Mervin Raudabaugh, an 86-year-old Pennsylvania farmer, turned down a $15 million offer from data center developers for his 261 acres, stating he loved the land and its history. The price offered reportedly came to about $60,000 per acre, a significant amount for a farm worker in an industry where margins are tight and retirement plans often uncertain. Instead of selling to developers, he sold the development rights to his farm through a local preservation program for under $1.9 million, a fraction of the tech industry's offer, ensuring that the land will remain farmland permanently even after Raudbaugh's death. This decision comes at a time when rural communities are dealing with rapid data center expansion, which promises jobs and tax revenue but also brings industrial footprints, heavy energy demands, and transformation of landscapes long defined by crops and open fields.