Bayer CropScience Opens New North Carolina Research Station

Bayer CropScience has dedicated its new $6.3 million state-of-the-art Breeding and Trait Development Station in Pikeville, North Carolina.

The facility is part of the company’s commitment to extend its investment in research and development and expand production capacities and seed processing facilities. Situated on more than 150 acres, the Pikeville station is the first of several Bayer CropScience breeding stations throughout North and South America and the first to combine work on two crops.

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The facility will support the development and testing of Bayer CropScience’s FiberMax and Stoneville cotton varieties and Credenz soybeans for the mid-Atlantic region, as well as evaluate the quality and yield of both crops. Yield improvement for cotton will be the primary focus at the Pikeville station, with a goal to deliver the improved fiber quality increasingly demanded by cotton merchants globally.

The facility – with eight full-time and five to 10 contractors and seasonal staff – consists of four new buildings on a renovated Bayer Healthcare site, including a 4,227-square-foot office building, a 13,057-square-foot processing building, a 13,904-square-foot equipment barn and an outdoor pavilion. Previous site buildings were removed to accommodate new construction, and 86 percent of all materials from the demolition were recycled. To add to site sustainability efforts, all lighting is strictly automated LED lights, and seed dryers will run on solar energy.

“Our Breeding and Trait Development Station at Pikeville will have a significant impact on the way cotton and soybeans are grown and developed throughout this area of the country,” said Brent Styles, site and testing manager for the Breeding and Trait Development Station at Pikeville. “We place a high emphasis on quality management and seed stewardship in order to ensure our cotton and soybean-related products are the most beneficial to growers.”

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Source – Bayer CropScience

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