Tagged: NC State University

An “Ag-Biotech Summit” gets underway in Raleigh today.  It’s the first gathering of its kind in the state.  It will focus on shaping a new “bio-economy.”

Leoneda Inge:  Gwyn Riddick is the Vice-President of Ag-Biotech at the North Carolina Biotechnology Center.  He says Agriculture and Biotechnology are the state’s biggest industries.

Gwyn Riddick:  Agriculture which is considered to be around $71-billion dollars, that’s with a “B.” And then Biotechnology, at $64-billion.

N-C State researchers are looking at whether livestock production can keep up with the global demand.

The N-C State panel looked at what it will take to meet demand for meat, dairy and eggs as the world population grows.

"Double animal agriculture production over the next few decades, " said Kelly Zering, the professor who led the study. He says research shows it can be done.

Students are moving back into Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill as classes are starting at Triangle Universities.

Dave DeWitt: Heavy rain over the weekend didn't make things easier for the tens of thousands of college students and parents lugging boxes up flights of stairs. Several schools were forced to cancel some outdoor activities over the weekend designed to welcome students to campus.

Legions of fans will flock to Lake Lure, NC this weekend for the third annual Dirty Dancing Festival, a celebration of the 1987 movie starring Patrick Swayze.

State agriculture officials are predicting a record corn crop this year. That's good news for corn growers who will command higher prices thanks to a drought in the midwest. Ron Heiniger is a corn specialist at North Carolina State University. He says the crop in Washington county has benefited from plenty of rain.

Ron Heiniger: Well its big, I'm six foot one and it would take two of me and a little bit more, probably about 14 foot tall is a lot of this corn.