DEPARTMENT: Physical Development Administration
FILE TYPE: Consent Action
TITLE
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Authorization To Execute 2026 Lease Agreement For Agricultural Use Of County Property
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PURPOSE/ACTION REQUESTED
Authorize execution of a lease agreement for agricultural use of County property.
SUMMARY
Dakota County has historically leased some unimproved County-owned land for interim agricultural purposes until it can be converted to its highest and best use according to approved plans.
Lease Approach
The County Board directed staff to use a competitive sealed-bid process for leasing County-owned property for agricultural use in 2013 by Resolution No. 12-526 (October 23, 2012). The resolution authorized one-year lease terms for a sealed-bid leasing process; subsequent leases may have terms of up to three years. The resolution further directed that if the County receives no bids or receives unacceptable bids, staff was to negotiate with current tenants or others to develop one-year agricultural-use leases for those sites without an acceptable bid and that all successful bids and negotiated agricultural-use leases be presented to the County Board for review and consideration. The sealed-bid process has been successful in offering lease opportunities to more interested parties.
During the fall, Natural Resource and the Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) approached the Real Estate Office to discuss making changes to the tenant requirements to introduce more environmentally friendly farming practices. To accomplish this, the new proposal calls for a three-year term with requirements for committing to continual living cover and limitations on certain fertilizing chemicals. This allows for better planning of conservation practices including perennial crops or establishing cover crops after harvest of annual crops.
2026 Bids for Lease of County-Owned Land for Agricultural Use
For the 27.1-acre agricultural lease near the Empire composting facility, a Request for B...
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