Future-proof the Food Supply with CALS

Tomorrow's farm starts today

Technological advancements are revolutionizing how healthy food gets to our tables and nourishes our communities. The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is on the front-lines generating the connectivity and collaboration required to:

Develop Tomorrow’s Workforce

Drive Resiliency Through Innovation

Champion Agriculture and Life Sciences

a student flies a drone in a field of turf grass plots

“AI is not a trend. CALS integrates these technologies in our teaching and research to propel the ag and life science industries forward.”
Garey Fox
Dean, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Developing Tomorrow’s Workforce

95% Job Placement

CALS students with high-need degrees get jobs that have salaries well above the state’s median income.

$1.8M in Scholarships

CALS awards more than $1.8 million in scholarships and fellowships to more than 800 students.

Data Analytics in Ag

The global agriculture analytics market is estimated to grow from $800 million in 2020 to $1.4 billion by 2025.

Ag Data Science Certificate

Agriculture, food and the life sciences have seen an explosion in data collection. Professionals in industry, agribusiness, government and academia need advanced training on how to properly collect, manage and analyze the data to help inform decisions and improve outcomes. This certificate prepares students for high-demand careers in ag-data science

Training for career opportunities

Riley Lawson sitting and pointing to France on a map

Ph.D. Candidate Wins Fulbright to Develop Soil Sensors in France

Riley Lawson, a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate, will spend a year in France as a Fulbright. Lawson was drawn to NC State because of its land-grant mission and nationally ranked graduate program in biological and agricultural engineering — No. 3 in the country.

See what she’s developing

“Massive data collection and analysis are now required at the field level to provide the next generation with decision-making tools, predictions and variety development.”
Steve Lommel
Director, North Carolina Agricultural Research Service; Associate Dean for Research, CALS

Driving Resiliency through Innovation

3x Global Sea Level Rise

The southeastern region of the U.S. is facing sea level rise at a more rapid scale than the rest of the world.

6% Agricultural Land Loss

Developed land in NC has increased 24% and agricultural land has decreased 6% in the past 20 years.

50% of Farmland Worldwide

is located in temperate regions like North Carolina, poising our innovations to impact half of the world’s agriculture.

Man leaning against a fence post, with grain bins in the background. — Chris Reberg-Horton is a professor in NC State’s Department of Crop and Soil Sciences and North Carolina Plant Sciences Initiative platform director for resilient agricultural systems.

Robots, Researchers and Resilient Agriculture

The robots are coming – and Chris Reberg-Horton is ready to work with them. Reberg-Horton and his research teams are on the forefront of addressing climate change by implementing the evolving capacities of artificial intelligence (AI) into farm management.

“This isn’t only about data collection for our researchers. It’s also about testing new technology that farmers can employ on their farms.”
Loren Fisher
Director, Research Stations and Field Labs at NC State

Championing Agriculture and Life Sciences

$2.1 B

Extension’s annual economic impact on North Carolina.

1,000+

Extension experts based on campus and at 101 local centers

89

commercialization agreements

28

patents issued

6

new start-ups

a woman and a man stand in a field of green crops

NC State a Partner on NSF-Funded ‘Ag Tech Corridor’ Project

The CROPS project will build an ag tech corridor to speed the sharing of research-based techniques and new technologies with farmers, particularly underserved farmers, new farmers and those with small acreage.

Scientists placing a sensor into a plant pot

NC State Teams Up with SAS and Microsoft to Predict Plant Disease and Tackle Food Recalls

The North Carolina Plant Sciences Initiative has teamed up with technology leaders SAS and Microsoft to predict plant disease and tackle food recalls. Several research teams will use cloud and internet of things (IoT) services from SAS and Microsoft for their interdisciplinary projects.

“If we are going to continue to feed a growing population, with fewer resources like land, water and labor, those of us working in agriculture must improve our efficiency. Technology and research are the only ways to achieve that goal.”
Teresa Lambert
Director, Research Station Division for NCDA&CS

Future-proof Farming Starts with Fiber

A group of dedicated people across the state are bringing high-
speed internet and advanced AI technology to our research stations
and field labs in a collaborative effort to move our food system into
the future.

Dig into the future of farming