Discovering NC Agriculture is a social media series focusing on N.C. grown, raised, caught, and made commodities. Originally started in 2025, this series has been renewed to run for another year! Tune in each month to see how an N.C. commodity is grown, harvested, packed for consumer use and more. Learn nutritional value, find fun recipes to try, hear from local chefs who use that product, and other unique commodity facts throughout the series. We look forward to helping you better understand some of our N.C. commodities and how they impact your everyday lives!
Although soybeans have been a cornerstone of our state’s agriculture industry for many years, research is still being conducted on new variety trials, fungicide studies, and more at the Piedmont Research Station in Salisbury. From the field to the lab, our research station is working hard to further the soybean industry of North Carolina for years to come!
The Piedmont Research Station in Rowan County was originally established as the Piedmont Test Farm in 1904 near Statesville. “In 1954, this station was moved to it’s present site in Salisbury on 1,044 acres of farmland,” said Superintendent of the Piedmont Research Station, Brad Graham. “Today, we grow around 75 to 100 acres of soybeans each year, in addition to many other commodities, including sweet corn, green beans, blueberries, dairy cattle and small ruminants.” According to Brad, the Piedmont Research Station is currently the most diverse of our 18 research stations across the state. “We have four dedicated units at this station: Field Crops, Horticultural Crops, Dairy, and Poultry/Small Ruminants,” he said. “Within those units, we run a plethora of trials, research and studies each year to help farmers across the state improve their production and yields.” In fact, all crops grown at the Piedmont Research Station this year will undergo variety trials, disease trials, and fertility trials, including soybeans.
As our state’s largest crop by acreage, soybeans play a vital role as a top food source for animal production across North Carolina, reducing the need to import grains from other states. “Soybeans have one of the largest economic footprints among all row crops in our state,” Brad said. “In fact, North Carolina produces 1.4 to 1.6 million acres of soybeans each year, according to recent statistics.” So how does the Piedmont Research Station contribute to that number and benefit the soybean industry each year? By hosting the Official Variety Testing program to study fungicide products, optimal planting dates, maturity group selection, new and emerging soybean varieties, a double-crop planting system, and so much more. “The program plants 150 to 160 soybean varieties from public and private institutions across 17 locations in North Carolina, including the Piedmont Research Station, to identify specific variety fits for each environment,” Brad said. “They then communicate those fits to growers through their website (www.ncovt.com) and their Variety Section Tool to help with variety selections for the next growing season.” From planting to harvest, soybeans at the station receive optimal care to produce the best research results to benefit farmers across the state.
Soybean crops at the Piedmont Research Station begin each year in the fall with pulling soil samples to determine the fertility need for each crop. “Most fields at our station will have a cover crop planted over the winter to protect the soil, so our first step is to terminate the cover crop before soybean season begins,” Brad said. “Following that termination, we will apply fertilizer and lime needed per the soil sample recommendations and plant the soybeans with a no-till planter.” Between planting and harvest, Brad and his team will care for the soybeans in the field by spraying weeds and monitoring plant nutritional needs. “Some years we are finished with the crop until it’s ready to be harvested, but others we have to make an in-season herbicide pass depending on conditions,” Brad said. “Honestly, that’s the biggest challenge with growing soybeans because they are very weather dependent and the weather in North Carolina is consistently unpredictable.” According to Brad, too much or too little water during the growing season can affect soybean growth, pod set and seed fill, while hot and humid weather in August and September can lead to a poor soybean seed quality at harvest or to green-stem soybeans. Like most farmers across our state and the world, all crops at the research station depend on the weather, putting the researchers at the mercy of Mother Nature. “It takes a lot of faith to work in agriculture because there are so many factors outside of our control,” Brad said, “but soybeans are truly the perfect crop for North Carolina in a variety of ways, so I would say that the good far outweighs the bad.” All soybeans at the Piedmont Research Station are harvested in the fall.
Although the Piedmont Research Station does not offer on-farm trials for farmers across our state, North Carolina farmers do benefit from the research being conducted at the station in a variety of ways. “The work being done at our station can be directly applied to a grower’s management process to make changes or additions based on replicated, unbiased data,” Brad said. “For example, a grower near Salisbury can use the Official Variety Trial variety selection tool to make variety selections specific to their operation and region based on data generated locally. That’s not just specific to Salisbury, either, but any grower in the Piedmont region of our state.” The research station also hosts field days throughout the year for interested farmers to come and learn about current research being conducted, ask questions and get involved. In addition to benefitting farmers and agriculture industry workers across the state, the research station also offers educational opportunities for the public each year. “We host tours here at the station for school groups, office groups, or any interested individual to come and learn about what we do,” he said. “Individuals can request a tour of all four units or specific units based on their interests.” If you’re interested in touring the research station, Brad can be contacted through email at brad.graham@ncagr.gov.
Growing up on a family farm five minutes away from the Piedmont Research Station, Brad was raised with a strong love for agriculture. “I participated in 4H and FFA throughout my middle and high school years, in addition to working at home on our beef cattle operation,” he said. “Although I went to school for electrical engineering, the first job I got out of college was here at the research station and I have been here ever since.” Brad came to work at the station in 2003 and has worked in all four units during his time. In fact, he spent his first two summers at the station working in the poultry and dairy units. “Everything I did in my early years helped get me to where I am today as Superintendent of the station,” he said. “The worst day here is better than the best day somewhere else. I love it here, I love our staff, and I love the work that we do every single day.” We are so appreciative of all the research being conducted at the Piedmont Research Station and look forward to seeing it continue in the years to come!
