A mother and daughter in Mason County, Kentucky, have become local figures of resistance after rejecting a combined offer of more than $26 million for their ancestral farmland, which developers intended to use for a massive data center project. Ida Huddleston, 82, and her daughter, Delsia Bare, 54, own adjacent properties that their family has cultivated for nearly two centuries.
The developers, whose identity was initially unclear but is now suspected to be Meta, offered Bare $48,000 per acre for her 463 acres and Huddleston $60,000 per acre for her 71 acres, totaling approximately $26.48 million. While the pair initially agreed to the sale, they rescinded their decision upon learning the land would host a 2.2-gigawatt hyperscale data center.
"Kick rocks and don’t come back," Bare reportedly told the company representative, according to The Wall Street Journal. The two described themselves as "country hicks" who never anticipated being at the center of such a debate.
Despite Huddleston and Bare's refusal, the company continued to pursue land in the area. Some neighbors accepted offers, including the owner of a mobile home park where many residents lived on fixed incomes. The company then shifted its focus to rezone over 2,000 additional acres nearby, a measure that was approved by the Mason County Fiscal Court in May.
In response to the rezoning, Bare joined a lawsuit aimed at halting the data center. Her legal action cites concerns about the project's potential impact on the community, including the strain on local water supply and the construction of new power and gas lines. County officials, however, stated that the company has committed to funding all necessary infrastructure, such as roads, water, sewer, fiber, and electrical systems, ensuring no direct cost to the community. Officials also project that the data center will create approximately 400 permanent jobs, each with a six-figure salary, and an additional 1,500 construction jobs.
Huddleston expressed skepticism regarding the project's purported benefits, calling the company's promises "a scam." She emphasized her commitment to preserving the agricultural legacy of the farmland, which was worked by her grandfather and great-grandfather during the Great Depression. Her stance is rooted in her religious beliefs, stating that she feels a responsibility to "occupy" the land until a specific future event.
Bare shares her mother's apprehension, expressing a belief that artificial intelligence poses a threat to humanity. Both Huddleston and Bare have stated their intention to continue their opposition to the data center project. "Even if I had $26 million, I’d want to sit here in my chair, and have my coffee and eat my food where I always do," Huddleston told The Wall Street Journal.