Agriculture is changing across North Carolina.
Biofuels are opening new possibilities for crops ranging from soybeans to switchgrass. Cotton, soybean and corn farmers now routinely use seeds created with biotechnology. Animal health continues to get a significant boost from new vaccines and feed additives.
Agricultural industry leaders in overalls and big tractors now partner with scientists in lab coats who employ tools of biotechnology to find new ways to compete in a global marketplace.
About one in every five North Carolinians still works in a job related to agriculture – plant and animal. Agriculture contributes $59 billion a year to the state’s economy, or one-fifth of its income. This year biotechnology is improving North Carolina agriculture by boosting food and fiber production by 57 million pounds, improving farm income by $64 million and reducing pesticide use by 1.4 million pounds.
The range of products includes everything from herbicide- and insect-resistant crops from Syngenta Biotechnology in Research Triangle Park to poultry vaccines from Embrex in Laurinburg and Durham and high-fructose corn syrup from Corn Products International in Winston-Salem.
Since its founding in 1984, the Biotechnology Center has helped North Carolina put its money where its agricultural future is, awarding more than $11 million in ag-related grants and loans. Its strategically located Southeastern, Eastern, Piedmont Triad, Western and Greater Charlotte regional offices help maintain North Carolina’s national, and global, prominence in agricultural biotechnology.
For more information see the 15-page document, “Agricultural Biotechnology Takes Root Statewide,” or the accompanying North Carolina BioBrief of the same name, a single-sheet overview of the topic.