Texas agriculture, an industry generating over $963 billion in economic output annually, faces a new challenge as at least 248 data centers are planned across the state. These developments primarily target rural Texas, where land is described as vast, cheap, and flat, intensifying competition for land, water, and electricity. The state has already experienced significant land loss, with Texas Land Trends reporting nearly 3.7 million acres converted in the last 25 years. From 2017 to 2022 alone, more than 1.8 million acres were converted for non-agricultural use, according to the A&M Natural Resources Institute. Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller expressed concern, stating, "Once our farmland is gone and paved over, we’ll never farm it again."
The expansion of data centers is directly impacting farmers. Cheyenne Buerger, a fourth-generation farmer in Stamford, was told to vacate 600 acres of his family's land near Haskell when a Google data center acquired it. He was given 60 days to finish his existing crop and move out. Buerger's farm, located about four miles from the construction site, now endures constant construction traffic and bright lights 24 hours a day. Three major projects—Project Matador in the Panhandle, Project Pacifico in Pecos County, and Project Meta in El Paso—are projected to convert at least 16,000 acres. This pressure comes as agricultural costs are already rising due to prolonged droughts, increasing equipment repair expenses, and land cost increases, with some Far West Texas areas seeing nearly a 16% jump.
The public backlash against data center development has captured the attention of state officials and candidates, particularly in rural Texas, which historically favors Republican votes. Clayton Tucker, a Democratic candidate for Texas Agriculture Commissioner, called for a complete pause on current data center development, identifying it as a significant threat to the state. Nate Sheets, his Republican opponent, suggested that data centers should invest financially in Texas's water and land funds to mitigate their impact, emphasizing that they should not just be takers.
The issue of industrial development encroaching on farmland is not new; before data centers, solar farms raised similar concerns. As of 2024, an estimated 1.5 million acres of farmland were converted into solar farms. A Tribune analysis found 335 data centers are currently operating in Texas. Farmers like Eric Simpson in Shallowater worry about water access, especially with a new data center being built 20 miles away in Abernathy, impacting an area that relies on the Ogallala Aquifer and generates over $5 billion annually in agriculture revenue. Rancher Chris Grotegut in Hereford noted that Google's Project Roman plans to convert land into grasslands to balance water usage, suggesting a recognition of resource dependency by developers. Buerger believes he and other farmers in his area will lose more land to data centers and their associated services as these developments expand. Simpson contemplates how to adapt his farming to a future without sufficient water for his seasonal crops.
