Blake Hurst invites data center developers to bid on his Missouri farm land to counter national moratorium trends.
Blake Hurst, a farmer in Atchison County, Missouri, is urging data center developers to make offers on his land to counter the growing trend of local moratoriums. While neighboring Nodaway County recently halted the White Cloud Acres project due to a user petition, Hurst argues that a blocked project does not disappear but simply moves to another location. He notes that Nodaway County's population has declined by 13% since 2010, and its largest employer faces falling enrollment. Hurst highlights that the White Cloud Acres project is projected to create 130 on-site jobs and generate over $1 billion in tax revenue over 35 years. His pitch comes at a time when opposition to nearby data centers has risen to between 63% and 70% in national polling. Furthermore, over 500 jurisdictions nationwide passed restrictions this month alone. Hurst, who led the Missouri Farm Bureau from 2010 to 2020, emphasizes that while holdouts can increase land prices, a blocked project will eventually be built elsewhere, leaving the local tax base diminished.