RFB01272022 agricultural land lease at ballard WMA

The Commonwealth of Kentucky's Finance and Administration Cabinet Division of Real Property, on behalf of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, is soliciting cash bids for an agricultural land lease at Ballard Wildlife Management Area in La Center, Ballard County, Kentucky. This Request for Bids (RFB) solicitation seeks qualified lessees for approximately 1,101 acres of agricultural land to be used for small grain production under a no-till farming method. The bid package includes field-by-field acreage details for multiple tracts and fields at the property. Bids must be submitted in person to the Finance Division of Real Properties at The Bush Building, 403 Wapping Street, 3rd Floor, Frankfort, Kentucky 40601-2607 by 2:00 p.m. EST on January 27, 2022, with bid opening occurring at the same time. The lease will be awarded to the highest qualified bidder and will be effective for one year with four one-year renewal options, totaling five years, with renewals occurring between February 1-15 of each contract year. The lease term covers the crop year from March 15 to October 25, with all cropping and harvesting activities to be completed by November 1. Prospective bidders are strongly encouraged to inspect the property and meet with the supervising biologist prior to submitting bids, and interested parties may contact Holly Thompson at 502-782-0373 for additional information.

Bidders must submit cash bids on a per-acre basis with a minimum bid of $40 per acre, with bids required to remain firm for the entire five-year lease period. A good faith deposit of $100, payable to the Kentucky State Treasurer, must accompany each bid and will be applied to lease payments for successful bids. The successful bidder is required to make a 10 percent spring deposit in February of each contract year, with the balance due by December 1, subject to a three percent late charge if unpaid by the specified date. In addition to rental payments, the successful bidder must provide in-kind contributions including up to $60,000 annually in white rock for road maintenance, up to $15,000 in winter wheat for green browse, up to $48,000 in chemical/fertilizer and application, up to $25,000 in heavy equipment services, and up to $15,000 in food plot seed, with all these costs deducted from the final contract payment. All bidders must comply with affidavits regarding Kentucky campaign finance laws, tax registration, tax delinquency status, and boycott prohibitions, and must submit a notarized Annual Affidavit for Bidders, Offerors, and Contractors along with required vendor information and a submission checklist. The lessee assumes all risk related to weather, flooding, crop loss, and damage and is responsible for soil testing, fertilizer application, maintaining conservation practices, controlling noxious weeds, and providing detailed annual reporting on planted acreage, fertilizer applications, herbicide use, and harvest results.