Texas Farmers Seek Limits on Data Center Water Use
Farm operators near proposed transmission lines and groundwater users should track policy votes at the December annual meeting.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Agriculture
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Should data centers be required to disclose their water use to local communities?
The Texas Farm Bureau's resolutions committee met in Waco and recommended policy positions on data centers, transmission lines, groundwater, and nuisance animals. The recommendations will be considered at the organization's 93rd annual meeting December 4-6, where adopted resolutions guide the group's policy for Texas agricultural operators.
Why it matters
Rising electricity demand from data centers and new transmission corridors is colliding with agricultural land and water use, putting farm operations, land values, and groundwater access on the policy agenda. Operators with land near proposed lines or large-scale water users have a stake in how these positions shape state rules.
The committee set a 345-kilovolt threshold, above which new transmission lines would be opposed unless need is clearly demonstrated. The organization's 93rd annual meeting, where these positions will be considered, runs December 4-6 in Waco.
The players
Texas Farm Bureau
The state's largest farm organization, representing agricultural producers and setting policy positions that influence legislative priorities for Texas farm operations.
The details
The committee's recommendations ask data centers and large industrial facilities to disclose projected direct and indirect water use, and to notify adjacent landowners and groundwater rights holders when historical groundwater use changes. The group also opposed giving data centers eminent domain powers, which would otherwise let them acquire land for facilities and transmission. On the supply side, the committee supported incentives for solar companies that combine panels with agricultural production, a practice known as agrivoltaics. Committee members gathered input from across the state, and resolutions adopted at the annual meeting become the organization's guiding policy.
Timeline
Week of November 5, 2026: The resolutions committee met in Waco to develop its recommendations.
December 4-6, 2026: The recommendations will be considered during the business session of the 93rd annual meeting in Waco.
Market Landscape
Competition for land and water between agriculture and large electricity and computing users is emerging as a statewide policy question in Texas. The Farm Bureau's positions set out where the state's largest agricultural lobby will push, including disclosure rules and limits on eminent domain for data centers.
Farm operators near proposed high-voltage transmission corridors or large data center sites should track how these positions shape state rules on land acquisition and water disclosure. Operators who sell water rights or lease land should consult a qualified attorney before making decisions tied to pending groundwater or eminent domain policy.
The takeaway
Land and water policy is becoming a central battleground between agriculture and large-scale electricity and computing users, so operators should watch the December resolutions for positions on disclosure and eminent domain. Producers who own groundwater rights or land along potential transmission routes should review those positions with a qualified attorney as they are adopted.
What happens next
The Texas Farm Bureau's recommendations will be considered by delegates during the business session of the 93rd annual meeting, December 4-6, 2026, in Waco.
Further reading
For related coverage of how these farm policy debates play out for producers, see the Agriculture section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by KWKT - FOX 44.
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Should data centers be required to disclose their water use to local communities?
