Southeastern North Carolina has more than 20,000 people employed with food processing companies.
Examples of products made and/or grown in the Region include pork, poultry, sauces, food and drink ingredients, value-added sweet potato products, peanuts, soybean oil, grapes, tobacco, and barbeque. North

Carolina’s Southeast Region, long known for its productive land and innovative agricultural companies, is home

to several of the top farm income producing counties in the nation. Wineries and vineyards are a growth sector

here, due to the area’s fertile loamy soils that are ideal for grapes, as well as blueberries. And thanks to an

excellent transportation infrastructure that includes the Port of Wilmington and multiple interstate highways,

North Carolina exports more than $2 billion of agricultural products annually.

AGRI-INDUSTRY AND

FOOD PROCESSING ASSETS

Not only is agriculture a basic component of the history

of NC’s Southeast Region, it is still a dominant industry

today. But today, it is the basis of a vertically Integrated sector that starts with crops and animals

and moves up the food chain to include the production

of chemical ingredients, fertilizers, processed foods and

biofuels. And because of the nearby Port of Wilmington,

it is also a significant generator of exports for the State

and US.

AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION

North Carolina is a leader in agricultural production,

ranking #1 in the nation for production of sweet

potatoes and tobacco, and #2 in Christmas trees, hogs,

and turkeys. And NC’s Southeast Region is a major reason for our state’s leadership position.

NC Department of Agriculture and

Consumer Services - Regional Facilities

Because the Region is such a large contributor to the

agricultural production of the State, the NCDA

(www.agr.state.nc.us) operates several research and

other support facilities in the area.

• Border Belt Tobacco Research Station, (Whiteville)

   —102 acre research farm focused on genetic studies

   on corn, soybeans, tobacco, and peanuts.

• Horticultural Crops Research Stations, (Castle Hayne

   and Clinton)—66 acres and 349 acres respectively,

   research farms with facilities that include

   laboratories, offices, computerized greenhouses and

   environmental control chambers, two cold storage

   facilities, and new state of the art chemical storage

   and chemical mixing rooms.

• Southeastern North Carolina Agricultural Center,

  (Lumberton)—features a regional farmers market and

  multipurpose building.

• NC Cooperative Extension—NC State University and

   NC A&T State University support agricultural

   extension services in every county of the Region.