Outlaw99
Well-known member
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2019
- Messages
- 534
Ok, here goes. This is on my phone, so excuse the spelling and lack of grammar. I live and farm in Council Bluffs, Iowa; literally right across the river from Omaha, Nebraska. I’m 7th generation farmer here, it’s all I’ve ever known. I don’t know the exact time frame, but somewhere around 25 years ago, Google decided to start a data center about 15 miles south of us. Was a big deal, made the small time farmer that owned the 500 acres a multi millionaire over night. We custom farmed the ground from then on out for 5 or 6 years till it got so big, there was nothing left to farm. It was a nightmare to deal with and I was glad when we were done with it. 2nd year after selling, the farmer who sold had a massive heart attack snowmobiling out west, deader than a door nail. 25 years later, it looks like its own massive city, still nowhere near complete. THOUSANDS of side dumps every day pour in and out of that place. The enormity of it all, I still haven’t got used to.
My story: 20 years ago the city comes to us wanting some of our ground because they “need” another water treatment facility (we literally farm right on the Missouri River). We say not interested….a bunch of back and forth court bullshit and they’re building it on our land. Eminent Domain, for the “public Use”. A year later, we find out its soul purpose is to provide water to cool all the big computer deals at Google. 100% of that water is for googles use. They paid somewhere around 20k an acre for it.
10 years ago, another data company buys a small 30 acre farm we farmed but did not own. Cyrus One. Seemed odd at the time, very fancy outfit, but almost microscopic compared to what I was used to.
2 years ago, my dad was fighting cancer and about to die. Gets a call; “secret” data firm wants 120 acres just west of our home place 1/4 mile. Offers dad $13million……dad tells them to pound sand. Their counter was to buy up everything around the now 1300 acres that I farm alone, which all the other landlords including my own uncle jumped on. It’s all still pending, but the process has already started. Somewhere around $40k an acre. Ironically, the very south end of all this property buts right up next to their new water treatment facility.
2 months ago, get a letter from our local power company. They want to buy 37 acres from me that sits right next to the pending property and water facility. They need it to build a substation. It sits right underneath big power that they want to use….. I told them to F off. What do you want to bet this come back as an eminent domain situation?
Long story short. I’m living that Yellowstone shit in reality back here. There’s literally no dollar amount that could change my mind. I’m 7th generation and I intend on keeping it that way as long as I can. I guess when I can’t fight it any longer, I’ll start a “where’s a good place to move in Montana” thread
People don’t consider the process with these things, they focus on what the ending will look like. They don’t consider the thousands of daily trucks, the traffic, the boom of out of town workers. I don’t need a bunch of guys from wherever up here working, looking at deer on my property. I don’t need to deal with destroyed roads, I don’t need the thousands of other ramifications that come with something like this. In the end, I’m sure it’ll all eventually take me, but you can bet I’ll be fighting tooth and nail till that day comes. Rant over
My story: 20 years ago the city comes to us wanting some of our ground because they “need” another water treatment facility (we literally farm right on the Missouri River). We say not interested….a bunch of back and forth court bullshit and they’re building it on our land. Eminent Domain, for the “public Use”. A year later, we find out its soul purpose is to provide water to cool all the big computer deals at Google. 100% of that water is for googles use. They paid somewhere around 20k an acre for it.
10 years ago, another data company buys a small 30 acre farm we farmed but did not own. Cyrus One. Seemed odd at the time, very fancy outfit, but almost microscopic compared to what I was used to.
2 years ago, my dad was fighting cancer and about to die. Gets a call; “secret” data firm wants 120 acres just west of our home place 1/4 mile. Offers dad $13million……dad tells them to pound sand. Their counter was to buy up everything around the now 1300 acres that I farm alone, which all the other landlords including my own uncle jumped on. It’s all still pending, but the process has already started. Somewhere around $40k an acre. Ironically, the very south end of all this property buts right up next to their new water treatment facility.
2 months ago, get a letter from our local power company. They want to buy 37 acres from me that sits right next to the pending property and water facility. They need it to build a substation. It sits right underneath big power that they want to use….. I told them to F off. What do you want to bet this come back as an eminent domain situation?
Long story short. I’m living that Yellowstone shit in reality back here. There’s literally no dollar amount that could change my mind. I’m 7th generation and I intend on keeping it that way as long as I can. I guess when I can’t fight it any longer, I’ll start a “where’s a good place to move in Montana” thread
People don’t consider the process with these things, they focus on what the ending will look like. They don’t consider the thousands of daily trucks, the traffic, the boom of out of town workers. I don’t need a bunch of guys from wherever up here working, looking at deer on my property. I don’t need to deal with destroyed roads, I don’t need the thousands of other ramifications that come with something like this. In the end, I’m sure it’ll all eventually take me, but you can bet I’ll be fighting tooth and nail till that day comes. Rant over
