KAAL TV reports…

As Minnesota’s data center industry expands, questions are growing about how new developments could affect farmland, electricity costs and rural communities.

Voters took those questions directly to candidates on this year’s ballot during a forum hosted by the Olmsted and Dodge County Farmers Unions in Byron Tuesday, where they discussed the challenges facing farmers and what can be done to support the future of agriculture in Minnesota.

Among the concerns raised were rising operating costs, tariffs and access to health care and childcare in rural communities.

“We are here to help feed our nation and the world, and we want to make sure that we can do that at a at a reasonable price,” said Gail Donkers, director of membership at Minnesota Farmers Union.

But as data center development continues to expand across Minnesota, the potential impact on farmland and the state’s agriculture industry has become another point of concern.

Minnesota has more than 70 data centers in operation, with around another dozen large-scale projects proposed statewide, including the Google data center that could be built near Pine Island, according to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.

For farmers, that growth could mean less farmland, more power lines and higher electricity costs.