In the last few years, the County acquired two properties directly to the west of the landfill. The properties were previously used as the spray irrigation field for the Hunt Wesson cannery in Davis up until it closed in 1999. Since then, the properties have remained fallow and only used for cattle grazing or, beginning last year, a soil source for landfill operations. The Division of Integrated Waste Management’s (division’s) plan is to continue agricultural activities on those portions of the property not being used as a soil source for landfill operations.
In June 2015, an environmental impact report (EIR) was completed on the properties which identified several mitigation measures for potential burrowing owl and giant garter snake habitat. Because of this potential habitat, any ground disturbing activates (such as diking or plowing) must be preceded by a biological survey and are limited to only certain times of the year. Because of these limitations, the division envisioned grazing being the primary activity but provided information to the proposers should they wish to propose an alternative activity.
The division developed a request for proposals for farmers interested in farming the property. The RFP was released on April 14, 2016 with proposals due on April 29th. The RFP was advertised on BidSync, as well as provided to the Yolo County Farm Bureau, and adjacent property owners as well as a list of farmers who expressed interest in the property.
Four proposals were received and evaluated by division staff. Proposals were ranked based on the proposer's understanding of the property and plan for farming, references, past experience with the county or other governmental agencies, proposed compensation and exceptions to sample agreement. Responses to the RFP varied from a complete proposal to a simple 1 page letter with little detail. Proposed compensation from the farmers ranged from $30 to $75 per acre.
Though the $75 per acre proposal would provide the county the highest compensation, there were numerous deficiencies in this proposal, including proposed activities that were not consistent with the restrictions on the property, extremely brief information on the farmer and property use plan, and a general lack of understanding of the RFP requirements.
Yolo Land and Cattle Company provided the most complete proposal and demonstrated a clear understanding of limitations and restrictions of the property. Additionally, Yolo Land and Cattle Company has a proven track record of working with the division, having grazed and farmed the undeveloped portions of the landfill for several years and their references from other property owners were very positive. Their compensation of $30 per acre was the same as the second ranked proposer. |