The Agricultural Institute was created in 1959 by an act of the North Carolina General Assembly, and its courses were first taught in the Fall 1960 semester. The first class consisted of 95 students, who were offered five fields of study: farm equipment sales and service, general agriculture, livestock management and technology, poultry technology, and pest control. By 1974 the number of programs reached eight, and by 1980 the number of students enrolled in the various programs peaked at 418. The program received national recognition in 1980 when it was awarded the first annual Award for Excellence in Agricultural Technology, presented by the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture and the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company.

Academically, the Agricultural Institute was created to offer a two-year associate degree program in Applied Science for those students desiring technical agricultural training but not requiring a four-year degree. This set-up remains to the present day. Currently, approximately 300 students are enrolled in the various programs, and the Institute awards over 100 degrees annually. The Institute offers training in eight programs of study, and utilizes over 50 faculty members from 13 different academic departments. The programs of study offered today are the following: agribusiness management; agribusiness management with horticulture option; pest management and technology, with agricultural pest and urban pest options; field crops technology; general agriculture; livestock and poultry management; ornamentals and landscape technology; and turfgrass management.