Agtech

North Carolina has a rich history of agriculture. In fact, in some segments of the industry, the state ranks second in the nation in output — behind only California. Therefore it should be no surprise that the Ag Tech industry is a thriving component of the Research Triangle Region’s economy.

Our research is based on the AgTech industry being comprised primarily of the following kinds of business: Manufacturers of fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides, and producers of farn and food product machinery. Additionally, because we are in the heart of the Research Triangle, it should be known that much of the research and development of new crop protection products is performed here.

Because the investment is so intense, the actual number of companies is more modest than other industry clusters. But what the sector lacks in size, they make up for employment and capital investment. Especially when you consider the figures per company. There are just over 300 Ag tech firms in the Research Triangle Region, which employ approximately 7,150 people.

The 5-year growth rate for this industry was 17.2%. That is almost double the national average of 9.7%.