RALEIGH, N.C., September 6, 2023 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and NC State University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences hosted a groundbreaking ceremony today to celebrate the construction of a new plant research facility. The new facility underscores USDA€™s commitment to supporting scientific research that addresses agricultural challenges impacting farmers and consumers nationwide.
"This investment in modern scientific infrastructure reflects USDA's commitment to pioneering research and cutting-edge solutions that ensure growers can be more productive, profitable and resilient," said USDA Chief Scientist and Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young. "It also underscores the importance of our partnership with NC State to bring state-of-the-art scientific computing to this campus that will help expand the frontier of agricultural science."
This state-of-the-art facility will house approximately 30-40 experts from ARS and NC State University who will conduct research on maize, soybean, wheat, cotton and peanuts. When completed, the 51,296 square-foot, single-story building will feature processing areas, office and research spaces organized in wings corresponding to their respective crop.
Building Rendering: USDA Groundbreaking on New Plant Improvement Facility on NC State University Campus. (Image courtesy of Clark Nexsen)
"The impact of agriculture and agribusiness in North Carolina exceeds $100 billion," said NC State University Chancellor Randy Woodson. "We're excited to partner with the USDA€™s Agricultural Research Service on this facility and its solutions-driven approach for crops that are important economic drivers of the state€™s economy."
Leaders who spoke during the groundbreaking ceremony included:
* Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young, USDA Chief Scientist and Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics
* Dr. Randy Woodson, Chancellor, NC State University
* Rep. Deborah Ross (D-NC-02)
* Rep. Wiley Nickel (D-NC-13)
* Dr. Simon Liu, ARS Administrator
* Mr. Archie Tucker, ARS Director of Southeast Area
* Dr. Kent Burkey, Plant Physiologist, ARS Plant Science Research Unit
* Dr. Garey Fox, Dean, College of Agriculture and Life Science, NC State University
* Dr. Muquarrab Qureshi, Location Coordinator, USDA-ARS, Raleigh Location
The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in U.S. agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact.
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service