{
  "id": 1252283,
  "title": "Ex-farm bureau chief invites AI data center developers to buy his land —argues blocked $6.3B project will just move to willing neighbors, defies 500-jurisdiction moratorium wave and 70% public opposition",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/16/ex-farm-bureau-chief-invites-ai-data-center-developers-to-buy-his",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-08-16T10:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Tom's Hardware",
    "slug": "tom-s-hardware",
    "url": "https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/data-centers/former-missouri-farm-bureau-president-offers-his-farm-for-a-data-center"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Blake Hurst, a former Missouri Farm Bureau chief, has extended an invitation to data center developers to bid on his land in Atchison County, Missouri. The proposed White Cloud Acres project, valued at $6.3 billion, faced a moratorium on July 21 by Nodaway County commissioners. Hurst's plea diverges from recent public sentiment, with 63% to 70% of residents opposing nearby data centers and a wave of restrictions passed in 500 jurisdictions nationwide. The Nodaway County commissioners are currently negotiating a development agreement with Scale Microgrids, the developer behind the project. Hurst argues that the project's decline in population and university enrollment, alongside the projected job creation and tax revenue, make it a viable option despite its current setback. Recent polls show a significant increase in opposition to data centers, with Emerson College findings indicating a jump from 42% to 63% opposition over three months, while Gallup's March survey recorded a 70% opposition rate. Notable holdouts include a Kentucky family who refused $26 million for 900 acres in Mason County and a cattle farmer in Maine who rejected $35,000 per acre offers. The relocation argument made by Hurst aligns with the actions of these holdouts, who have successfully retained their farmland despite lucrative offers.",
  "summary": "Blake Hurst spent a decade running the state's largest farm lobby. Now he's publicly courting the developers his neighbors froze out.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}