02112021 620 crop land lease at boatwright WMA ballard CO

The Commonwealth of Kentucky, Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, issued a Request for Bid for a five-year agricultural land lease at the Boatwright Wildlife Management Area's Olmsted Unit in La Center, Ballard County, Kentucky. The procurement encompasses approximately 620 acres across four fields designated for annual grain production, primarily soybeans, with an additional 102 acres to be planted with yellow corn or alternative crops as specified by the supervising biologist. The successful bidder will be responsible for all farming operations, equipment, labor, and supplies necessary to maintain the crops according to good agricultural practices standards. The lease will be awarded for an initial one-year term beginning March 15, 2021, renewable annually for four successive one-year periods for a total of five years, with renewals occurring between February 1-15 of each year. The original bid opening was scheduled for February 11, 2021, at 3:00 p.m., but was postponed to February 18, 2021, at 4:00 p.m. due to an ice storm, and subsequently rescheduled again to February 25, 2021, at 4:00 p.m. due to forecasted severe weather. Bids must be submitted in person to the Finance Division of Real Properties at The Bush Building, 403 Wapping Street, 3rd Floor, Frankfort, Kentucky 40601, as online bidding is prohibited. Site visits are encouraged and may be arranged through the Ballard Wildlife Management Area office by contacting the Land Biologist at 270-224-2244. Interested parties may direct inquiries to Holly Thompson at 502-564-2243.

The minimum bid is $40.00 per acre, with bidders submitting a single cash bid per acre for the actual planted acreage, and a good faith deposit of $100.00 payable to the Kentucky State Treasurer is required with each bid. Payment terms require a 10 percent spring deposit due in February of each contract year upon acceptance of the annual agreement, with the balance due December 1st of each contract year calculated on a per-acre-planted basis; a three percent late charge applies if payment is not received by the specified date. The lessee must also provide annual in-kind contributions including up to $35,000 in white rocks for road maintenance, up to 1,200 bushels of winter wheat for green browse, up to $6,500 in chemical and fertilizer applications, and up to $5,000 in heavy equipment services, with these costs deducted from the tenant's final annual payment. Bidders must comply with Kentucky campaign finance laws, tax registration requirements, noxious weed control standards, soil testing and fertilization protocols, conservation plans, riparian buffer zone requirements, and pesticide restrictions as outlined in the lease conditions. The solicitation documents do not identify any specific set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises, incumbent vendors, or current contractors. No specific evaluation criteria beyond the bid amount and compliance with the outlined terms and conditions are detailed in the available procurement materials.