RFB01212026 Lease 45. 0 Acres of Agriculture Land

The Commonwealth of Kentucky's Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, through the Finance and Administration Cabinet's Division of Real Property, is issuing a Request for Bids (RFB 785 2600000280) for the lease of 45.0 acres of agricultural land located at Griffith Woods Wildlife Management Area in Harrison County, Kentucky. The procurement seeks qualified agricultural operators to manage the property for crop production purposes, specifically the cultivation of corn silage on 45 acres (to be chopped before September 1st annually) and 15 acres of sunflowers (to be planted and left standing annually for wildlife food and cover). The successful lessee will assume all responsibility for crop maintenance, equipment, labor, supplies, and expenses, as well as all risk from flooding or natural disaster, and must comply with soil testing requirements through University of Kentucky Extension offices, follow NRCS Conservation Plans, implement prescribed tillage and pesticide practices, control noxious weeds, maintain riparian buffer zones, and pay for cover crop establishment and strip mowing requirements on designated fields. The lease term is five years, consisting of an initial one-year term renewable annually for four successive one-year periods, with renewals occurring between February 1-15 each year and the crop year running from March 15 to November 15. The minimum bid price is $10.00 per acre annually, with bids remaining firm for the entire five-year lease period. Sealed bids are due on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time, submitted to the Division of Real Properties, Bush Building, 3rd Floor, 403 Wapping Street, Frankfort, Kentucky 40601-2607, with public bid opening available via conference call at 502-782-CONF (2663) or 502-564-9110 using code 77330. Interested parties should contact Kelly Hawkins at 502-229-4366 for additional information, and bidders are strongly encouraged to conduct site inspections prior to submission.

The solicitation documentation does not specify set-aside designations or restrictions limiting bidder eligibility to particular organization types, disadvantaged enterprises, or minority-owned businesses. No incumbent contractor or current lessee information has been identified in the available solicitation materials. Bidders must submit a good faith deposit of $100.00 made payable to the Kentucky State Treasurer with their bid, which will be returned to unsuccessful bidders and applied to lease payments for the successful bidder. Annual rental payments are calculated based on the bid price per acre multiplied by 45 acres and are due annually with a three percent late charge applied if not received by the specified date. The Commonwealth retains hunting, fishing, trapping, and public access rights and reserves the right to cancel the lease for convenience with thirty days' written notice. Online bidding is prohibited for this procurement, and all bids must be submitted in sealed form in accordance with the complete terms and conditions outlined in the solicitation documentation package.