Bayer opens new facility at Pikeville, N.C.

Bayer CropScience opened a new $6.3 million breeding and trait development station in Pikeville, North Carolina, on Tuesday. 

The state-of-the-art facility is part of Bayer’s commitment to extend its investment in research and development, and to expand production capacities and seed processing facilities.

The facility is on more than 150 acres. It will identify, test and develop new cotton and soybean varieties through modern breeding methods for the southern and mid-Atlantic United States agriculture markets.

“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,” Brent Styles, site and testing manager for the facility, said. “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.”

The facility will have eight full-time employees, and five to 10 contractors and seasonal staff. It consists of four new buildings on a remodeled former Bayer Healthcare site. To add to sustainability efforts, all of the lighting is strictly automated LED lights, and the seed dryers run on solar energy.