After Years of Hardship, Texas Agriculture Faces a New Threat: Data Centers

A Texas farmer’s family has worked 6,000 acres for over a century; after his landlord sold 600 rented acres for a Google data center, he was given 60 days to leave

In rural Texas, expansive tracts of farmland are increasingly being repurposed for technology ventures, primarily data centers by major tech enterprises. This shift is impacting farmers, especially with resource competition over vital necessities like water. Concerns have been raised by state officials regarding the permanent loss of fertile land, highlighting a significant transition in the region's agricultural landscape.

After years of hardship, Texas agriculture faces a new threat: data centers

LUBBOCK — Cheyenne Buerger can look outside the window of his Stamford home and see a cherished commodity in Texas: thousands of acres of farmland.

How data centers became a top issue in Texas' tight Senate race

Texas is projected to become the state with the most data centers by 2030.

After years of hardship, Texas agriculture faces a new threat

Data centers and agriculture depend on many of the same resources, such as water, land and electricity, which has some in the industry worried about the future.