{
  "id": 1926048,
  "title": "As US farmers reject AI data centre offers, Missouri farmer invites developers",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/as-us-farmers-reject-ai-data-centre-offers-missouri-farmer-invites",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-08-19T11:31:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Times of India",
    "slug": "times-of-india",
    "url": "https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/as-us-farmers-reject-multimillion-dollar-ai-data-centre-offers-a-missouri-farmer-is-doing-the-opposite-and-inviting-developers-to-buy-his-land/articleshow/133343755.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Two opposing voices have emerged in the United States regarding artificial intelligence (AI) data centers: one championing their potential as the future, and the other opposing them due to environmental concerns and other issues. In various states, rallies, protests, and even local laws have been enacted to prevent the development of data centers. However, one individual, Blake Hurst, a former farm bureau chief, is actively inviting developers to purchase his land to build an AI data center, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.\n\nBlake Hurst, who previously led the Missouri Farm Bureau from 2010 to 2020, made an op-ed offer to data center developers, stating, \"developers, make me an offer.\" His farm is located approximately 40 miles from the proposed White Cloud Acres data center project in neighboring Nodaway County, a $6.3 billion project that was recently halted by county commissioners with a six-month moratorium.\n\nHurst's approach contrasts with national polling that shows opposition to nearby data centers ranging from 63% to 70%, and against the growing number of restrictions implemented in 500 jurisdictions across the country. Nodaway County commissioners approved a moratorium ordinance while negotiating a development agreement with Scale Microgrids, the developer behind White Cloud Acres. A petition against the project garnered over 7,000 signatures within two months, and the mayor of Maryville has also expressed opposition to the project.\n\nHurst argues that Nodaway County's population has declined from 23,403 in the 2010 census to an estimated 20,300 in 2025, a decrease of about 13%. He cites project projections of 130 on-site jobs and over $1 billion in tax revenue over the facility's 35-year lifespan, and contends that a blocked project does not disappear but rather gets built somewhere else while the tax base disappears.\n\nRegarding water usage, the most commonly cited concern against data centers, Hurst explains that the proposed Nodaway County center would utilize municipal wastewater in a closed-loop cooling system, with an initial requirement of 1.5 million gallons. However, he asserts that the center's water requirements are comparable to those of many small to medium-sized factories. He also believes that as electricity rates rise, the growth of data centers could lead to increased electricity production, potentially leveling out or reducing prices. Hurst notes that the Nodaway developers have promised to build their own generating capacity, making the data center's impact on the grid minimal.",
  "summary": "In Missouri, a farmer has taken the unexpected step of inviting data center developers to bid on his land, despite notable local opposition and recent state restrictions. He believes that data centers could revitalize struggling rural economies by creating jobs and generating tax revenue. The farmer also addresses valid concerns about water use and electricity costs, presenting his offer as an…",
  "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."
}