#new A Northern Kentucky woman and her mother turned down $26 million to sell part of their farmland, saying they do not want it turned into a data center
She said
“If it’s my way, I’ll stay and hold and feed a nation. 26 million doesn’t mean anything.”
“As long as I’m on this land, as long as it’s feeding me, as long as it’s taking care of me, there’s nothing that can destroy me if I’ve got this land.”
Ida Huddleston, 82, and her daughter Delsia Bare, who together own about 1,200 acres of prime **agri-cultural** land turned down the multimillion-dollar offer from an undisclosed Fortune 100 company that is representing Artificial intelligence interests.
The family has worked the soil for generations, even through the Great Depression, and they don’t see any reason to sell it to the unnamed tech giant.
The developer wants a section of land that includes 71 acres of the property belonging to Huddleston and 463 acres belonging to Bare.
The developer offered about $60,000 per acre for Huddleston’s portion, which equals about $4.26 million, and $48,000 per acre for Bare’s land, pushing the total to $26.5 million.
The family was first approached last year, with so many follow-ups that Huddleston says it’s “mind harassment” rather than a straightforward business deal.
“I said I don’t want your money, I don’t need your money, but I do feel sorry for everybody around us. They’re gonna be affected by it,”
The company has refused to publicly identify itself, a red flag for the landowners who say the people behind it must have a hidden agenda.
It has promised to create 400 full-time jobs and over 1,500 construction positions, but Bare doubts the permanence, saying
“you won’t have over 50 and they won’t even be here at this building when it’s said and done.”
“I say they’re a liar, and the truth isn’t in them… It’s a scam.”
Developers have made deals with other willing sellers and filed zoning requests to rezone more than 2,000 acres of agricultural parcels.
AI facilities can consume as much electricity as a mid-sized city and use hundreds of thousands of gallons of water daily for cooling.
Projections show U.S. data centers could claim 6.7% to 12% of the nation’s total electricity by 2028, up from about 4.4% in 2023, while permanently paving over large tracts of productive farmland.
Similar turndowns are happening in other states, an 86-year-old Pennsylvania farmer declined a $15.7 million offer for his land.
