Frank Mitloehner

The UC-Davis professor’s work on communicating fact-based animal science to various stakeholder groups has impacted related public policy, leading to his award recognition from the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology.

2019 BCCA Impact Report

October 16, 2019 – Dr. Frank Mitloehner was presented the 2019 Borlaug CAST Communication Award in Des Moines, Iowa. This is video is edited from CAST’s Facebook live stream of the event, specifically showing Dr. Mitloehner’s keynote presentation, Feeding the World Without Wasting It.

April 16, 2019 | Council for Agricultural Science and Technology—Ames, Iowa

Frank Mitloehner Honored With Science Communication Award

The UC-Davis professor’s work on communicating fact-based animal science to various stakeholder groups has impacted related public policy, leading to his award recognition from the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology.

Dr. Frank Mitloehner is a professor and air quality specialist in cooperative extension in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the University of California, Davis. He is making a difference nationally and worldwide in how we view animal agriculture, its effect on greenhouse gases, and its role in nourishing the global population.

Dr. Mitloehner shares his knowledge and research with students at the undergraduate and graduate levels, with members of the scientific community, with those who work in and consult for the critically important agricultural industry, and—via traditional and social media outlets—with the general population.

Mitloehner earned his master’s in animal science and agricultural engineering from the University of Leipzig, Germany, and his doctorate in animal science from Texas Tech University. In 2002, Dr. Mitloehner was recruited to UC-Davis to fill its first faculty position focused on the relationship between livestock and air quality.

His determination to mitigate air emissions from livestock operations, and his study of the health and safety of farm workers and neighboring communities, have had long-lasting benefits for agriculture, the environment, and related industries. His current focus is on the critical food challenge that he believes will become a larger reality, as the world’s population is projected to grow to nearly 10 billion by 2050.

Dr. Mitloehner is a prolific author, a dedicated instructor, and a highly visible member of his professional community, and he serves on a number of influential committees. He was chairman of a United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization partnership committee called Livestock Environmental Assessment and Performance Partnership—also known as “LEAP”—whose purpose was to establish the global “gold standard” for assessing the environmental footprint of livestock production. Not only was the objective achieved—but under Dr. Mitloehner’s leadership—five major guideline reports were published and released.

He also served as a member of a National Academy of Science Institute of Medicine workgroup that authored the report, “A Framework for Assessing Health, Environmental, and Social Effects of the Food System.” And he advised former President Barack Obama on food security issues, environmental impacts of food production, and related issues.

Dr. Mitloehner has been actively engaged with many of our nation’s major livestock, feed, and rendering industries—and he helps organizations through extension services and strategic planning.

He has given more than 800 invited presentations to a wide range of audiences—national and internationally. He contributes often to stories in the major, mainstream media outlets, including CNN, PBS, Newsweek, The Washington Post, and others. He also maintains a regular presence on Twitter (@GHGGuru) and recently launched a blog designed to educate and inform a diverse online audience.

Dr. Frank Mitloehner is dedicated to sharing his knowledge as broadly as possible to provide science‐based evidence on which to base long‐term strategies. His ability to distill complex, scientific information into everyday language through various platforms for the benefits of a wide variety of audiences sheds light on his popularity as an instructor, researcher, and media spokesperson and indeed shows he is a worthy recipient of the 2019 Borlaug CAST Communication Award.

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