ParcelEvery Acre
Accounted
For.
Serving ag lenders, estate attorneys, and landowners across Nebraska's central and southwest counties. Valuations that hold in courtrooms, tax boards, and estate settlements.
Soil type moves the number.
More than location ever will.
Every appraisal begins with a USDA Web Soil Survey overlay and a windshield survey of actual field conditions. Automated valuation models use county averages. We use the soil map unit that covers the northwest 80 acres of the subject tract.
Deep, well-drained loam. Minimal erosion hazard. Full irrigation potential.
Moderate slope or texture limitations. Responds well to center-pivot.
Slope, salinity, or drainage constraints. Reduced yield potential.
Frequent erosion, shallow soils, or alkalinity. Primarily grazing.
Unsuitable for cultivation. Permanent vegetation, sandhills, breaks.
Floodplain, wetland, or rock outcrop. Value driven by water access.
* Per-acre ranges reflect 2022–2025 comparable sales, NE/KS/CO service territory.
"The county assessor classified the entire 1,240 acres as Class III dryland. Our soil maps showed 380 acres of Class I irrigated ground hidden inside the tax parcel. The difference was $1.2 million in estate value."
— Lincoln County, 2024
What AVM tools miss
Automated models average soil productivity across entire FSA farms. They cannot detect the irrigable 80 within a dryland quarter, or the saline seep that drops Class II to Class IV.
What we document
NRCS soil series by map unit, productivity indices, slope class, drainage class, and actual field observations — cross-referenced against FSA aerial history.
Why it holds up
Every soil determination is tied to a specific map unit citation. When the tax appeal board asks for your methodology, you hand them a document, not a number.
Water rights don't just add value.
They define it.
In prior appropriation states, the priority date on a water decree can be worth more per acre than the land beneath it. Most appraisers note water rights in a checkbox. We research the decree, the well permit, the historic call record, and whether the right has ever been challenged or abandoned.
Appropriation Doctrine Research
State Engineer RecordsWe pull State Engineer records, priority dates, and adjudication history. A senior 1897 decree on a surface water right carries fundamentally different risk than a junior 2002 permit in a basin under call.
Well Permit & Groundwater Basin Analysis
NRD / GWMA RecordsWe review NRD allocation histories, declining aquifer data, and any imposed restrictions. A 350 GPM permit in an over-appropriated basin is not the same asset as the same permit in a stable recharge zone.
Surface Water & Ditch Company Shares
Irrigation DistrictIrrigation district shares and ditch company stock are appraised as separate real property interests. We document the share certificate, the delivery history, and the per-share traded value in recent years.
What automated models
don't bother to find.
Zillow has never driven a section line road at 6am in February. The sale that best supports your subject parcel's value may be a private transaction recorded in a county deed book that no algorithm has indexed. We find it because we know who sold what and why.
Subject Property Research
County assessor records, FSA farm history, plat maps, deed research, and any prior appraisals. We read the chain of title before we drive the property.
Field Inspection
We walk it, drive it, and photograph every improvement, water feature, and boundary marker. Pivot condition, fence line integrity, and access road quality are all documented.
Comparable Sales Search
We pull county deed records, ag lender databases, and broker networks — not just MLS. We find the sale of the neighboring quarter that never hit any public database.
Adjustment & Reconciliation
Each comparable is adjusted for soil class, water rights, improvements, access, and date of sale. The final value is a reconciled range — not a black-box output.
Request a Property
Review.
Tell us the county, the approximate acreage, and what you need the number for. We'll respond within one business day with a scope of work and fee estimate.
The Landowner's Guide to Ag Land Valuation in the Great Plains
32 pages. Covers soil classification methodology, water rights documentation, how to read a comparable sales grid, and what to ask your appraiser before you sign an engagement letter.
Assignments in adjacent counties considered on a case-by-case basis.
Time-sensitive? Estate closings, tax appeal deadlines, and lender commitments get priority scheduling. Note your deadline in the request.