Vol. 19, No. 11 
Page 3 
lessees for the crop years of 1977-78. Cropping schedules and estimates for 
determining fair bid fees for the next 2 years were determined by this project 
The Property Management Unit of the Land Acquisition Division then handled 
the typing, signing, and mailing of the new leases. 
One advantage to the cash-bid procedure used by the state is the 
elimination of the need for documenting the state's share of crop yields, 
income, and expenses by procuring elevator receipts, weight tickets, and' 
fertilizer and herbicide bills. Also, each farmer receives a written 
cropping schedule, covering the 2 -year lease period plus the subsequent 2 
years, for each field on the sanctuaries. Theoretically, repeated contacts 
with farmers should not be necessary. 
Harvesting of redtop and timothy seed and hay mowing are the primary 
operations used to manage nest cover on the sanctuaries. Relatively small 
acreages of soybeans, wheat or oats, and red clover are permitted for the 
purpose of renovating old sods and providing booming grounds. Additional 
operations added to the new leases included mowing for weed control, seeding 
redtop and red clover, and top-dressing grass seed and hay meadows with 
fertilizer, all of which add to the lessee's expenses. It is hoped that 
these added operations by lessees will reduce the management tasks normally 
performed by project personnel or handled by way of contractual service 
vouchers. 
Although prairie farmland in Jasper and Marion counties is commonly 
cash-renting for $ 60.00 to $ 90.00 per acre, cash bids on the state-owned 
sanctuaries ranged from $ 0,133 to $ 11.00 per acre for the crop years of 
975-76 an d from $0.50 to $2.50 per acre for the crop years of 1977-78. Bid 
fees for management operations on the sanctuaries are necessarily low, mainly 
because of the uncertainties of redtop seed farming and because lessees are 
assessed for taxes on harvested acres. For example, due to drought conditions 
this summer, yields of redtop seed averaged about 30 pounds per acre and 
^ ,C6S f ° r redt ° P S6ed avera 9 e 8 about $0.50 per pound. This income 
or $ 15.00 per acre covered harvesting expenses and left nothing to cover ( 1 ) 
tax payments, which in 1976 averaged $6.74 per acre, or (”>) the cash-bid fees 
mentioned above. The bid fees should be low for these reasons. Also, the 
primary objectives of the cash-bid approach should be to accomplish as many 
of the necessary management operations as possible in order to reduce ( 1 ) the 
man-hours spent by project personnel on management and ( 2 ) additional costs 
to the Division of Wildlife Resources. 
