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agri-research
station here
Once again, the North Carolina Department of Agriculture Research Station north of Whiteville may be threatened in the upcoming North Carolina budget, which must be completed by July 31.
There are 18 research stations spread across the state that conduct agricultural research on everything from tobacco to vegetables.
Some of these stations are in urban areas. The real estate they sit on is worth millions of dollars, so developers would love to get their hands on these tracts.
But then there are the stations like the ones in Columbus and Lenoir counties that don’t sit on pricey pieces of land but conduct invaluable research.
Agriculture is still the second biggest industry in North Carolina. Much of the research conducted at the stations is designed to increase production and quality of crops.
One would think that would be important enough, but apparently it’s not.
Closing the station here would be a mistake, especially with the state’s new emphasis on the biotech industry.
It should be noted that Southeastern Community College has started its own biotech program and biotech companies are increasingly looking at North Carolina to build facilities, in part because of the state’s commitment to biotech research.
With agriculture and biotech so important to the state’s economy, especially in areas like ours, it makes no sense to close the research stations that make both industries more valuable.