Willie Nelson has spoken out against data centres, and called for people to come together and “fight” against the server warehouses.
The country star is a long time environmental activist and one of the founders of Farm Aid – which has worked for over 40 years to support local farms and prevent large-scale factory farms from taking over from family-owned land.
Yesterday (Tuesday July 28), he shared an open letter on social media, calling out environmentally destructive data centres across the US and highlighting the harsh impact that they have on both the environment and on local businesses.
“I grew up in Abbott, and I still have a home there with farmed land where I can still see stars at night,” his post began. “And now our community, like many others, needs to fight against data centres invading our land.”
He went on to accuse the warehouses of being “loud”, “water-thieving” and “light polluting”, and said that “the last thing we need” is for them to be “anywhere near our town (or any others for that matter)”.
To whom it may concern and to everyone else as well, pic.twitter.com/GQxuxUj3ie
— Willie Nelson (@WillieNelson) July 28, 2026
“The strength of rural America has never come from big industrial footprints. It comes from generations of people, open spaces, local businesses, and a connection to the land,” he wrote, adding that the nation deserves “thoughtful stewardship that doesn’t steal farmland” and small family farms – “not data centers that only destroy the environment around them.”
Concluding, he shared: “Whoever controls food and water, controls the masses. Let’s not allow our own demise or give up control over necessary resources in the US, and especially in Abbott”.
Data centres have become a rising concern in the US, particularly due to their huge water consumption, as well as the sheer amount of land and energy needed to run AI platforms. Already, multiple parts of the country have either banned or postponed the building of data centres due to these worries.
Over the years, Nelson has raised over $70million (£52.6million) through Farm Aid to help rural farmers (according to Variety), as well as millions of dollars to support veterans, those struggling after a natural disaster, those facing hunger, homelessness and more.
His last album was ‘Dream Chaser’, which arrived in May and marked his 79th solo record.
