The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has awarded 11 NC State University researchers, including nine faculty from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, with approximately $900,000 in grants that support a range of agricultural projects to boost new crop production or innovative solutions that advance the state’s agricultural economy.
Since 2013, the North Carolina General Assembly has allocated funding for an agricultural research grant program. A total of $1 million in grants will support 12 projects for the 2025-26 funding cycle. The grants help researchers identify potential new crops, value-added products and agricultural innovations. The funding also supports the marketing and education essential to launching new crops and products commercially, creating profitable opportunities for North Carolina’s growers and agribusinesses.
“Investing in ag research is money well spent,” said Steve Troxler, agriculture commissioner for North Carolina. “Every dollar invested returns around $20, which is significant. I’m also proud that our research stations collaborate with these researchers to provide a platform for most if not all of these projects.”
NC State grant recipients include:
Michael Bradshaw, assistant professor of entomology and plant pathology: “Novel Antibiotics for North Carolina Agriculture,” which focuses on the discovery and characterization of new fungal-derived antibiotics to combat antimicrobial resistance and improve livestock health across North Carolina agriculture.
Jeanine Davis, associate professor of horticultural science and Extension specialist: “Protecting the NC Hops Breeding Germplasm,” a project to safeguard newly developed North Carolina-adapted hop varieties through micropropagation to ensure long-term preservation and clean plant availability for growers.
Luke Gatiboni, professor of crop and soil sciences and Extension specialist: “Optimizing Fertilizer Recommendations for Economic Return,” will use long-term soil fertility data and machine learning to develop fertilizer recommendations that maximize farmer return on investment rather than yield alone.
Lina Quesada, William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor in plant pathology and Extension specialist: “AI Fungicide Screening for Rapid Response,” aims to develop an AI-powered imaging platform to rapidly screen fungicides against emerging plant pathogens, dramatically shortening response time during disease outbreaks affecting North Carolina crops.
Thomas Ranney, JC Raulston Distinguished Professor in horticultural science: “Pawpaw Innovations for Expanded Commercial Markets,” will develop improved pawpaw varieties and production practices to overcome current limitations and expand commercial and specialty markets in North Carolina.
William Joe Sagues, assistant professor of biological and agricultural engineering: “Securing Domestic Battery Materials from Biomass,” plans to produce battery-grade graphite from North Carolina biomass, strengthening domestic supply chains and positioning the state as a leader in renewable battery materials.
David Suchoff, assistant professor of crop and soil sciences and Extension specialist: “Hemp Grain and Seed Production 2025-2026,” focuses on refining grain hemp production practices and developing locally adapted fiber hemp seed systems to reduce costs and increase profitability for North Carolina hemp growers.
Andrew Weaver, assistant professor of animal science and Extension specialist: “Antibodies and Efficiency: The Future Sheep,” will create new genetic selection metrics for immune fitness and feed efficiency to improve the profitability and sustainability of sheep production in North Carolina.
Justin Whitehill, assistant professor and Extension specialist in Christmas tree genetics: “Micro-grafted Disease-Resistant Fraser Fir,” will develop commercial-scale production of disease-resistant micro-grafted Fraser fir to protect North Carolina’s Christmas tree industry from Phytophthora root rot.
Anna Whitfield, William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor of entomology and plant pathology: “Genome-edited peppers to resist Phytophthora,” includes research that uses a novel virus-based CRISPR delivery system to develop pepper varieties with durable resistance to Phytophthora root rot, a major threat to North Carolina pepper production.
Chenhan Xu, assistant professor of computer science: “Multi-spectral Imaging for Data-driven Apple Production,” aims to create an AI-enabled multi-spectral imaging system to reduce labor and improve decision-making for pruning and fruit thinning in North Carolina apple orchards.
