I get it. You hear someone call themselves a "land expert" and your guard immediately goes up. Frankly, it should. Too many agents throw that word around after they close that one deal on five acres of sagebrush and greasewood.
Which is why I started Know Your Dirt. Not to pretend I have all the answers, but to walk beside landowners and buyers with boots-on-the-ground experience, hard lessons, and an open mind.
Because here's the truth: "the second you think you know it all, you've stopped knowing anything."
Why We Don't Trust "Experts" Anymore
We live in a time when everybody's an expert - and yet, nobody trusts them. Why is that? Honestly, I don't blame folks for being skeptical.
It's not just one thing. It's a storm of broken trust and too much noise:
- The internet gave everyone a microphone, but forgot to teach discernment.
- Confidence often gets confused with competence - "the loudest voice wins."
- Real expertise requires nuance, context, and hard-earned experience. That doesn't fit into a soundbite.
- And too many "authorities" have abused titles for personal gain.
In land, I see it all the time. Agents claiming to be land pros after closing on a 40 acre parcel. Brokers throwing "land expert" in their bio when they've never strung a fence or walked a ditch line.
The Know Your Dirt Philosophy: Real > Perfect
I've asked myself: am I part of the problem? I've got a camera. A mic. A message. Could I just be adding to the noise?
Here's where I landed: I'm not here to be the "expert". I'm here to be the field guide.
I'm still learning. Still walking land. Still failing. Still sitting with ranchers and land owners watching markets shift. That doesn't make me perfect. It makes me real. And I believe people want real more than they want perfect.
"Know Your Dirt" was my way of planting a stake in the ground. Enough with the noise. Let's talk about land like it matters - because it does.
The Transition: From Know Your Dirt to a New Conversation
But as we enter 2026, here's the reality: poking holes in fake experts is only half the job.
The other half? Giving sellers, buyers, and landowners a clear-eyed picture of today's market.
- How rising costs shape value.
- Why access or documentation kills deals.
- Where buyers are actually coming from.
- And what sellers must do to get a ranch sold this year, not just a theory.
That's where the next phase begins.
Coming January 2026 "Land Reality Check"
"Land Reality Check" will be a new article series - my commentary on what's happening in land and ranch sales right now.
"Know Your Dirt" will continue as my educational series, covering topics like; easements, access, water rights, and the importance of documentation.
"Land Reality Check" will cut through the noise of the moment - tariffs, interest rates, operating costs, buyer psychology - and tell you what buyers and sellers really need to know moving into 2026.
Because in this business, knowing your dirt is just the beginning. In 2026, I'll be showing you the whole picture - the market, the players, and the forces shaping every deal. Land doesn't lie, but markets shift. And sellers who face that reality head-on are the ones who will win.