University researchers and extension services to bring farms
insights on crops, climate and more
CARY,
N.C., April 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A
partnership between North Carolina
Agricultural and Technical State University, North Carolina State University, and data and AI
leader SAS is set to advance agricultural research at the state's
land-grant universities. Using the state's proven university
extension programs, farmers and growers will reap the benefits of
an agricultural research collaboration that takes research insights
from the lab to the field.
Farmers & growers will reap the
benefits of an agricultural collaboration that takes insights from
the lab to the field
Farmers, ranchers, growers and producers will have access to
insights powered by SAS via extension and related programs at both
universities. With 101 centers, more than 1,100 experts and a
network of partnerships throughout the state, the extension
programs help citizens transform science into everyday solutions
that improve lives and grow the state. The SAS partnership aims to
enrich research initiatives, particularly in precision agriculture,
enabling continuous improvement in plant sciences, animal
husbandry, crop yields, land management, and supporting profitable
and sustainable practices.
"As the nation's largest land-grant HBCU, we are excited to use
this platform to deliver 'Ag 5.0' – research-based,
data-driven agricultural know-how – to all communities, including
the small, limited-resource and minority farmers that constitute so
much of our state's agriculture sector, and to provide it in ways
that everyone can easily understand," said Shirley Hymon-Parker, Interim Dean of the
College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at NC A&T.
"We look forward to bringing research out of the lab faster and
more effectively, and into the communities that are eager to use
it."
"This partnership between SAS and the two NC land grant
universities will energize and accelerate discoveries and delivery
of solutions and opportunities to our agriculture sector," said
Steven A. Lommel, Director of the
North Carolina Agricultural Research Service and Associate Dean for
Research at NC State's College of
Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS). "Like all fields, agriculture
is data driven. Analytics-based solutions accelerated by this
partnership will increase yields, efficiency, resiliency and
sustainability while reducing inputs and costs."
Growing from a fruitful partnership
The collaboration builds on the success of previous work between
SAS and NC State's Plant Sciences
Initiative (PSI), In 2020, SAS partnered with the PSI to pilot a
data and analytics platform that empowers research for
multidisciplinary projects that have included using data and
in-field sensors to detect plant diseases and improve the
sustainability of agricultural systems, and using computer-vision
software to boost the profitability of sweet potatoes.
NC State and NC A&T will deploy
SAS® Viya®, an end-to-end analytics and AI
platform, to enhance research, accelerate innovation and support
future grant opportunities. Both universities anticipate that the
platform-powered collaboration will aid in the capture of highly
competitive research and grant funding, amplifying their research
outputs. The research insights of SAS Viya will help university
researchers:
- More efficiently orchestrate the entire research life
cycle.
- Integrate disparate data from across academic, government and
industry sources.
- Work in open source or SAS to amplify analytical outputs
and impact.
- Centrally manage complex data security, integrity, governance
and continuity.
Investing in a legacy of agricultural leadership
The collaboration is supported by state funding for NC A&T
and NC State to enhance the state's
agricultural sector, which generates an economic impact of more
than $100 billion annually.
"We see this public-private partnership as an opportunity to
serve agriculture in an innovative way – unlocking information,
insights and new approaches to benefit our state's growers,
producers and researchers," said state Sen. Brent Jackson, who is Chairman of the
agriculture and appropriations committees in the chamber. "These
collaborative efforts from two great universities are vital to the
ongoing effort around continued advancement in agriculture."
"We wanted to empower work that aims to unlock research insights
for farmers and others who work in and support food production,"
said state Rep. Jimmy Dixon, who
serves as Senior Chairman of two committees in the state House
focused on agriculture. "Our two land-grant institutions are
important pieces of the agricultural landscape in our state. With
this ongoing project, we aim to leverage the deep expertise in
analytics power and brainpower to support a critical part of our
economy."
In addition to supporting the commodity producers of the state
with insights and transfer of university research from the lab to
the field, the research platform will help NC
State and NC A&T:
- Foster and enable capture of research grants and other revenue
streams.
- Attract student and faculty talent.
- Develop workforce and farmer-of-the-future capacities and
capabilities.
"The SAS platform is robust and configured precisely for this
type of deployment to support advanced analytics in agriculture,"
said Leah Burton, SAS Principal
Industry Consultant, Higher Education. "We have already seen great
examples of new research come from our collaboration with
NC State, and we're excited about the
possibilities fostered by the strength of these partnerships."
About the NC A&T College of Agriculture and Environmental
Sciences
With a rich history of innovation, application of
cutting-edge technology, and delivery of educational programs for
students and North Carolina
communities, we engage in practical research that enriches the
lives, the land and the economy of our state and nation and helps
to meet the food challenges of a hungry planet.
About the NC State University College of
Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS)
The College of
Agriculture and Life Sciences at North
Carolina State University lives the land-grant mission
through our 12 academic departments, research and extension
services. What we think and do helps transform challenges into
opportunities that create economic, intellectual and societal
prosperity across the state and around the world.
About SAS
SAS is a global leader in data and AI. With
SAS software and industry-specific solutions, organizations
transform data into trusted decisions. SAS gives you THE POWER TO
KNOW®.
SAS and all other SAS Institute Inc. product or service names
are registered trademarks or trademarks of SAS Institute Inc. in
the USA and other countries. ®
indicates USA registration. Other
brand and product names are trademarks of their respective
companies. Copyright © 2024 SAS Institute Inc. All rights
reserved.
Editorial Contact:
Trent
Smith
trent.smith@sas.com
919-531-4726
sas.com/news
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sas-nc-at-and-nc-state-to-offer-analytics-driven-agricultural-research-to-states-farmers-and-growers-302131463.html
SOURCE SAS Institute Inc.