First Illinois AG Group

What First Illinois AG Group does

First Illinois Ag Group is a privately held, full-service agricultural professional services firm headquartered in Decatur, Illinois, with additional offices in O'Fallon and Champaign. Founded in 2001 when Bruce Huber and James Schroeder acquired the Agricultural Services division of Union Planters Bank, the firm serves rural landowners, land buyers, farmers, and trustees/agents across Central, Southern, and Eastern Illinois. The company rebranded from its predecessor entity Schroeder/Huber, LLC to First Illinois Ag Group around March 31, 2016.

The firm's four core service lines are Farm Management (acting as landowner agent for lease negotiation, production supervision, soil fertility and conservation, accounting, reporting, and government program administration), Farm Brokerage (real estate sales, purchases, and like-kind exchanges with marketing support), Farm Auctions (licensed auctioneer services with date-certain competitive bidding), and Farm and Land Appraisals (USPAP-compliant work by three State Certified General Appraisers covering estates, trust planning, partitions, 2032A elections, eminent domain, and loan collateral). Supporting sub-products include Farm Lease Management, Agriculture Finance Management, and Operations Management. The team comprises roughly ten professionals, including three State Certified General Appraisers, four Accredited Farm Managers, a licensed auctioneer, and licensed Illinois real estate brokers, all with agricultural B.S. degrees. The firm operates without a proprietary technology platform.

Commercially, First Illinois Ag Group generates revenue through a mix of recurring professional service fees (farm management), transaction-based commissions (brokerage and auctions), and per-engagement appraisal fees. Go-to-market is sales-led and direct-to-client, with multi-channel marketing through the Field Notes newsletter, social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube), website property listings, direct mail, newspaper advertising, and on-site signage. Customer segments span individual and corporate landowners (primary), land buyers (primary), trustees and agents managing farmland as trust assets (primary), and farmers operating acreage on behalf of landowners (secondary). Pricing is negotiated and not publicly disclosed.

Name

First Illinois AG Group

Legal name

First Illinois Ag Group

Website

https://firstillinoisaggroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

First Illinois Ag Group is a privately held Illinois-based agricultural services firm providing farm management, brokerage, auctions, and appraisals to rural landowners, land buyers, farmers, and trustees across Central, Southern, and Eastern Illinois.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Farm Management and Agricultural Real Estate Services

NAICS

Farm Management Services (115116)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700), Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)

akta.pro primary industry

Farmland Brokerage (Row Crops, Specialty Crops) (BPAJADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Natural Resources — Farmland & Agriculture (FSAAAKAI), Succession, Governance & Ownership Transition Advisory (AFACAJAO), Soil Health & Regenerative Agronomy Consulting (AFACABAA)

Keywords

• Farm management services
• Farmland brokerage
• Rural real estate appraisals
• Farmland auctions
• Agricultural asset management

Headquarters

HQ city

Decatur

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Farm Management Services: Ongoing professional services to landowners including lease negotiation, production supervision, soil conservation, accounting, reporting, and government program management. Services are provided to represent landowner interests without conflict of interest from tenant farmers.
2. Farm Brokerage and Real Estate Sales: Full-service brokerage for selling, buying, and exchanging farmland. Services include property research, marketing, direct contact with potential buyers, website listings, signage, and advertising. Commission-based or fee structures typical for real estate transactions.
3. Farm Auctions: Auction services for farmland sales with licensed auctioneer on staff. Marketing includes research, direct mail, website listings, signage, and advertising. Provides alternative to private sales with set sale dates and competitive bidding.
4. Farm and Land Appraisals: Rural real estate appraisal services with three State Certified General Appraisers. Appraisals for estates, trust and tax basis planning, partitions, 2032A elections, land sales and purchases, exchanges, eminent domain, and loan collateral. Reports comply with USPAP standards.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

First Illinois Ag Group provides professional agricultural services across Illinois from three offices in Champaign, Decatur, and O'Fallon. The firm acts as an agent for rural landowners, managing farmland operations end-to-end including lease negotiation, production supervision, soil fertility and conservation, accounting, reporting, and government program administration. It also brokers farmland real estate transactions, conducts farmland auctions with a licensed auctioneer, and delivers rural real estate appraisals through State Certified General Appraisers.

Product overview

First Illinois Ag Group operates as a full-service agricultural services firm offering four interconnected core services: Farm Management (acting as agent for landowners with lease negotiation, production supervision, soil management, accounting, and government program support), Farm Brokerage (real estate sales, purchases, and exchanges via private sale or auction), Farm Auctions (licensed auctioneer services with competitive bidding), and Farm and Land Appraisals (state certified general appraisals). These services are supported by sub-products including Farm Lease Management, Agriculture Finance Management, and Operations Management. The company also maintains online platforms for listing farmland for sale and rent/lease, and publishes the Field Notes educational newsletter.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Farm Management Comprehensive farm management acting as agent for landowners, including lease negotiation (crop share, cash rent, custom farm, variable cash rent), production supervision, soil fertility and pH monitoring, soil conservation, productivity improvements, accounting, reporting, and government program management. Targeted at rural landowners in Illinois who want professional representation without tenant-farmer conflict of interest.
• Operations Management Farm operations supervision ensuring all operations are properly completed during the crop year, including compliance with government programs, with timely reports provided to landowners.
• Agriculture Finance Management Agricultural financial management including farm-specific budget preparation outlining income and expenses, accounting services, and financial planning for farm operations.
• Farm Lease Management Specialized lease analysis and design including cash rent, variable cash rent, crop share lease, crop share with bonus, and custom farm lease arrangements, evaluated annually based on landowner goals and objectives.
• Farm Brokerage Full-service real estate brokerage for selling, buying, and exchanging farmland and agricultural properties via private sale or auction. Services include property research, marketing, direct contact with potential buyers, website listings, signage, and advertising.
• Farm Auctions Licensed auctioneer services for farmland sales, including market research, buyer identification, and comprehensive auction process management with date-certain sales and competitive bidding. Provides an alternative to private sales.
• Farm and Land Appraisals State Certified General Appraiser services for rural real estate appraisal covering estates, trust and tax basis planning, partitions, 2032A elections, land sales and purchases, exchanges, eminent domain, and loan collateral. Reports comply with USPAP standards and most are delivered within 30 days.

Quantifiable outcome

• Professionally managed cash rents were $73 per acre higher than average cash rents in 2013 (University of Illinois study)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Capital Agricultural Property Services: Illinois-based agricultural real estate and farm management firm providing closely overlapping brokerage, appraisal, and management services to landowners and investors in the same geographies.
• Peoples Company: Iowa-based full-service agricultural land services firm offering management, brokerage, appraisals, and investment services across the Midwest — directly comparable four-service platform with larger geographic footprint.
• Halderman Farm Management: Indiana-based farm management, real estate, and appraisal firm with comparable integrated service offering and Accredited Farm Manager staffing model.
• Murray Wise Associates: Illinois-headquartered farmland real estate and management firm with overlapping auction, brokerage, and management services to institutional and individual landowners.
• Farmers National Company: Multi-state farm management, real estate, appraisal, and auction firm — same integrated service offering as First Illinois but at significantly greater scale across the Midwest and Plains.
• Hertz Farm Management: Iowa-headquartered farm management, real estate brokerage, and appraisal firm serving the Midwest. Closest direct peer in service mix, credentialed staff model, and target landowner segment.
• Schrader Real Estate and Auction Company: Indiana-based firm specializing in farmland and rural property auctions and brokerage — direct overlap on First Illinois' auction and brokerage service lines.
• Whitaker Marketing Group: Iowa-based farm management and real estate firm with comparable landowner services and Midwest geographic focus.

Broad incumbents

• Farm Credit Illinois: Illinois agricultural lending cooperative that also touches farm management, succession, and appraisal needs — broad incumbent serving the same Illinois landowner base from a financial-services angle.
• Compeer Financial (AgLand Services): Large Farm Credit cooperative serving Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota with adjacent ag lending and farmland asset services — broader institution with overlapping customer relationships in Illinois farmland.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FirstIllinoisAg
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCI57nb4u2esRviVqZUA7NCg
• Facebookfacebook.com/FirstIllinoisAgGroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/first-illinois-ag-group

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

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 First Illinois AG Group