this post was submitted on 23 Feb 2026
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An elderly Pennsylvania man turned down an offer of more than $15 million to sell his land to data center developers.

In an interview published on Feb. 16, Mervin Raudabaugh, 86, of Cumberland County, shared why he opted out of the $60,000 per acre that developers offered for his 261 acres in an interview with local outlet Fox 43.

“I was not interested in destroying my farms,” Raudabaugh, who has spent roughly 60 years farming in Silver Spring Township, told the news station. “That was the bottom line. It really wasn't so much the economic end of it. I just didn't want to see these two farms destroyed.”

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[–] BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 9 points 1 month ago

I've been hearing about this happening. Farmers in the Northeast are getting incredible corporate/development offers for their land, and are turning it down. Meanwhile, they are selling off parcels fairly cheap to people who want to actually live on it and farm their parcels. It's kind of a once in a lifetime opportunity right now, if you want to own a few acres in upstate New York or PA.

We're strongly considering it for retirement. Beautiful country, nasty winters, though.

[–] Zier@fedia.io 1 points 1 month ago

Ask for $1.5 billion.