Leased farmland could be sold

A total of 5,000 acres of state land leased for agricultural use could go on the selling block.

HF1020, sponsored by Rep. Steve Drazkowski (R-Wabasha), could net the state an estimated $8.5 million through the sale of land in the following counties: Aitkin, Becker, Beltrami, Cass, Clearwater, Crow Wing, Faribault, Fillmore, Goodhue, Houston, Hubbard, Itasca, Kittson, Koochiching, Lake of the Woods, Mahnomen, Marshall, Mille Lacs, Pine, Polk, Roseau, Wabasha, Winona and Yellow Medicine. In addition, single parcels in Morrison, Olmsted, Red Lake, St. Louis and Swift counties would also be up for grabs.

The House Game, Fish and Forestry Division held the bill over March 30 for possible inclusion in its omnibus bill. It has no Senate companion.

The bill includes the sale of parcels that include mineral rights, which the Department of Natural Resources objects to selling because the properties could be worth millions of dollars if mined.

Other parcels will have to be removed from consideration because they are included in the School Land Trust Fund, said Marty Vadis, director of the Division of Lands and Minerals. Those remaining would be sold to the highest bidder at public auction and not limited to their appraised value.

Rep. Brita Sailer (DFL-Park Rapids) said given the current economy, it may not be feasible for the farmers who currently lease the agricultural land to purchase it at auction. Sailer said she’d like to hear from more than the three lessees that Drazkowski said were in favor of the bill.