The city of Greensboro has proposed a plan to extend Florida Street to run through N.C. A&T’s university farm.

The proposal has been made to provide a north-south route from Lee Street to McConnell Road by extending Florida Street a half-mile longer.

The university farm, commonly known as Aggie Farm, serves as an outdoor laboratory to approximately 900 agriculture and animal science students, both undergraduate and graduate.

If the proposal is approved, the 492-acre farm will lose 2.7 acres.

“The farm is something that we need to maintain because of what it provides to our faculty and students,” said Ralph Noble, chairman of A&T’s animal science department. “To relinquish any amount of land would reduce our ability to provide experiential learning to our students upon graduation.”

“I don’t really see any benefits,” he added.

On Feb. 11, Chancellor Harold Martin held a university and community town hall meeting to inform and hear the opinions of students, as well as members of the Greensboro community, about the proposed street extension through Aggie Farm.

“We are not going to give our farm away,” Martin said.

Everyone who publicly expressed his or her opinions of the proposal was in opposition, including junior animal science major, Jalen Speller.

“They may take 2.7 acres right now, but eventually, they [will] be asking to take more and more, and there won’t be a farm left,” she said.

The acreage loss is only one of the negative impacts the farm could face. Other potentially detrimental impacts, stated by Martin, include an increased security risk and liability to animals due to more traffic, reduction in herd, and loss of research and teachers.

This is not the first time the city has mentioned the street extension through Aggie Farm. It first appeared in 1960, but it was not until 2012 that there were discussions between the city and A&T officials about the proposed extension.

 “We’ve had dialogue with A&T but never got a definitive answer of whether or not they would support the project,” said Adam Fischer, director of the Greensboro Department of Transportation.

According to Fischer, if A&T’s Board of Trustees elects to extend Florida Street, the city of Greensboro will give A&T an estimated $280,000, which is based on the value of the agricultural land.

The board is comprised of 13 people: eight elected by the UNC Board of Governors, four appointed by the governor, and the SGA president.

“The board of trustees will make the decision that will make our students have a brighter future,” said SGA President Allaquan Tate.

“I don’t think that we should be giving any part of the farm away, but…we have to be considerate of the needs of the people in the community.”

The Board of Trustees will make its decision Feb. 22.

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• Karmen Robinson, managing editor