Washington County
taking bids on farm land
Derrick Knutson
Review Staff
Washington County is taking bids on tillable farm land in the Lake Elmo Park Reserve until Nov. 10, according to information from the county's park department.
John Elholm, the Washington County parks director, said that it is a practice the county has been implementing for about 20 years. Some of the property acquired by the county for the park is farm land that hasn't yet been converted to prairie, making it available for rent, he said.
"We've been renting farm land there for a long time," Elholm said. "If we acquire farm land we continue with its former use if we can't develop it."
Elholm explained that there are 248 acres of tillable land available in Lake Elmo Park Preserve, and another 111 for lease in St. Croix Bluffs Regional Park.
He said the money the county receives from leasing the land goes into a natural resource management fund. That fund is used for forest restoration, buckthorn removal, prairie planning and master planning for parks.
Elholm said the county works with the conservation district to decide what crops will be planted every year on the land so the same crops aren't planted year after year, leaching nutrients from the soil.
Over time the parks department has been reducing the amount of land that is used for farming and putting in more prairie, he added.
"It's a little bit at a time thing," he said.
Those interested in bidding to rent the land should provide a sealed bid to the Washington County Office of Administration, 14949 62nd Street North, Stillwater by 2 p.m. on Nov. 10. Bid security in the form of personal check, cashier check, or money order in the amount of $100 must be enclosed in the sealed bid and made payable to Washington County.
Derrick Knutson can be reached at dknutson@lillienews.com or at 651-748-7825.
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