Connect NC Bond will invest in North Carolina agriculture

NC State University Chancellor Randy Woodson welcomed Gov. Pat McCrory and Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Troxler to Centennial Campus today (Oct. 21) for the governor’s signing of the Connect NC Bond Package.

The bond package, which goes before North Carolina voters in March, includes a state-of-the-art facility for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ Plant Sciences Initiative. Through the initiative, CALS and its partners plan to work together to establish the state as the world’s leader in plant sciences research and innovation.

Gov. McCrory remarked that in the 15 years since our last state bond, North Carolina has grown by more than 2 million residents. This growth has put a strain on the state’s infrastructure and was a key factor in his push for infrastructure and agricultural investment through the Connect NC Bond.

McCrory recognized that North Carolina was built on agriculture and for the state to continue to grow and prosper, research and innovation through greater plant science and animal diagnostic labs and resources was needed. Commissioner Troxler echoed these remarks, adding that it’s time for vision and time for these agricultural investments.

Other dignitaries and elected officials in attendance included Sen. President Pro Tem Phil Berger, Speaker of the House Tim Moore, Sen. Minority Leader Dan Blue Jr., as well as Lt. Gov. Dan Forest and University of North Carolina system President Tom Ross, N.C. Farm Bureau President Larry Wooten and CALS Dean Richard Linton.

Learn more about the Connect NC Bond Package at Connect.NC.gov.

– R. Campbell