For Farmers

We help farmers fight diseases and pests, endure storms or droughts, and feed a growing population in spite of other global challenges.

$117B in Economic Impact

Agriculture is our state’s biggest industry, generating over $115 billion in annual economic impact.

#1 in the Nation

N.C. farmers and growers lead the U.S. in sweet potato, poultry/egg and tobacco production.

1.1M+ Jobs

The agricultural industry supports more than a million jobs across North Carolina, representing over 20% of the statewide total.

Precision Sensors: An Innovative Future for Agriculture

NC State researchers are advancing sensor technology to help farmers face challenges like emerging plant diseases and climate change.

Excrement Enterprise

There’s an on-farm product that’s full of potential to those with a waste-not, want-not approach – animal and poultry feces. This digestion by-product could be key to creating bespoke self-sustaining farm systems and biofuels.

20 Years to Grow on: Future-proofing NC State’s Covington Sweetpotato

Two decades since its release, the Covington variety developed by NC State now accounts for 60% of all sweetpotatoes planted nationwide.

From Code to Coop

In the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, researchers are using AI, robotics and automation to develop next-generation solutions to address labor shortages and improve animal welfare, safety and productivity in the poultry industry — which generates approximately $40 billion in annual economic impact for North Carolina.

Reshaping poultry production

Growing Better Christmas Trees

North Carolina ranks No. 2 nationally in Christmas tree production. Forty-plus years of NC State genetics research have helped ensure that the state’s Christmas tree industry will continue to thrive for future generations.

Feeding Curiosity for Better Swine Nutrition

NC State doctoral student Alexa Gormley is part of a team working to improve intestinal health in newly weaned pigs.

Shedding a Light on Plant DNA Replication

The maize genome is almost as large as the human genome. New research findings show how maize achieves a feat of efficiency when replicating its DNA.

Microscopic image of the fungus powdery mildew that infects strawberries.

Study Reveals How Strawberries Were Ambushed By Fungal Parasites

A new finding regarding strawberries and raspberries encumbered with powdery mildew disease pinpoints the ancestral history of the disease — and could aid the understanding of how plant diseases arise.

Researchers Share Images to Accelerate AI Use in Agriculture

An open-source plant image repository developed at NC State could help close a gap in artificial intelligence for agriculture.

Enhanced Efficiency Fertilizer Can Cut Emissions, But Soil Type Matters

A three-year study on nitrous oxide and ammonia emissions from North Carolina corn fields is giving researchers a better handle on when and where enhanced efficiency fertilizers could benefit the environment — and what that means for farmers’ bottom lines.

N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative (PSI)

The North Carolina Plant Sciences Initiative brings together the brightest minds in academia, government and industry to tackle complex agricultural challenges. We take an interdisciplinary team approach to increase crop yields, extend growing seasons, create new varieties, enhance economic and environmental sustainability, and produce field-ready technology for farmers.

N.C. PSI is headquartered in the heart of NC State’s Centennial Campus, at its state-of-the-art Plant Sciences Building. The five-story, 185,000-square-foot building features 11 rooftop greenhouse bays; a first floor focused on education and engagement with the public, including a demo lab, an interactive learning commons, and ample event space to serve the agricultural community of NC State and beyond; and spaces for prototyping, partnership development, and startup companies.

More research from the N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative: