Northern Kentucky Family Declines $26M Bid as Data Center Plans Advance

Ida Huddleston and her children own 1,200 acres of farmland near Maysville, Kentucky, and rejected a major offer to sell part of their land for a new data center.

Mar. 19, 2026 at 12:18am

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A woman and her mother in Northern Kentucky have turned down a $26 million offer for their 1,200-acre family farmland because they don't want to see a data center built there. Ida Huddleston and her daughter Delsia Bare are among dozens of landowners approached by an anonymous buyer, likely one of the major players in artificial intelligence like Google, Meta, or Amazon, who want to purchase their land to build a new data center. Despite the lucrative offer that was about ten times the market value, the family is determined to keep their generational farmland and reject the plans.

Why it matters

This case highlights the tensions between preserving family farmland and the growing demand for land to build new data centers to support the expansion of artificial intelligence and other tech industries. The Huddleston family's decision to decline the $26 million offer reflects their deep connection to the land and distrust of the promises made by the AI companies, raising questions about the long-term impacts of data center development on rural communities.

The details

Last April, an unnamed company approached Ida Huddleston and her children about buying around half of their 1,200-acre farmland in order to build a data center, replacing their cows with computers. The company offered the family about ten times the market value of $6,000 per acre, resulting in a $26 million bid. However, Huddleston and her daughter Delsia Bare firmly rejected the offer, citing their family's long history on the land and distrust of the AI companies' promises.

  • In April 2025, an unnamed company approached the Huddleston family about buying part of their farmland.
  • The zoning request for the data center has now been made public, with plans to rezone nearly 28 agricultural parcels totaling more than 2,000 acres near Big Pond Pike, Germantown Road, and Valley Pike Road.
  • The Joint Planning Commission will hold two public meetings on March 25 and 26, 2026 at 5:30 p.m. at Fields Auditorium at Maysville Community and Technical College to discuss the rezoning.

The players

Ida Huddleston

An 82-year-old woman who owns 1,200 acres of farmland near Maysville, Kentucky, and has rejected a $26 million offer to sell part of the land for a data center.

Delsia Bare

Ida Huddleston's daughter, who is determined to keep the family's generational farmland and has rejected the data center plans.

Joint Planning Commission

The local planning authority that will hold public meetings to discuss the rezoning of agricultural land for the proposed data center.

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What they’re saying

“Stay and hold and feed a nation.”

— Delsia Bare, Ida Huddleston's daughter

“$26 million doesn't mean anything.”

— Delsia Bare, Ida Huddleston's daughter

“They call us old stupid farmers, you know, but we're not. We know whenever our food is disappearing, our lands are disappearing, and we don't have any water—and that poison. Well, we know we've had it.”

— Ida Huddleston

“I say they're a liar, and the truth isn't in them. That's what I say. It's a scam.”

— Ida Huddleston

What’s next

The Joint Planning Commission will hold two public meetings on March 25 and 26, 2026 at 5:30 p.m. at Fields Auditorium at Maysville Community and Technical College to discuss the rezoning of agricultural land for the proposed data center.

The takeaway

This case highlights the growing tensions between preserving family farmland and the demand for land to support the expansion of data centers and artificial intelligence technologies. The Huddleston family's steadfast refusal to sell their generational farmland, despite a lucrative $26 million offer, underscores the deep personal and cultural connections that some rural landowners have to their property and the distrust they hold towards the promises made by tech companies.