The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has awarded 11 NC State University researchers, including nine faculty from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, with approximately $900,000 in grants that support a range of agricultural projects to boost new crop production or innovative solutions that advance the state\u2019s agricultural economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since 2013, the North Carolina General Assembly has allocated funding for an agricultural research grant program<\/a>. A total of $1 million in grants will support 12 projects for the 2025-26 funding cycle. The grants help researchers identify potential new crops, value-added products and agricultural innovations. The funding also supports the marketing and education essential to launching new crops and products commercially, creating profitable opportunities for North Carolina\u2019s growers and agribusinesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cInvesting in ag research is money well spent,\u201d said Steve Troxler, agriculture commissioner for North Carolina. \u201cEvery dollar invested returns around $20, which is significant. I\u2019m also proud that our research stations collaborate with these researchers to provide a platform for most if not all of these projects.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n NC State grant recipients include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Michael Bradshaw<\/a>, assistant professor of entomology and plant pathology: \u201cNovel Antibiotics for North Carolina Agriculture,\u201d which focuses on the discovery and characterization of new fungal-derived antibiotics to combat antimicrobial resistance and improve livestock health across North Carolina agriculture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jeanine Davis<\/a>, associate professor of horticultural science and Extension specialist: \u201cProtecting the NC Hops Breeding Germplasm,\u201d a project to safeguard newly developed North Carolina-adapted hop varieties through micropropagation to ensure long-term preservation and clean plant availability for growers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Luke Gatiboni,<\/a> professor of crop and soil sciences and Extension specialist: \u201cOptimizing Fertilizer Recommendations for Economic Return,\u201d will use long-term soil fertility data and machine learning to develop fertilizer recommendations that maximize farmer return on investment rather than yield alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lina Quesada<\/a>, William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor in plant pathology and Extension specialist: \u201cAI Fungicide Screening for Rapid Response,\u201d aims to develop an AI-powered imaging platform to rapidly screen fungicides against emerging plant pathogens, dramatically shortening response time during disease outbreaks affecting North Carolina crops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thomas Ranney<\/a>, JC Raulston Distinguished Professor in horticultural science: \u201cPawpaw Innovations for Expanded Commercial Markets,\u201d will develop improved pawpaw varieties and production practices to overcome current limitations and expand commercial and specialty markets in North Carolina.<\/p>\n\n\n\n William Joe Sagues<\/a>, assistant professor of biological and agricultural engineering: \u201cSecuring Domestic Battery Materials from Biomass,\u201d plans to produce battery-grade graphite from North Carolina biomass, strengthening domestic supply chains and positioning the state as a leader in renewable battery materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n David Suchoff<\/a>, assistant professor of crop and soil sciences and Extension specialist: \u201cHemp Grain and Seed Production 2025-2026,\u201d focuses on refining grain hemp production practices and developing locally adapted fiber hemp seed systems to reduce costs and increase profitability for North Carolina hemp growers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Andrew Weaver<\/a>, assistant professor of animal science and Extension specialist: \u201cAntibodies and Efficiency: The Future Sheep,\u201d will create new genetic selection metrics for immune fitness and feed efficiency to improve the profitability and sustainability of sheep production in North Carolina.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Justin Whitehill<\/a>, assistant professor and Extension specialist in Christmas tree genetics: \u201cMicro-grafted Disease-Resistant Fraser Fir,\u201d will develop commercial-scale production of disease-resistant micro-grafted Fraser fir to protect North Carolina\u2019s Christmas tree industry from Phytophthora root rot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Anna Whitfield<\/a>, William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor of entomology and plant pathology: \u201cGenome-edited peppers to resist Phytophthora,\u201d includes research that uses a novel virus-based CRISPR delivery system to develop pepper varieties with durable resistance to Phytophthora root rot, a major threat to North Carolina pepper production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chenhan Xu<\/a>, assistant professor of computer science: \u201cMulti-spectral Imaging for Data-driven Apple Production,\u201d aims to create an AI-enabled multi-spectral imaging system to reduce labor and improve decision-making for pruning and fruit thinning in North Carolina apple orchards.<\/p>\n This post was originally published<\/a> in College of Agriculture and Life Sciences News.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false,"raw":"\n\n\n\n\n The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has awarded 11 NC State University researchers, including nine faculty from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, with approximately $900,000 in grants that support a range of agricultural projects to boost new crop production or innovative solutions that advance the state\u2019s agricultural economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since 2013, the North Carolina General Assembly has allocated funding for an agricultural research grant program<\/a>. A total of $1 million in grants will support 12 projects for the 2025-26 funding cycle. The grants help researchers identify potential new crops, value-added products and agricultural innovations. The funding also supports the marketing and education essential to launching new crops and products commercially, creating profitable opportunities for North Carolina\u2019s growers and agribusinesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cInvesting in ag research is money well spent,\u201d said Steve Troxler, agriculture commissioner for North Carolina. \u201cEvery dollar invested returns around $20, which is significant. I\u2019m also proud that our research stations collaborate with these researchers to provide a platform for most if not all of these projects.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n NC State grant recipients include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Michael Bradshaw<\/a>, assistant professor of entomology and plant pathology: \u201cNovel Antibiotics for North Carolina Agriculture,\u201d which focuses on the discovery and characterization of new fungal-derived antibiotics to combat antimicrobial resistance and improve livestock health across North Carolina agriculture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jeanine Davis<\/a>, associate professor of horticultural science and Extension specialist: \u201cProtecting the NC Hops Breeding Germplasm,\u201d a project to safeguard newly developed North Carolina-adapted hop varieties through micropropagation to ensure long-term preservation and clean plant availability for growers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Luke Gatiboni,<\/a> professor of crop and soil sciences and Extension specialist: \u201cOptimizing Fertilizer Recommendations for Economic Return,\u201d will use long-term soil fertility data and machine learning to develop fertilizer recommendations that maximize farmer return on investment rather than yield alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lina Quesada<\/a>, William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor in plant pathology and Extension specialist: \u201cAI Fungicide Screening for Rapid Response,\u201d aims to develop an AI-powered imaging platform to rapidly screen fungicides against emerging plant pathogens, dramatically shortening response time during disease outbreaks affecting North Carolina crops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thomas Ranney<\/a>, JC Raulston Distinguished Professor in horticultural science: \u201cPawpaw Innovations for Expanded Commercial Markets,\u201d will develop improved pawpaw varieties and production practices to overcome current limitations and expand commercial and specialty markets in North Carolina.<\/p>\n\n\n\n William Joe Sagues<\/a>, assistant professor of biological and agricultural engineering: \u201cSecuring Domestic Battery Materials from Biomass,\u201d plans to produce battery-grade graphite from North Carolina biomass, strengthening domestic supply chains and positioning the state as a leader in renewable battery materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n David Suchoff<\/a>, assistant professor of crop and soil sciences and Extension specialist: \u201cHemp Grain and Seed Production 2025-2026,\u201d focuses on refining grain hemp production practices and developing locally adapted fiber hemp seed systems to reduce costs and increase profitability for North Carolina hemp growers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Andrew Weaver<\/a>, assistant professor of animal science and Extension specialist: \u201cAntibodies and Efficiency: The Future Sheep,\u201d will create new genetic selection metrics for immune fitness and feed efficiency to improve the profitability and sustainability of sheep production in North Carolina.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Justin Whitehill<\/a>, assistant professor and Extension specialist in Christmas tree genetics: \u201cMicro-grafted Disease-Resistant Fraser Fir,\u201d will develop commercial-scale production of disease-resistant micro-grafted Fraser fir to protect North Carolina\u2019s Christmas tree industry from Phytophthora root rot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n