Texas Farm Bureau Weighs Data Center Water Rules
Committee recommendations on data centers, transmission lines and nuisance animals will be considered at the organization's annual meeting in Waco.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Agriculture
Live Poll
Should data centers be required to disclose their water use to local communities?
The Texas Farm Bureau resolutions committee met in Waco and recommended policies covering data centers, transmission lines, groundwater and nuisance animals. The recommendations will be considered by the organization's membership at its 93rd annual meeting December 4-6.
Why it matters
Growing electricity demand and its effect on agricultural land has prompted farm groups to weigh in on new infrastructure and water use. Resolutions adopted at the annual meeting become policy guiding the organization's advocacy across Texas.
The committee set a 345-kilovolt threshold, opposing new transmission lines at or above that capacity unless need is clearly demonstrated. Final policy depends on delegate votes at the 93rd annual meeting, which has not yet occurred.
The players
Texas Farm Bureau
The Texas Farm Bureau is the state's largest farm organization, representing agricultural producers and advocating for their interests in policy debates.
The details
The committee supported requiring data centers and large industrial facilities to disclose projected water use and notifying adjacent landowners when groundwater use is changed. It also opposed granting data centers eminent domain powers and supported state help for groundwater conservation districts.
Timeline
Week of November 5, 2026: Resolutions committee meets in Waco.
December 4-6, 2026: 93rd annual meeting business session in Waco, where recommendations will be considered.
Market Landscape
Texas has become a major destination for large data center projects, which are competing with farms and ranches for land, water and grid capacity. The Farm Bureau's proposals position agriculture as a stakeholder seeking disclosure and limits as this competition intensifies.
Landowners could receive notice if groundwater use on neighboring property changes under the proposed rules. Rural residents near planned transmission routes may see proposals to limit new high-capacity lines unless need is demonstrated.
The takeaway
Agricultural groups are increasingly asking data centers and utilities to justify their water and land demands before expansion proceeds. Readers tracking Texas land and water policy should watch how the December vote shapes the state's agricultural position.
What happens next
The Texas Farm Bureau membership will consider the committee's recommendations at its 93rd annual meeting in Waco on December 4-6, 2026.
Further reading
Explore more Agriculture coverage to see how farm groups are responding to land and water pressures across Texas.
Source note: This article includes information reported by KWKT - FOX 44.
Live Poll
Should data centers be required to disclose their water use to local communities?
