Texas Farmland vs Tech Giants | Salt Lake City News

Salt Lake City News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Aug 20, 2026 · 2m

Texas is in the middle of a fierce battle over its prime farmland as massive data centers gobble up water, power, and land—threatening the state’s $900 billion agriculture industry. Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller warns that once fertile soil is paved over, it’s lost forever, and he’s pushing for “agriculture freedom zones” to steer development away from top farmland. He’s also calling for a pause on new hyperscale data centers, noting Texas now leads the nation in new designations—and that the grid may not handle the demand. Miller criticizes the state’s $300M+ in tax incentives for…