Illinois Soil Health Appraisal Methodology & Pilot Overview

Delta Institute, Compeer Financial, and the Soil Health Institute tested a proof-of-concept approach to incorporating measurements of soil health into the farm real estate appraisal process in Illinois. The Project Team piloted this approach on 11 subject properties in DeKalb County, IL in 2024 that were viewed to be reasonably indicative of many Midwestern farm properties. This project implemented a modified Sales Comparison appraisal approach, which filtered information into a transferable system that can be replicated in other agricultural real estate markets. The Project Team not only successfully created a replicable soil sampling methodology and “soil health index” to be utilized in future appraisals but also determined that the Sales Comparison approach is best suited for incorporating soil health into the land valuation process at scale.