Ag Tech Center for North Carolina

A major effort is underway to grow North Carolina’s Agricultural Technology Industry. Alexandria Real Estate Equities of California announced yesterday it is building a 50-thousand-square-foot Ag-Tech Center near Research Triangle Park.  More than one-third of the space will be a greenhouse. Amber Shirley is director of Biotechnology-Crops Development at the North Carolina Biotechnology Center.  She says Alexandria’s greenhouse space will be flexible and collaborative.

Amber Shirley:  "Alexandria has become very distinguished for providing spaces where companies can lease lab space.  And because of the concentration and the fact that NC has become the home for ag-biotech prospering companies, they looked at bringing such a facility to North Carolina."

State officials say the Ag-Tech Center could help boost North Carolina’s 74-billion-dollar agriculture industry to a 100-billion-dollar industry by the year 20-20.