Family turns down $26 million to turn farmland into an AI data center

With an insatiable appetite for all things AI, and the big tech companies pouring over $1 trillion into AI infrastructure, it's no secret that plans for and construction of new data centers are happening at a pace that hasn't been seen before. And with rural areas like Northern Kentucky in the United States among many locations being viewed as new places to build data centers, one family is fighting back.

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As reported by WKRC-TV Local 12, a local woman and her mother turned down a $26 million offer to sell part of their 1,200 acres of farmland to an unnamed company that wanted to build a data center. According to the report, land in the region typically sells for around $6,000 per acre, which would make the $26 million offer around ten times that amount. When they were told that it would bring jobs and economic growth to the region, the 82-year-old Ida Huddleston called it a scam.

In fact, the main reason Ida Huddleston and her daughter Delsia Bare have no interest in turning their family farm into space for another data center is that they want to "stay" and "feed a nation." Adding, "$26 million doesn't mean anything."

"My grandfather and great-grandfather and a whole bunch of family have all lived here for years, paid taxes on it, fed a nation off of it," Delsia Bare said. "Even raised wheat through the Depression and kept bread lines up in the United States of America when people didn't have anything else."

This response, alongside statements that a data center could potentially poison the water in the area, reflects current sentiment in various regional and remote locations where new data centers are being built.

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Question #1

Why did the Huddleston family refuse the $26 million offer for part of their 1,200-acre farm?

They refused because they want to keep farming the land and preserve their family legacy rather than sell it for a data center. Ida Huddleston called the $26 million offer a scam and Delsia Bare said they want to "stay" and "feed a nation," noting their family has farmed the land for generations, paid taxes, and helped feed people through hard times. They also expressed concerns that a data center could potentially poison local water and said $26 million "doesn't mean anything" compared with keeping the farmland.

Answered

Question #2

How does the offered $26 million compare to typical land prices in the Northern Kentucky region?

The article says land in the region typically sells for around $6,000 per acre, and that the $26 million offer works out to about ten times that typical price. It frames the bid as roughly an order of magnitude above normal Northern Kentucky land values.

Answered

Question #3

How many other landowners in Northern Kentucky were reportedly approached with similar offers?

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Question #4

How has the family framed their reasons for keeping the land in agricultural use across generations?

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One family taking a stand isn't going to stop data centers from being built in Northern Kentucky, as the report notes that the "anonymous buyer" representing a major AI company has approached dozens of landowners with similar deals. And with that, a land area measuring 2,000 acres is reportedly being rezoned to accommodate non-agricultural business, aka data centers. Even so, it makes the principled stand from this family all the more impressive, as they want farmland to remain exactly that.