Comments on: Why Farming Data, Not Soybeans, Might Be the Future by Al Hammond

By: Claudia Connelly

Claudia Connelly — Thu, 23 Jul 2020 15:09:23 +0000

Mr. Hammond:
I found your vision for the future of the Eastern Shore and Kent County to be alarming on many levels. As an artist I see you as displaying a very glossy and rosy picture that you have painted accompanied by the sound of cash registers merrily ringing among the violins in the background — a Mr. Rogers version of the future of technology in Kent County and the Eastern Shore.
As an intuitive, my antennas went up at many points in your letter. The first was using the words “farms and farming.” Clever. Then there was the folksy friendliness – we were filling our shopping carts, chatting with family, streaming movies – what fun Data Centers can bring us! We were groomed that we are “well placed to benefit,” that our Commissioners may have been “prescient,” that “more, more, more” Data Centers will be needed in our future, that Data Centers are “pristine” and “don’t emit” pollution (Pristine?! And, if I am not mistaken, they do pollute in many ways that do not “emit.”)
Further, we were encouraged that Data Centers will spawn even more opportunities to cash in on wind “farms” (did you forget solar “farming?”) – all this while urging us to catch the modern wave and “capture this novel 21-st century form of activity.” After all, we were reminded, we need the money.
I had to read your article a second time when I got to the bottom because I was confused when at the end you said “no one is suggesting wholescale conversion of farmland to data centers.” Upon reaching that point I had a picture of exactly that in my mind – wholesale conversion of farmland! Coupled with your comments that the rezoning amendment does not “appear” to apply to farmland and your comment that the value of the land that Data Centers occupy “which by definition becomes highly valuable industrial property” sent shivers up my spine. (Isn’t rezoning going on right now?) You even compared the value of farmland to land that has Data Center “farms” instead! I am still scratching my head.
I read your bio with interest. What we do need is someone with a scientific mind to drill down into what Data Centers could mean for Kent County from the perspective of the environment and the impact on the people who live here and the economy that does exist. I urge more study into the matter before attempting to cash in on something largely unknown. As you point out, our land is ripe for four cities within 100 miles and tax incentives have been offered to encourage it. I worry, are we vulnerable to a technology take over?
On another matter, is it just me or has anyone else noticed that across the street from the proposed solar “farm” in Chestertown is an industrial zone complete with an electrical sub-station. Isn’t that the “perfect” place for a Data Center? How big? Any size goes, right? If residents do not want it, can they afford to fight it? How many more fights could be ahead? Just wondering…..I think we ought to do more of that while we still can.

By: Gren Whitman

Gren Whitman — Tue, 21 Jul 2020 14:35:10 +0000

Consuming large amounts of water? And vast amounts of electricity? Lots of noise? Few actual jobs?.
Cannot imagine why Mr. Hammond is so enthusiastic about data “farms” for Kent County. (“Farms”? A misnomer, for sure.)
Thank you, Janet, for offering cold facts and common sense.

By: Janet Christensen-Lewis

Janet Christensen-Lewis — Mon, 20 Jul 2020 22:00:38 +0000

Mr. Hammond,
For information about the huge demands that Data centers extract I suggest you read something from someone that is far more knowledgeable: https://chestertownspy.org/2020/06/20/data-centers-amended-chr-3-2020-and-potential-impacts-by-thomas-kocubinski/.
Thank goodness CHR 3-2020 was amended before it passed to remove farmland from the mix. Unfortunately, the town and village residents were not so lucky and will not get the protections that the Kent County Planning Commission recommended.

Tom Mason, your “sophisticated large-scale farmer”, makes lots of statements like believing soil science and classification systems are “just opinions” and “garbage”. (Kent County Commissioners Meeting 6/9/2020).

Data Centers extracts water, have little employment, depending on size (data centers are categorized as I, II, III, IV and super center V) require redundant power generation (diesel generators), build high berms, create impervious surfaces, have high security fencing and lighting and offer little to the local economies.

The NYT ran an article “Power, Pollution and the Internet” about this wasteful technology along with “Cloud Computing Brings Sprawling Centers, but Few Jobs, to Small Towns”. The Washington Post likewise ran a story: “Cloud centers bring high-tech flash but not many jobs to beaten-down towns”.

Sounds like something we should all be jumping into with both feet. And stop calling them farms!