RALEIGH--While North Carolina might not be known for cattle, the state still believes it is important to invest in. State Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler says they are doing research to produce a registered Angus herd that is 600 to 700 in size.

Troxler says these studies will help small farms prosper.

"We've been lucky over the past several years to have high cattle prices, which has really helped the smaller farms in North Carolina. We hope to grow the herd size of North Carolina with this research, and with that make sure that farms in North Carolina remain profitable," he says.

Troxler says the process will take between five to six years and is about halfway through.

"These projects are focused on feed conversion, feed alternatives, fescue toxicity, fertility, nutrition and several other topics all designed to help our producers maximize what they do," he says.

There are eight research stations in the state working on the project.