To last Friday’s groundbreaking ceremony for what will be NC State University’s state-of-the-art Plant Sciences Building, David Lewis brought a seed, likening it to the building. Someday soon, the state representative said, both will bear fruit.

“Nobody knows what the next big thing is that will save and help agriculture, but I can tell you that I am confident that … I know where it will be from,” said Lewis, who is also a farmer. “I have the utmost confidence in this school and its administration. There is no better group of people to take upon this task on behalf of the people of this state.”

The 185,000-square-foot Plant Sciences Building is the cornerstone in a larger initiative aimed at making North Carolina a hub for problem-solving plant sciences innovation. Because of Hurricane Dorian, the groundbreaking was moved from the Centennial Campus construction site to the nearby Hunt Library Auditorium.

Still, the storm didn’t dampen the spirits or keep away more than 400 participants, including North Carolina agricultural leaders, university administrators, students, alumni and agricultural biotechnology company representatives.

Help accelerate plant science discovery and applied solutions.

This post was originally published in College of Agriculture and Life Sciences News.