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Mystery Beetle Unmasked

Faculty

Hemp plan against a bright blue, sun-lit sky

Oct 13, 2026

Fiber Hemp’s Promise: From Dirt to Shirt

N.C. PSI Platform Director for Extension Outreach and Engagement David Suchoff highlights the real economic promise that fiber hemp poses for North Carolina's farmers and textile industry. 
Insights on AI in agriculture: a drone flies toward a cotton field to gather images as researchers work nearby

Oct 9, 2026

Harnessing AI to Feed the Future

How public research, tech companies and land-grant universities are pairing big data with biological science to deliver reliable decision support to farmers. 
Man in a farm field, speaking into a microphone and gesturing toward a hemp plant

Sep 24, 2026

Turning to Fiber Hemp to Revitalize Agriculture and Textiles

Fiber hemp is a promising industry for North Carolina, but collaboration will be key to overcoming system challenges that could stand in the way. The N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative’s David Suchoff and others at NC State are working to build those partnerships. 
Workers in a field harvest sweet potatoes.

Aug 28, 2026

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. 
Person demonstrates monitoring equipment near a farm canal. The farmer is nearby.

Aug 20, 2026

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

Aug 18, 2026

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. 
At a university field lab, with a tractor in the background, a man speaks to a group

Aug 7, 2026

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

Producers, innovators and investors share insights on responsible artificial intelligence for agriculture. 
Man holds up three buckets full of ripe strawberries

Jul 1, 2026

NC State Wages Multi-Front Fight Against Strawberry Disease

N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative affiliates, NC State Extension specialists and other researchers are working on multiple fronts in the fight against a new disease taking a big bite out of North Carolina’s strawberry producers’ livelihoods. 
Man flies a drone over dormant turfgrass research plots

Jun 5, 2026

Harvesting Data for Agriculture

New tech for better drone-based data collection and analysis is helping turn agricultural research stations into farms of the future, and an N.C. PSI team is intent on delivering even more solutions to help farmers put data to work. 
Adult beetle with long antennae.

Jun 2, 2026

Mystery Beetle Unmasked

NC State researchers have identified a wood-boring beetle that could threaten the state's blueberry industry. With no insecticides labeled for use against this pest in blueberries, Lorena Lopez, an entomologist and N.C. PSI affiliate, has started trials to come up with solutions.