Bayer opens $6M facility
By Melinda Harrell
Published in News on April 1, 2015 2:03 PM
Full Size
News-Argus/MELISSA KEY
Pauline Macias sorts and packages soybeans during a tour of the new Bayer CropScience research facility grand opening on Tuesday. Local officials said the research station not only will add to the county's tax base, but that it will help solidify Wayne's role in agriculture.
PIKEVILLE -- Bayer CropScience opened a state-of-the-art research facility Tuesday, which is expected to solidify Wayne County's role in all aspects of the agriculture industry.
The Breeding and Trait Development Station cost $6.3 million to construct and is designed for the testing and development of new cotton and soybean seed varieties.
The opening ceremonies featured presentations from Bayer CropScience leaders, a ribbon-cutting and a tour of the facility.
Mike Haney, Wayne County Development Alliance vice president, said the facility will help ensure Wayne County's presence across the entire spectrum of the agriculture market.
"It helps out the tax base, but in addition to that, it helps stress the point that Wayne County is in all facets in ag, and having a research facility like that is a big deal," Haney said.
Haney, one of the presenters during the ceremony, also commented on the impact that agriculture has on the county as a whole.
"Agriculture is our heritage. Each year, over $1 billion impacts our economy," Haney said.
But the new Breeding and Trait Development Station will also affect the entire Mid-Atlantic and Southern agricultural regions of the United States, concerning cotton and soybean seed development and production in the region, officials said.
Frank Terhorst, global head of seeds at Bayer CropScience LP, also said the Pikeville facility will be the host for the company's designated discovery program in North America.
"This is a first of several stations in North and South America to support the seed division of Bayer," Terhorst said. "Pikeville is designated as the host of Bayer CropScience's designated discovery program for North America.
"The seed cultivation that will take place here will provide farmers with a higher quality of products and locally adapted seeds to ensure the best results for the farms, environmentally, socially and economically."
The facility itself was left vacant by Nor-Am, then sold to an investment group which then ended up selling it to the Bayer company, Haney said.
The company decided in 2013 to renovate the property and land to create the Bayer CropScience Breeding and Trait Development Station.
Originally the property had 14 buildings, all of which were demolished.
Brent Styles, site manager and regional cotton and soybean testing manager, said the company made a huge investment in the renovations, but also maintained a sense of responsibility and sustainability.
"There were 14 buildings here originally on this site, and we demolished all of them, concrete, bricks and all," Styles said. "We recycled 86 percent of that material, which is a big feat. That is really important for us to do that.
"We made a sizable investment in this property, $6.3 million. We have four buildings of more than 3,200 square feet. The sustainable efforts are we have LED lights that turn on and off when you walk through and solar-powered seed dryers, that use solar power as well as propane."
The total investment, with demolition included, amounts to nearly $10 million.
The facility has a 4,227-square-foot office building, 12,057-square-foot processing building and a 13,904-square-foot equipment barn and outdoor pavilion on 70 acres of property owned by Bayer.
An additional 100 acres of farmland is being leased by the company to provide ample space for seeds under development to be planted and analyzed.
The Breeding and Trait Development Station will also employ eight full-time workers and five to 10 contractors, along with offering educational opportunities for students in the agribusiness program at the University of Mount Olive.