Better food through science: N.C. agribusiness is expected to get a boost through two initiatives.

• Author: Saylor, Teri
• Position: SPONSORED SECTION: CASH CROP

North Carolina is banking on two new agribusiness initiatives that are poised to grow jobs, create new markets for farmers and bring a level of manufacturing to the state that hasn't been seen in decades. The Plant Sciences Initiative, planned for construction on N.C. State University's Centennial Campus, and the Food Processing and Innovation Center, headquartered at the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis, are primed and ready to feed North Carolina's economy to the tune of $10 billion over the next two years.

"Our agribusiness industry sits at $84 billion today, and I believe we can hit our goal of reaching $100 billion by 2020," says N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler.

The Food Processing Innovation Center will be a big part of this effort, with the Plant Sciences Initiative working in tandem to develop advanced measures that will improve crop yields, introduce new plant varieties and reduce feed costs for farm animals.

"This is all about the future of agriculture and agribusiness in North Carolina," Troxler says. "We have great people and great farmers, and I have no doubt we can be a world leader in plant sciences."

Richard Linton, dean of N.C. States College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, has embraced the challenge of leading university efforts in helping North Carolina by driving job creation and making agriculture the state's top economic sector. He's uniquely qualified for the role. Linton, a nationally recognized food-safety authority, was a professor and chair of the Department of Food Science and Technology at Ohio State University before coming to North Carolina.

"I saw how to grow this sector in two pieces, through plant sciences and food manufacturing," he says. "North Carolina has a very diverse agriculture economy, with more than 70 commodity crops. It is the third most diverse state in the nation in plant varieties. We are also very diverse in soils and climates from the mountains to the Piedmont to the coast."

The states environmental diversity is perfect for doing research by combining various soil types with climate variations to mimic other agriculture-rich areas across the country. This research will enable growers to develop new plant varieties and create better quality and better yield.

North Carolina also is unique in that N.C. State has 18 agricultural research stations around the state to take advantage of this diversity.

"No one else in the country has all of this," Linton says. "Add in...