Extension Outreach and Engagement Platform

Engaging with stakeholders to translate plant science into solutions for applied field issues.

Collaboration from Field to Lab

Alongside NC State Extension, the Extension Outreach and Engagement
platform is focused on connecting the science conducted in N.C. PSI to address on-farm challenges. The platform supports effective, bilateral communication between applied expertise in the field and research-based information generated by N.C. PSI. North Carolina’s vast Extension network is crucial to the success of N.C. PSI, both in identifying emerging issues and transferring groundbreaking research, tools and technology back into the hands of North Carolinians.

Charting a Future: Interdisciplinary Research Across N.C. Commodities

A daylong workshop on June 17, 2024, brought leaders from over 25 of the state’s agricultural and commodity groups together to share insights into the biggest challenges affecting producers and to identify priority areas for future North Carolina Plant Sciences Initiative research. The outcome – seven ideas were identified to be good candidates for future research.

NC PSI research priorities co-developed by NC commodity leaders: Early detection of pests/pathogens, production for human and animal health/differentiated value, and automation for labor efficiency got the top votes; others included monetizing sustainability, breeding varieties adapted for machine handling and consumer acceptance, targeted pest and pathogen treatment and soil additives to meet plant needs

Labs Rats to Field Mice: N.C. PSI’s Inaugural Backroad Tour

22 N.C. PSI faculty were brought out to the fields of North Carolina to meet with growers from Vick Family Farms, processors from Nash Produce and commodity board leaders representing cotton, peanuts, soybeans and sweetpotatoes. The faculty represented nine departments across three colleges at NC State.

Learn More

Extension Agent Network

NC State Extension agent were selected to beta-test N.C. PSI-developed technologies in the field to accelerate seamless adoption on farms.

Learn about this novel program

N.C. PSI Extension Faculty

We have a diverse group of N.C. PSI-affiliated faculty with Extension positions who hail from multiple colleges, departments and specialties.

Meet the specialists

Off-Campus Research

We put research to work on farm fields and research stations to refine solutions to real-world challenges.

Explore our statewide research stations

Join N.C. PSI Platform Director Rachel Vann as she interviews Dr. Lina Quesada and Dr. Lirong Xiang to learn more about their project that uses robots to help detect cucurbit downy mildew in the field. Dr. Quesada is a N.C. PSI-affiliated faculty member from the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, and Dr. Xiang is a N.C. PSI-affiliated faculty member from the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at NC State.

N.C. PSI in the Field

The Extension Outreach & Engagement Platform seeks to engage with stakeholders in a variety of meaningful ways.

N.C. PSI faculty from various departments and colleges representing N.C. PSI at the Sweetpotato Field Day

Rachel Vann and Celeste Brogdon attending the N.C. PSI Field Day

Undergraduate student Duncan McSorley presenting his work on the Plant Aid Project at the Tomato Field Day at the Mountain Research Station

Rachel Vann meeting with Extension Specialists in the midwest

Rachel Vann and Alex Goodnight representing N.C. PSI at the NC AgExpo Field Day

N.C. PSI welcomes the Franklin County Extension team to the NC State Plant Sciences Building

Attend an NC State Field Day

Rachel Vann

Extension Outreach and Engagement Platform Director

Vann is an associate professor and soybean Extension specialist at NC State. As Platform Director, she seeks to strengthen communication with internal and external stakeholders, creating open dialogue and feedback opportunities to bridge the gap between research and field applications.

Learn More

Rachel Vann, Extension Outreach and Engagement Platform Director, shares her vision for N.C. PSI.

Cameras are mounted to a beam that's attached to the top of a small tractor

Researchers Pursue Automated Staking for Ag Labor Savings

Amid agricultural labor shortages, a university horticultural scientist is working with the N.C. PSI’s Makerspace to automate a labor-intensive process vital for tomato production.

North Carolina map with 42 centrally located counties highlighted.

Experts Propose N.C. Agtech Innovation Corridor

A new report calls for an agtech innovation corridor across 42 counties to broaden how farmers participate in and benefit from innovation.

Extension agents test a camera system outdoors.

New Digital Tools Refine Cover Crop Selection

Extension agricultural agents played a pivotal role in ensuring that online tools that help farmers make solid, site-specific decisions about cover crops are field-ready and easy to use.