IVANHOE — The Lincoln County Board authorized a 320-acre Minnesota Department of Natural Resources land purchase near Tyler on a 3-2 vote.

At Tuesday’s meeting, the board cleared the way for a land acquisition involving the south half of Section 12 in Hope Township. Commissioners Corey Sik, Rick Hamer and Jack Vizecky voted in favor, while commissioners Joe Drietz and Mic VanDeVere cast dissenting votes.

As Drietz stated his intent to vote no, he said the long-term loss of cropped farmland in Lincoln County creates a need to keep land in agriculture if it’s classified as tillable. Total farmland dropped substantially in the 1980s with the startup of the federal Conservation Reserve Program, and has continued to decrease since then for more specialized conservation purposes such as water quality and wildlife management.

Most of the acres in question, 263 altogether, fit into the tillable category. It means they’re viewed as suitable for the planting of corn, soybeans or other crops that could be used either in cash markets or for livestock feed.

“I’m not in favor of taking more farmland away,” Drietz said. “Sometimes it’s hard to look at places in the county that were farmed and are now just wind turbines or DNR ground.”

In discussion about how the land has produced very limited crop yields in recent years, Drietz said recent conditions have not for the most part measured up to what can normally be expected. He added that yields might have averaged out over a longer term.

DNR representatives who attended Tuesday’s meeting with landowners who want to move ahead with the sale said the land is highly desirable for wildlife habitat because of its combination of grassland and wetland acres.

They expect that habitat management plans will make it compatible with nearby farming and rural residences.

A 500-foot buffer will be in place to allow a transitional zone, one that shelters wildlife that use prime habitat spots and that keeps wildlife from interfering with neighboring land use.

If neighbors are interested, they noted that the DNR would be open to considering long-term haying and grazing incentives, which could act as more of a natural buffer but still allow activities that can help farm operations.

“It’s a valuable acquisition that should have benefits for the surrounding area,” said Marshall-based DNR Assistant Wildlife Manager Amber Knutson. “It has the kind of grass and wetland habitat that we look for when we consider land purchases.”

The board also heard an update from Highway Engineer Joe Wilson that included the last of the county’s 2019 construction start-ups.

Gravel resurfacing on Lincoln County Road 10 in Verdi Township is expected to start in the next few days. Wilson said the project will only involve the three miles of gravel surface, located in the southwest corner of the county west of Lake Benton.

An additional mile with a paved surface is located to the west of the Lincoln County Road 1 intersection, and runs to the South Dakota border.

“They’ll be adding to the existing gravel base and doing some related work on the road shoulders,” Wilson said. “It’s scheduled to start in the next few days. That should easily allow time for completion.”

The board also voted in favor of a request form the Lincoln County Soil and Water Conservation District to increase part of its budget for 2020 from a planned $14,400 to $20,000.

The higher total will enable the county to collect more state matching funds for pictometry mapping. The computer based pictometry enables staff to create easy-to-interpret maps using aerial footage as a background.

“That matching funds pay for a large share of our pictometry work,” said Lincoln County Auditor Deb Vierhuf. “The budget change is a way to bring in more assistance from the state.”