Craig Yencho

Man holds out cut orange sweetpotato in front of crowd

Nov 12, 2025

20 Years to Grow on: Future-proofing NC State’s Covington Sweetpotato

As NC State University's renowned Covington sweetpotato turns 20, plant breeders are working tirelessly to add resistance to a new pest, using the latest tools.

May 1, 2024

Forward Thinking

NC State graduate Mika’el Chabeda’s vision for the future is firmly planted in agroecology and plant biology.

Craig Yencho and Mercy Kitavi work with sweet potato samples in a lab in Nairobi, Kenya.

Dec 12, 2023

A Patented Winner

The National Academy of Inventors named NC State University's Craig Yencho a 2023 fellow for his contributions to improved sweetpotato and potato breeding and genetics, with an impact reaching from North Carolina to Sub-Saharan Africa.