American Farmers Waving Red Flags over Data Centers, Water Usage

About 30 miles from Clint McRae’s southeastern Montana ranch, a local utility company bought roughly 6,000 acres of cattle grazing land.

After scouring job postings online and talking with local ranchers, he’s deduced that the land might soon be transformed into one of the many large-scale data centers moving into Montana over the past year.

McRae’s primary concern is water. It is essential for cattlemen in the western plains who have for years been shrinking their cattle herds in response to droughts.

The local water supply will have to keep flowing to the new data center projects, rather than to ranchers who need it to keep the pasture healthy and calves hydrated, according to McRae. Montana’s cattle herd could experience a more permanent decline as a result, he said.

“If we have a dry year like we’re having now, who’s going to cut back?” McRae, a fourth-generation rancher, said. “It’s going to be agriculture.” (Read more from “American Farmers Waving Red Flags over Data Centers, Water Usage” HERE)