● Covered by 1 source · 2 reportsLow impact1 neutral1 positive
Kentucky Family Rejects $26 Million Offer for Farmland to Become AI Data Center
Key points
- Family rejected $26 million offer for 600 acres of farmland.
- AI company sought land for a new data center.
- Family cited concerns over food, land, and water resources.
- Offer was nearly 10 times the local land value.
- Blake Hurst, former head of the Missouri Farm Bureau, invited data center developers to bid on his land.
- Hurst led the Missouri Farm Bureau from 2010 to 2020.
- Hurst's farm is in Atchison County, Missouri.
- The blocked project is the $6.3 billion White Cloud Acres data center campus.
- The White Cloud Acres project is in Nodaway County.
- Nodaway County commissioners halted the project on July 21 with a moratorium of up to six months.
- Public opposition to data centers is 63% to 70% nationally.
- Over 500 jurisdictions nationwide passed restrictions this month.
- Scale Microgrids is the developer behind White Cloud Acres.
- A petition against the project gathered over 7,000 signatures in two months.
- Maryville's mayor opposes the project.
- Nodaway County's population fell from 23,402 in 2010 to an estimated 20,300 in 2025.
Farmland Offer Declined
A family in Northern Kentucky, led by Ida Huddleston, rejected a $26 million offer from an undisclosed AI company to acquire approximately 600 acres of their 1,200-acre farmland. The company intended to use the land for the construction of a new data center. The offer significantly exceeded the typical land value in Mason County, which is around $6,000 per acre.
Family's Reasoning
The Huddleston family, who has cultivated the land for generations, declined the offer due to concerns about the future of food production, land preservation, and the environmental impact of data centers. Delsia Bare, Huddleston's daughter, emphasized the family's commitment to feeding the nation, referencing their history of providing food during challenging times like the Great Depression. They expressed worries about land disappearing, water depletion, and potential pollution.
AI Industry's Data Center Expansion
The AI boom has led to a rapid increase in data center construction across the United States, which currently hosts over 4,400 data centers, the most globally. These facilities require substantial amounts of electricity and water, straining local grids and water supplies. This demand for resources has led to resistance from communities concerned about the environmental and quality-of-life impacts of new data centers.
Updates
- Blake Hurst, former head of the Missouri Farm Bureau, invited data center developers to bid on his land.
- Hurst led the Missouri Farm Bureau from 2010 to 2020.
- Hurst's farm is in Atchison County, Missouri.
- The blocked project is the $6.3 billion White Cloud Acres data center campus.
- The White Cloud Acres project is in Nodaway County.
- Nodaway County commissioners halted the project on July 21 with a moratorium of up to six months.
- Public opposition to data centers is 63% to 70% nationally.
- Over 500 jurisdictions nationwide passed restrictions this month.
- Scale Microgrids is the developer behind White Cloud Acres.
- A petition against the project gathered over 7,000 signatures in two months.
- Maryville's mayor opposes the project.
- Nodaway County's population fell from 23,402 in 2010 to an estimated 20,300 in 2025.
✨ This summary was generated by AI from the outlets' reporting listed below. It is not independently verified and may contain errors — check the original sources. How BrevFeed works →
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How outlets covered it
Blake Hurst, former head of the Missouri Farm Bureau, publicly invited data center developers to purchase his land in Atchison County, Missouri. This invitation comes as a $6.3 billion data center project in neighboring Nodaway County faces a moratorium and significant public opposition, highlighting a growing conflict between rural communities and data center development.
A Kentucky family declined a $26 million offer from an anonymous AI company to purchase half of their 1,200-acre farmland for a data center. The family, who has owned the land for generations, cited concerns about food production, land preservation, water depletion, and environmental impact. This highlights growing tensions between agricultural land use and the expanding infrastructure needs of the AI industry.