Representative image of farmland bordering a large data-centre development, illustrating the tension between agricultural land preservation and potential industrial use. Image Credits: ChatGPT.
A $26 million offer can change the course of a farm in an instant. For two women in northern Kentucky, however, the decision eventually became less about the money and more about what would happen to the land their family had worked for generations. Ida Huddleston and her daughter, Delsia Bare, agreed initially to sell part of their farmland near Maysville, only to withdraw from the deal after learning that the property was being sought for a huge artificial intelligence data centre.
The proposed Mason County development would span about 2,080 acres, with 28 properties rezoned to make way for a hyperscale data-centre campus, according to local reporting. An unidentified company was acquiring Kentucky farmland for a proposed data centre and offered Delsia Bare $48,000 an acre for 463 acres, while her mother, Ida Huddleston, was offered $60,000 an acre for 71 acres, according to The Wall Street Journal . Together, the proposed purchases would have brought the family $26.48 million. A rezoning application eventually sought to change the designation of roughly 2,080 acres across 28 properties from agricultural use to industrial use for the proposed hyperscale data centre. County officials gave final approval to the rezoning in May 2026, although the unidentified company still has the final decision on whether to proceed.
Because they believed the buyer might ultimately use eminent domain to acquire the land if they refused, the women initially agreed to the sales, partly. The project has become part of a broader debate across rural America, where the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure is increasingly bringing technology companies into competition with farmland. The women, meanwhile, have chosen to keep their property rather than sell it, and it has not been placed under a permanent conservation easement. The dispute comes as data centres are expanding rapidly to support cloud computing and artificial intelligence. Unlike conventional buildings, hyperscale data centres require enormous amounts of electricity and sophisticated cooling systems, making their location a major infrastructure decision. In Mason County, local officials have presented the proposed project as an economic opportunity. The development is expected to create construction employment and eventually permanent jobs, while supporters argue that the investment could broaden the county’s economic base and generate additional tax revenue. But those potential benefits have been weighed against concerns about the conversion of farmland and the project’s scale. The identity of the company behind the proposal has also remained confidential, adding another layer of tension. Representative image of a mother and daughter standing together in a quiet Kentucky farmland landscape, reflecting the personal connection families can have with land. Image Credits: ChatGPT.
They had previously seen family land taken through eminent domain proceedings for the construction of a highway and two landfills, contributing to their concern that rejecting the offer might not guarantee that they could retain control of their property.
