The new Produce Handling Facility was officially opened at the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center in Mills River on Tuesday, July 20, 2021. North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture, Steve Troxler, and NC State University'sDean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Dr. Rich Linton, were present for the grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony. The event was covered by the local ABC-TV affiliate WLOS.

The facility, which currently houses state-of-the-artwashingand sorting lines for produce such as apples and tomatoes, will provide infrastructure for research faculty from multiple departments, as well as for education and Extension activities related to postharvest produce quality and food safety.

This article from the Vegetable Growers News website contains more details about this $850K investment in our facility.