Murray Wise Associates

What Murray Wise Associates does

Murray Wise Associates, LLC is a U.S. farmland brokerage and auction firm founded in 1986 by Murray Wise as part of the Westchester Group. The firm helps buyers, sellers, farmers, and institutional investors navigate the acquisition and disposition of farmland assets, with service offerings spanning land brokerage, auctions, farm management, tenant relationship management, farm reporting, financial statements, and lease options. Across 25+ years, the firm says it has completed over $5 billion in land and agribusiness transactions across 43 states, representing 171 farmland and rural property sales, and maintains a licensed real estate brokerage presence in 38 states. Its wholly-owned subsidiary MWA Investments, formed in 2015, assists institutional clients in acquiring and managing investment-grade farmland portfolios, with a historical footprint that extended to Australia, Brazil, and Chile for permanent-crop and row-crop positions.

The firm's go-to-market is sales-led and multi-tiered, anchored by a proprietary buyer database of more than 10,000 subscribers spanning local farmers, regional operators, high-net-worth individuals, 1031 exchange buyers, and institutional investors. Each sale is supported by direct mail, targeted email, social media (Twitter/X, Facebook, LinkedIn), custom promotional videos, detailed informational packets with title work, soil maps, and production history, and boots-on-the-ground field marketing. The company monetizes through transaction commissions on brokerage and auction deals, with the firm explicitly stating it "profits only when the client profits." Pricing and commission rates are not publicly disclosed and are negotiated per transaction.

The firm's ownership history has moved through multiple inflection points: the 2010 sale of the Westchester Group asset management division to TIAA-CREF led to the formation of Murray Wise Associates, LLC from Westchester Auctions; the firm was acquired by Farmland Partners, Inc. in 2021; and in 2025, Murray Wise Associates was acquired by Peoples Company, a national leader in integrated land brokerage, management, appraisal, and capital markets. The firm now operates under the Peoples Company brand as an affiliate, with offices in Cumming, Iowa; Bloomington, Illinois; and Champaign, Illinois. As of 2025, Murray Wise Associates is best understood as a legacy Illinois-based brokerage brand embedded within a larger integrated land services platform rather than as an independent scaling business.

Name

Murray Wise Associates

Legal name

Murray Wise Associates, LLC

Website

https://murraywiseassociates.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Murray Wise Associates is a U.S. farmland brokerage and auction firm serving farmland owners, investors, farm operators, and 1031 exchange buyers. Founded in 1986, it has completed over $5 billion in transactions across 43 states and now operates under the Peoples Company brand following its 2025 acquisition.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Farmland Brokerage & Auction Services

NAICS

Offices of Real Estate Appraisers (53132), Farm Management Services (115116)

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)

akta.pro primary industry

Land & Rural Property Appraisal (BPAJAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Whole-Farm Business Management & Budgeting Advisory (AFACAJAA)

Keywords

• Farmland brokerage
• Farmland auctions
• Farm management
• Agricultural appraisal
• Land investment services

Headquarters

HQ city

Champaign

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Farmland Brokerage and Auction Commissions: The firm earns commissions from facilitating farmland sales and auctions. Services include tenant relationship management, farm reports, financial statements, and lease options. The company profits only when the client profits.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Murray Wise Associates is a farmland brokerage and auction firm that facilitates the acquisition and disposition of farmland assets for buyers, sellers, farmers, and investors. Services include tenant relationship management, farm reports, financial statements, lease options, and a multi-tiered marketing program that distributes sale information through direct mail, an email database of over 10,000 subscribers, social media, custom promotional videos, and boots-on-the-ground regional presence.

Product overview

Murray Wise Associates, now operating under the Peoples Company brand following its 2025 acquisition, is a farmland brokerage and farm management firm offering a comprehensive suite of services for farmland owners and investors. The company's service portfolio includes land brokerage and auctions, farm management, agricultural appraisal, capital markets advisory, energy management, crop insurance, and corporate services. These are professional service offerings rather than software products or technology platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MWA Investments: Formed in 2015 to assist institutional clients in the acquisition and management of investment-grade farmland portfolios.

Products and services

• Land Brokerage & Auctions Brokerage and auction services for farmland and rural property transactions, supporting buyers, sellers, farmers, and investors in the acquisition and disposition of farmland assets. Includes multi-tiered marketing of each property to a 10,000+ subscriber database.
• Land Management Farm management services for landowners, including tenant relationship management, farm reports, financial statements, and lease options, tailored to the client's specific goals and objectives.
• Agricultural Appraisal Professional agricultural appraisal services for farmland and rural property, provided to clients through the integrated Peoples Company platform.
• Capital Markets Capital markets advisory services for farmland and agribusiness transactions, supporting clients with capital sourcing, structuring, and investment advisory needs.
• Energy Management Energy management services for farmland owners, supporting wind, solar, and other energy-related opportunities on agricultural land.
• Crop Insurance Crop insurance services for farm operators and landowners, providing risk management coverage for agricultural production.
• Corporate Services Corporate services supporting farm operations and landowners with broader business and operational needs in the agricultural sector.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $5 billion in land and agribusiness transactions in 43 states
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Peoples CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025In 2025, Murray Wise Associates was acquired by Peoples Company, a recognized national leader in integrated land brokerage, management, appraisal, and capital markets. The partnership pairs decades of farmland expertise with industry-leading technology, reach, and resources. Murray Wise Associates now operates under the Peoples Company brand, offering complete suite of services including land brokerage, auctions, land management, agricultural appraisal, capital markets, energy management, crop insurance, and corporate services.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Hall and Hall: Hall and Hall is a long-standing ranch, farm, and recreational property brokerage and management firm with similar service offerings (brokerage, auctions, management, appraisal) and a comparable multi-state footprint.
• Peoples Company: Peoples Company is the parent company of Murray Wise Associates since 2025 and a national leader in integrated land brokerage, farm management, appraisal, and capital markets. It is the most direct peer given the merger and identical service offering across the Midwest and beyond.
• Hertz Farm Management: Hertz Farm Management is a Midwest-based farm management, real estate, and appraisal firm with decades of heritage. It competes directly with Murray Wise Associates in farm management, land sales, and auction services across Iowa, Illinois, and surrounding states.

Regional players

• Whitaker Marketing Group: Whitaker Marketing Group is a Midwest-focused farmland brokerage and auction firm operating in Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, and surrounding states. It is a comparable direct competitor in land auctions and farm sales.
• Lorimor Land Company: Lorimor Land Company is a farmland real estate brokerage and auction firm operating across the Midwest. Compares directly in the same farmland brokerage and auction services niche.

Broad incumbents

• Capital Farm Credit: Capital Farm Credit is a large rural lending cooperative that facilitates farmland transactions and appraisal services in Texas and the southeast. It is a broader incumbent in rural land services and adjacent to brokerage.
• Schroders / Westchester Group Investment Management: Formerly Westchester Group, this is the asset management arm that was sold to TIAA-CREF in 2010 (now under Nuveen/Schroders). It is a direct comparable in institutional farmland investment management and acquisition services.
• Farmland Partners Inc. Farmland Partners acquired Murray Wise Associates in 2021 before selling to Peoples Company. As a publicly traded farmland REIT, it is a major institutional client and comparable in farmland investment management and acquisition activity.

Emerging players

• LandLeader: LandLeader is a network of land brokers across the U.S. specializing in rural land, farm, ranch, and recreational property sales. It is comparable in farmland brokerage and uses a cooperative marketing model that competes with regional brokerages.
• Agri-Access / Acres & Shares: Agri-Access is a platform that provides mortgages and capital for rural land transactions, with adjacency to farm management and brokerage. It is comparable in the broader farmland transaction ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MWA_LLC
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@PeoplesCompany
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/peoples-company
• Facebookfacebook.com/murraywiseassociatesllc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Murray Wise Associates