Jersey County Looks To Revive Agricultural Area Protection Board
Proposed data center site located within protected agricultural area; public hearing and County Board vote required before changing land to commercial use.
JERSEY COUNTY – A county-level advisory board may soon return to recommend a path forward regarding a data center proposed on protected agricultural land in Jersey County.
The Jersey County Committee on County Service Offices, Public Safety and County Offices voted unanimously on Oct. 28, 2026 to recommend the appointments of three additional members to the county’s Agricultural Area Protection Board.
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The board is currently chaired by Jeff Blackorby, a conservationist with the county’s Soil and Water Conservation District. The three additional recommended members include Donna Moore, Ed Koenig and Pat Goetten. Each of their appointments will be considered by the full Jersey County Board on Nov. 10, 2026.
Something New LLC applied on June 4, 2026 for a commercial building permit to build a data center powering a Bitcoin mining operation at 28860 Van Horne Lane in unincorporated Jersey County. Chairman Mark Wagner said he was notified by Blackorby after reviewing a stormwater permit for the site that the proposed data center is located within a protected agricultural area which has not gone through the process to become “commercial.”
The Illinois Department of Agriculture details the steps counties can take to form an “ag area,” which allows county governments to preserve the agricultural use of farmland. According to the department, “Land within an ag area is protected from locally initiated projects that would convert the land to other uses.”
Ag Area Withdrawal Would Require Public Hearing
Land can only be withdrawn from an ag area after a detailed petition has been submitted to the county board, including a statement on the proposed alternative land use, the necessity for changing the current land use and an explanation of why land outside the ag area is not suitable for the proposed use.
Within five days of receiving a petition to withdraw land from the ag area, the county board must provide public notice in a local or countywide newspaper and in five conspicuous places within the proposed area. The board must also refer the petition to its planning commission and ag area committee, both of which then have 30 days to make recommendations to the county board on the potential impacts of withdrawal from the ag area.
The county board must also schedule a public hearing within 60 days of receiving an ag area withdrawal petition, hosted by the county’s ag area committee. Written notice of the public hearing must be provided in a county newspaper at least seven days before the hearing and given to land owners in or adjacent to the ag area.
A written decision on whether to accept or reject a withdrawal petition must be made by county board members within 90 days of receiving such a petition. Anyone adversely affected by the county board’s decision can file a petition for judicial review within 35 days after the decision is made.
Jersey County Aims To Protect State’s Largest Ag Area
The Illinois Department of Agriculture’s 2025 Agricultural Areas Annual Report shows Jersey County is currently home to three ag areas – including the single largest ag area out of 24 counties in Illinois, measuring 9,637 total acres.
County boards can appoint an ag area advisory committee consisting of four active farmers – no more than two of which can be from the same political party – as well as one active county board member. These committees can then advise county board members on matters including the desire to form, modify or terminate an ag area, but any final decision is made by the county board.
Wagner said the Jersey County Agricultural Area Protection Board already has two Republican farmers, but needs the three additional members to become a fully functioning board. Koenig would mark the active county board member, while Moore and Goetten mark the two Democrat farmers.
During public comments at the Oct. 28, 2026 committee meeting, county resident Paula Jameson thanked members of the Jersey County Board for looking into every possible method to protect the county’s farmland.
“I just really want to say thank you for exploring absolutely everything at your disposal currently,” Jameson said. “I want to actually give praise where praise is due and I just love what you guys are doing in focusing on the ag protection district right now … you are our first line of defense. We need you all to hold the line for us.”
The Jersey County Board will consider the appointments of the three additional Agricultural Area Protection Board members at their next meeting at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026.
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