Like Nadia, this tract of Iowa farmland has no peer

In gymnastics jargon, this tract of northwest Iowa farmland is pure Nadia Comaneci.

We have been advertising farmland auctions for nearly 30 years, but to our knowledge the 34-acre inside tract Zomer Company is selling Nov. 10 in Sioux County, Iowa, is the first to have a Corn Suitability Rating index (CSR2) of 100 – which according to the experts at Iowa State University is perfect. Flawless. Impeccable. Immaculate. Like the seven 10s from Comaneci in the 1976 Olympics.

The CSR2 system is unique to Iowa and was originally created to equalize tax assessments on agricultural land based on soil types and their inherent properties. It is also a valuable metric in determining potential productivity and cash rentals.

Ann Johanns, program specialist in farm management at Iowa State, said soil type and slope are the two most critical factors in determining CSR2 ratings. The 91-Primghar and 310-Galva soils on this tract are among the top tier. Still, Johanns said she was unaware of a complete tract with a CSR2 of 100.

“Not a complete tract, no,” she said. “Something has to be the best. This must be it.”

Johanns also explained that – just like in our gymnastics analogy – all Iowa farmland starts out at perfection before flaws are computed. In Sioux County, she said there are 70,000 acres of farmland with a CSR2 of 100 – including most of the land on the De Groot Family auction on Nov. 10. The other two tracts on that 155-acre farm come in with gaudy CSR2s of 99.2 and 96.

Want to impress your friends? Buy the perfect inside tract and the 99.2 CSR2 tract and have perhaps the best 74 contiguous acres of farmland in the country. Just call Blake Zomer at 712.460.2552 and get registered for the auction. Maybe Nadia will be there.