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Committee Hears Bill to Require Cash‑Per‑Acre Bids for DNRC Agricultural Leases
Summary
The Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation Committee heard testimony on House Bill 80, which would require the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation to accept only cash‑per‑acre competitive bids for agricultural leases. DNRC and farm groups said the change would simplify bidding and paperwork; senators asked about drought protections, deposits, insurance and water‑rights impacts. No vote was taken.
Representative Brandon Gregg introduced House Bill 80 to the Senate Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation Committee, saying the measure would allow the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) to competitively bid agricultural leases on a cash‑per‑acre basis only. "House Bill 80 will provide the DNRC the ability to competitively bid agricultural leases on a cash lease only basis," Gregg said during the hearing.
Kelly Matishka, agricultural and grazing bureau chief for DNRC, told the committee the change is intended to simplify a bidding and billing system she described as confusing for staff and lessees. Matishka said DNRC manages about 9,000 active leases on roughly 4,700,000 acres, about 555,000 of which are classified as agricultural, and that trust revenues from those agreements generate between $15 million and $20 million annually. "This process becomes increasingly more confusing" with mixed bids, she said, and moved to a cash‑only bidding method would "allow for…
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