On December 7, at its 92nd Annual Meeting, the Texas Farm Bureau did something subtle, but significant. In a packed business session that usually focuses on water rights, land use, trade, and long-standing ag policy priorities, delegates adopted a series of resolutions that unmistakably signal a shift in how rural Texas views the rapid expansion of energy and digital-infrastructure projects.

This wasn’t a niche conversation on the fringes of rural policy. This was the state’s largest agricultural organization formally acknowledging, with unusual clarity, the mounting pressure that AI data centers, server farms, crypto mining, solar installations, and other large-load facilities are placing on Texas land, water, and communities.

Across multiple issues, TFB took a stance that was firm, structured, and unambiguous: these industries need state-defined standards, transparency, and financial accountability for the impacts they generate.

For developers planning to operate in rural counties, or seeking to maintain momentum across Texas’ rapidly evolving landscape, this moment deserves attention.

A New Chapter: Data Centers and AI Loads Enter the Rural Policy Conversation

For the first time, TFB adopted policy supporting statewide authority to set minimum standards and best practices for:

• AI-driven data centers

• Server farms

• Crypto mines

• Other high-load digital infrastructure

TFB’s reasoning was straightforward: these facilities create environmental hazards and exert “incredible demand” on Texas’ water and energy systems.

This marks a turning point. These projects are no longer viewed as remote, technical constructs. TFB now sees them as direct influencers of agricultural viability, resource security, and the rural way of life.

“If it impacts the land, it should pay for the land.” — A New Financial Standard

TFB also endorsed the idea that renewable energy developers, digital infrastructure operators, and industrial users should be financially accountable for:

• Soil, water, and air contamination

• Sedimentation and erosion

• Damage to county roads and bridges

• Broader environmental disturbance from construction

This is a direct response to years of counties absorbing costs they cannot afford. The Farm Bureau is now calling for a more systematic approach and one that shifts long-term responsibility back to the project owners.

Solar Moves Into a More Nuanced Phase: Agrivoltaics as a Preferred Model

TFB’s endorsement of agrivoltaics, the practice of pairing solar arrays with active agriculture, signals a desire for development that complements, not replaces, rural land use.

Solar isn’t being rejected. Instead, TFB is pushing for:

• Grazing-compatible development

• Designs that preserve agricultural productivity

• Clear decommissioning and land-restoration planning

This reflects growing unease about permanent land conversion, soil impacts, and the industrialization of rural landscapes. Agrivoltaics presents a path that both supports energy expansion and protects the agricultural identity of Texas.

AI Transparency: Stewardship of Agricultural Information

By adopting a new policy requiring transparency from AI systems providing agricultural information, TFB is acknowledging a new frontier of influence: technology-driven narratives shaping public understanding of land, water, and farming.

This is as much about trust as it is about accuracy.

Water: The Thread Connecting Every Resolution

Every policy shift this year—AI, solar, data centers, financial accountability—leads back to one central concern: water. Rural Texas lives this reality daily. Drought cycles. Groundwater decline. Municipal demand. Industrial expansion. And now AI, which carries a resource footprint many communities are only beginning to understand.

TFB’s stance reflects the culmination of these pressures.

THE LEGISLATIVE AND REGULATORY ROAD AHEAD: A NEW CONVERSATION IS COMING

The Farm Bureau’s new policy direction is more than an internal posture, it is a signal to lawmakers. TFB remains one of the most influential rural voices in Texas, and the organization’s 2026 priorities provide a preview of what could surface in the next legislative session or in agency rulemaking.

 Here’s what to anticipate:

1. Statewide Standards for Data Centers and AI Loads Become a Real Possibility

Legislation may explore:

• Minimum environmental and water-use standards

• Statewide reporting requirements for water consumption

• Grid-impact and interconnection planning requirements

• Operational transparency for large-load facilities

• Enforcement mechanisms for noncompliance

This mirrors efforts already underway in other states—and now has strong rural backing in Texas.

2. Road-Use Agreements and Impact Fees Move Toward Codification

Counties lacking leverage in negotiating with large developers may soon gain:

• Statutory authority for construction bonds

• Standardized road-repair agreements

• Fee structures tied to heavy truck movement

• Penalties for non-restoration

This follows years of strain on rural infrastructure from energy and industrial build-outs.

3. Solar Siting Reform Becomes a Priority—With Agrivoltaics as the Model

Watch for:

• Incentives or preferences for agrivoltaic projects

• Limitations on converting high-value agricultural land

• More rigorous decommissioning and land restoration rules

• Clearer environmental monitoring requirements

Texas will not stop building solar, but the state may shift how and where it builds it.

4. Water-Use Scrutiny Increases Across All Large-Load Industries

Expect movement on:

• Groundwater pumping oversight for high-demand facilities

• Transparent water sourcing requirements

• Enhanced penalties for contamination or sedimentation

• Stronger cross-agency enforcement mechanisms

As Texas’ population and industrial footprints grow, water will continue to be the political center of gravity.

5. AI Transparency and Information Standards Extend Into Public Policy

 TFB’s position foreshadows:

• State-level guidance on AI-generated agricultural or environmental information

• Requirements for reputable sourcing in public-facing AI tools

• Increased scrutiny of misinformation influencing land-use debates

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR DEVELOPERS: A NEW EXPECTATION FRAMEWORK IS FORMING

The Farm Bureau’s stance crystallizes something that has been building for years in rural Texas:

Communities are no longer passive stakeholders, they are active gatekeepers.

This policy package tells developers three very clear things:

1. The Burden of Proof Now Starts Early

Communities want answers before a project is announced publicly, not after:

• How much water will this use?

• How will roads be protected?

• What happens to the land after construction?

• What is the project’s benefit to the county - right now, and long-term?

Developers accustomed to technical presentations will need a narrative strategy that speaks to lived experience, not just engineering.

2. Transparency Is Becoming the Currency of Trust

The days of “we’ll share more details once we finalize the plan” are ending.

Stakeholders expect:

• Open explanations of water plans

• Data on energy consumption

• Construction traffic projections

• Environmental mitigation commitments

• Clear communication about risks and tradeoffs

If you don’t shape the narrative early, someone else will. And rural Texas is increasingly organized, vocal, and connected.

3. Financial Responsibility Must Be Demonstrated, Not Implied

Expect rising pressure for:

•  Road-use agreements

• Bonding or financial assurance

• Restoration requirements

• Community benefit contributions

• Local workforce or training opportunities

These expectations won’t remain informal for long.

4. Agrivoltaics and Land Stewardship Will Separate “Preferred” Developers from the Pack

TFB’s stance on agrivoltaics rewards developers willing to innovate on land use. Projects that preserve agricultural identity will face smoother paths than those that displace it.

5. Social License Is Becoming a Regulatory Asset

How a community feels about a project increasingly affects:

• County votes

• Permitting decisions

• Media narratives

• Legislative attention

• Timelines and costs

This is where developers who invest in early engagement, listening, and alignment will differentiate themselves.

THE TAKEAWAY: A GUIDE FOR MOVING FORWARD IN A NEW TEXAS LANDSCAPE

The Texas Farm Bureau didn’t simply issue policy tweaks, they articulated a new expectation framework for how Texas grows its energy and digital infrastructure. And because TFB reflects the voice of rural landowners and agricultural communities, this shift will ripple across counties, commissions, and legislative agendas.

For developers, here is the guiding truth:

Projects will succeed not on technical merit alone, but on whether communities believe those projects respect their land, their water, and their future.

To navigate this evolving landscape, developers should:

1. Engage early, before decisions are made.
   Build trust at the beginning, not after tensions emerge.

2. Explain the “why,” not just the “what.”
   Context and narrative matter as much as data.

3. Demonstrate a commitment to stewardship.
   Water protection, land restoration, and transparency are now baseline expectations.

4. Show the value and show it tangibly.
   Jobs, road repairs, local benefits, partnerships with producers, training programs.

5. Listen more than you speak.
   Communities aren’t asking for perfection. They’re asking to be considered.

The Farm Bureau’s 2026 policies confirm what we at CooverGoss see every day on the ground: Texas is open for energy and digital-infrastructure growth, but developers who respect the social contract that makes that growth possible will be the ones that lead.

And in a state moving this fast, the developers who learn to navigate that contract will be the ones who build lasting, future-proof projects.