Iroquois County accepts low bid for county-farm fertilizer after soil-test review

Iroquois County accepted the low bid to supply fertilizer for county farmland after staff and committee members reviewed two bids and the accompanying soil-test recommendations.

The county received bids from United Prairie and Nutrien; the low bid from United Prairie was $26,390, while Nutrien’s total bid came to $27,680. County staff noted that the two bids differed not only in price but in the specific nutrient recommendations—phosphate and potassium levels—because each bid reflected the bidder’s interpretation of the soil-test results.

Committee members discussed the nutrient differences and cautioned against over-applying fertilizer. One committee speaker noted that ‘‘soil won’t pull the excess’’ and that adding more does not always increase yields, a point underscoring reliance on the soil tests to guide application rates rather than price alone.

After discussion, the board approved accepting the lower bid from United Prairie. The decision included recognition that the bidders’ nutrient recommendations were based on their respective soil-test interpretations and that county staff would follow the soil-test-driven application plan.

The meeting record shows the soil testing for the county farm was complete, that fertilizer bids were opened on April 4, and that seed/soil recommendations underpin the bid comparisons. The county’s action authorizes county staff to proceed with procurement from United Prairie under the terms submitted in their bid.

Details available in the county committee report noted that seed/soil testing and fertilizer bidding are routine procurement steps for the county farm; the meeting minutes did not specify additional funding sources beyond the county farm budget or identify a specific mover/second for the formal motion in the recorded transcript.