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Workers in a field harvest sweet potatoes.

Policy and Automation Are Key Solutions to Ag Labor Shortages

A shortage of labor is often cited as the No. 1 agricultural challenge in North Carolina and the United States today. NC State labor specialist Alejandro Gutierrez-Li says the short-term solution is immigration policy, while the long-term solution is automation. 
Plant Sciences Building operations manager Geoff Bock next to the "Moon Tree."

A Moon Tree Named ‘Christina’

One of NC State’s newest trees, a 6-foot-tall loblolly pine on Centennial Campus, is the descendant of an original 1971 Moon Tree, whose seed flew on Apollo 14. It’s named for NASA astronaut and three-time graduate Christina Koch. 
Person demonstrates monitoring equipment near a farm canal. The farmer is nearby.

New App To Help Farmers Act Against Flooding

A new web-based app is in the works that will help farmers take action to protect crops, livestock and farm machinery when a storm or flooding event is forecasted. 
Seven people pose in a research lab

Accelerating Agtech Solutions

The N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative is a key player in a global technology validation platform designed to accelerate agricultural technology startup companies. 
Reid Barnett examines plants growing in a science lab.

Seed2Grow Spotlight: Ph.D. Student Turning Pollution Into Possibility

NC State Ph.D. student Reid Barnett is developing floating islands made of fabric specially designed to grow plants. The plants capture excess nitrogen and phosphorus that can pollute water, so they can be turned into soil amendments and other valuable products. 
At a university field lab, with a tractor in the background, a man speaks to a group

Farmer-Centered AI in Agriculture: Making the Juice Worth the Squeeze

Producers, innovators and investors share insights on responsible artificial intelligence for agriculture. 
Two people standing side by side next to a multipanel outdoor trellis made of bright white plastic.

Installation Bridges Playful, Eye-Catching Art With Agricultural Sciences

You’ve heard of the butterfly effect, the idea that a seemingly small event like a butterfly flapping its wings can have large consequences thousands of miles away. NC State designers hope the installation they call The Butterfly Effect have its own rippling influence. 
An open building space with people at desks and a whiteboard

N.C. PSI Welcomes Oil-Dri to its Innovation Hub

The global manufacturer and supplier of sorbent products becomes the 21st member of the Innovation Hub in NC State University’s Plant Sciences Building. 
Student presents on a TEDxNCState stage, with a plant image projected behind her.

NC State Grad Student Takes 3D Printed Plants to Center Stage

Stephanie Stewart, a Ph.D. student in biomathematics, shares fresh perspectives from the frontlines of research to advance 3D bioprinting of plants. 
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