RFB 12022021 agricultural land lease at barren river WMA

The Commonwealth of Kentucky, through the Department of Finance and Administration Cabinet's Division of Real Properties, on behalf of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, is soliciting bids for an agricultural land lease at the Barren River Lake Wildlife Management Area located in Barren and Allen counties. The procurement encompasses approximately 1,300 acres of agricultural land divided into six management units (Barren River, Beaver Creek, Dry Creek, Long Creek, Peters Creek, and Skaggs Creek), with bidders permitted to lease individual fields or entire management units for the production of small grains, corn, soybeans, and hay. Three management options are available: Option 1 (corn-soybean or small grains rotation) with a minimum bid of $120.00 per acre; Option 2 (hay crops) requiring $50.00 per acre for hay years and $120.00 per acre for grain years; and Option 3 (overgrown fields requiring clearing) at $10.00 per acre. Lessees are responsible for all equipment, labor, and farming operation expenses, must comply with Federal Farm Bill requirements, NRCS conservation management plans, soil testing and fertilization standards, herbicide restrictions, and noxious weed control requirements, and are obligated to leave five percent of all crops standing for wildlife food and cover. The bid opening is scheduled for Wednesday, December 1, 2021, at 3:00 p.m. EST at the Division of Real Properties office in Frankfort, Kentucky, with site visits encouraged and available through contact with Wayne Tamminga, Public Lands Biologist, at the Barren River WMA field office. A good faith deposit of $100.00, payable to the Kentucky State Treasurer, is required with each bid submission, and annual rental payments are due in full by March 15 of each year via money order, cashier's check, or certified check.

The lease will be awarded to the highest bidder and carries an initial term of one year, renewable for four successive one-year periods for a total potential term of five years covering 2022 through 2026, with the Commonwealth reserving the right to reject any or all bids and granting preference to bidders of entire management units over bidders of individual tracts. Lessees assume all risk from natural disasters, cannot sublease fields to third parties, and must indemnify the Commonwealth from liability claims except those arising from Commonwealth negligence. No specific set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises or restrictions on organization types are identified in the solicitation materials. The documentation does not identify incumbent vendors or current contractors for this property, nor does it specify overall contract values or budget ranges, with pricing determined entirely through competitive bidding based on the per-acre rates for each management option selected. Bids must be submitted in person at The Bush Building, 403 Wapping Street, 3rd Floor, Frankfort, Kentucky 40601, with inquiries directed to Wendell Harris at 502-564-9831, and online bidding is prohibited for this solicitation.