This Program aired originally on October 27, 2025
A high tech type of noxious weed is spreading across Oregon. For several years data centers have been popping up across the state, destroying farmland and habitat. Enticed by abundant water and energy and tax breaks from cash strapped local communities, high tech companies have made Oregon their mark. While this industry may just eventually be a bubble, before it bursts can destroy the way of life of the communities they invade.
On this episode of Locus Focus, we talk with Nellie McAdams, executive director of Oregon Agricultural Trust, and Aaron Nichols, a CSA farmer who led a years long effort to successfully overturn Urban Growth Boundary Expansion plans in North Plains. We hear about the inherent conflict between the spread of data centers and the protection of farm and forestland. Who are the real beneficiaries of what is most likely a scam?
- KBOO