LUBBOCK, Texas (RFD NEWS) — Data center growth is accelerating in rural America, bringing new tax revenue and infrastructure investment while also putting more pressure on farmland, water, and electricity. For agriculture, the issue is not just development. The question is whether rural communities can add digital infrastructure without undercutting long-term farm and ranch productivity.
The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) says thousands of data centers are now active or under construction across the country. The group says those projects are increasingly moving into rural areas because land is available, transmission access is stronger, and local zoning can be more flexible.
That creates direct competition for core farm resources. The report says farmland conversion is often permanent, while large facilities can also place added demands on power grids and local water supplies.
Texas and Virginia remain the leading states for data center development. AFBF says that growth can raise speculative land values and, in some areas, make it harder for active farmers to buy or rent ground at agricultural prices.
The group says balanced policy, careful siting, and early local engagement will be critical. It argues rural communities can support both agriculture and responsible data center growth if land and resource decisions are made with long-term productivity in mind.
Farm-Level Takeaway: Data center growth can create opportunities, but competition for land, water, and power will be more pronounced in rural areas.
Tony St. James, RFD News Markets Specialist
The classification of persons conducting farming operations for a farm landowner—that is the topic of today’s blog post by RFD-TV farm-legal expert Roger A. McEowen.
October 02, 2023 02:27 PM
·
To mark the end of National Chicken Month, we take a look at how the U.S. poultry industry is making a slow and steady recovery following the widespread outbreak of High-Path Avian Flu (HPAI) in 2022 that devastated commercial flocks across the country.
September 29, 2023 02:44 PM
·
Seven out of the eight major fertilizers saw recent price decreases. However, one key type of fertilizer bucked the overall trend with an 11-percent rise.
September 21, 2023 11:02 AM
·
Dr. Tim Boring with the Michigan Department of Agriculture shed light on the current challenges and opportunities impacting farmers across the State in a conversation with RFD-TV’s own Tammi Arender at the NASDA Annual Meeting this week in Wyoming.
September 13, 2023 02:07 PM
·
Researchers at Florida Atlantic University’s
Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute found human sewage, not fertilizer, is mainly responsible for dangerous nitrogen levels in Florida’s Indian River Lagoon.
A new
study from the University of California shows E-15 provides more emissions reductions compared to other blends of gasoline on the market.
