Ag + Biotech: NC’s Dominance A Matter of Degree

North Carolina’s global ag biotech leadership is largely a matter of degree.

Lots of degrees, to be more specific.

From entrepreneurs to executives at the world leaders in the field, we routinely hear that our increasingly talented, educated workforce is the primary reason they and more than 80 of their ag biotech peers have set root and/or expanded in North Carolina.

Our state has seen significant growth in the number of students earning bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in agriculture and natural resources.  In fact, over the past five years, there’s been a 54 percent growth in these targeted degrees. This is nearly three times the growth of overall degrees in the state.

In the increasingly competitive bioscience marketplace, success requires that we play to our strengths. That leads to an all-important critical mass, a foundational structure of power and credibility. North Carolina’s rolling hills have never been suited to join the big-combine corn belt. But Tar Heel farmers have always been uniquely serious and successful on our own terms.

Putting that together with our 30-year commitment to biotech led to our 80+ ag biotech companies -- five of whom are the world’s largest players like BASF Plant Science, Bayer CropScience, DuPont Pioneer, Monsanto and Syngenta.

In the past three years, North Carolina’s ag biotech companies have announced more than $300 million in investment/expansion plans to bring more than 950 new jobs.

As these companies continue to expand, they will seek a skilled workforce and they know where to find the best growing talented population.

There’s more about ag biotech activity in North Carolina at www.ncbiotech.org/agbiotech. The NCBiotech website can also give you the “dirt” about ag biotech companies in North Carolina and even about potential biotech job opportunities.

If you’re in the ag biotech field, that means you’re also probably in the greenhouse or lab. But if you’re not in North Carolina, then you don’t know what you’re missing.