be talking 00:00:31:02 - 00:00:31:08 to one of 00:00:31:08 - 00:00:32:08 those researchers. 00:00:32:08 - 00:00:32:21 His name is 00:00:32:21 - 00:00:33:13 Conor McCabe, 00:00:33:13 - 00:00:34:10 and he's a 00:00:34:10 - 00:00:35:06 PhD student in the 00:00:35:06 - 00:00:36:07 Mitloehner lab. 00:00:36:07 - 00:00:36:20 He is working 00:00:36:20 - 00:00:38:00 with feed additives 00:00:38:00 - 00:00:38:17 with dairy cows. 00:00:38:17 - 00:00:39:09 And he's going to tell us 00:00:39:09 - 00:00:39:20 a little bit 00:00:39:20 - 00:00:41:01 about his research today. 00:00:41:01 - 00:00:41:09 Conor, 00:00:41:09 - 00:00:42:07 thanks for joining us. 00:00:42:07 - 00:00:43:11 I'm so happy to be here 00:00:43:11 - 00:00:44:01 and looking 00:00:44:01 - 00:00:44:13 forward to it. 00:00:44:13 - 00:00:45:02 All right. 00:00:45:02 - 00:00:45:21 We are looking forward 00:00:45:21 - 00:00:46:13 to talking to you. 00:00:46:13 - 00:00:47:04 So first of all, 00:00:47:04 - 00:00:47:18 tell us a little bit 00:00:47:18 - 00:00:48:13 about yourself 00:00:48:13 - 00:00:49:06 and your background. 00:00:49:06 - 00:00:50:16 You've done a lot, 00:00:50:16 - 00:00:50:22 even 00:00:50:22 - 00:00:51:18 before you came to UC 00:00:51:18 - 00:00:52:13 Davis. You've done a lot. 00:00:52:13 - 00:00:53:04 So tell us a little bit 00:00:53:04 - 00:00:54:00 about that. Yeah. 00:00:54:00 - 00:00:55:07 So I'm currently 00:00:55:07 - 00:00:55:23 wrapping up 00:00:55:23 - 00:00:57:03 the fifth year of my, 00:00:57:03 - 00:00:58:20 my PhD here at Davis. 00:00:58:20 - 00:01:00:08 The last couple of months 00:01:00:08 - 00:01:01:02 of my time 00:01:01:02 - 00:01:02:09 is coming up here, 00:01:02:09 - 00:01:03:08 but I'm originally 00:01:03:08 - 00:01:04:04 from the West Coast, 00:01:04:04 - 00:01:05:14 originally from Oregon 00:01:05:14 - 00:01:06:11 as my hometown where 00:01:06:11 - 00:01:08:02 my family has a 00:01:08:02 - 00:01:10:05 small farm where we have, 00:01:10:05 - 00:01:11:11 pigs, 00:01:11:11 - 00:01:12:15 cattle, Christmas 00:01:12:15 - 00:01:14:10 trees, pumpkins, 00:01:14:12 - 00:01:15:03 all that order. 00:01:15:03 - 00:01:15:19 So a big 00:01:15:19 - 00:01:17:11 old McDonald farm, 00:01:17:11 - 00:01:18:11 and that got my interest 00:01:18:11 - 00:01:20:22 in animal science. 00:01:20:22 - 00:01:21:19 And then 00:01:21:19 - 00:01:22:18 I went to New York, 00:01:22:18 - 00:01:24:10 to Cornell for undergrad, 00:01:24:10 - 00:01:25:16 did a masters at Purdue, 00:01:25:16 - 00:01:26:05 and now 00:01:26:05 - 00:01:26:22 I've come here to UC 00:01:26:22 - 00:01:28:00 Davis. 00:01:28:00 - 00:01:28:12 There's cows 00:01:28:12 - 00:01:29:...
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    22 min
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