Healthy vegetation is one of the most telling indicators of land productivity—especially for farmers, ranchers, and land investors. Whether you're evaluating cropland, assessing pasture health, or scouting for signs of drought stress, having a reliable, up-to-date snapshot of vegetation health is essential.
AcreValue’s Vegetation (NDVI) map layer allows you to look at the "greenness" of the land, showing you how vegetation varies across parcels and over time. This deep dive explains what NDVI is, why it matters, and how to use AcreValue’s Vegetation (NDVI) map layer to make better land decisions.
What Is NDVI?
NDVI stands for Normalized Difference Vegetation Index. It’s a remote sensing metric calculated from satellite imagery, using the way plants reflect and absorb different wavelengths of light.
Here’s the science in plain terms:
- Healthy, photosynthesizing vegetation reflects more near-infrared light and less visible red light.
- NDVI uses the difference between these two light bands to generate an index between -1 and 1.
Values closer to 1 (e.g., 0.7) indicate dense, healthy vegetation. Values closer to 0 suggest sparse, stressed, or bare ground. Negative values typically signal water, snow, or cloud cover.
In short, NDVI tells you how “green” the land is—based not on color, but on biological activity.
Why NDVI Matters
1. Crop Monitoring and Yield Potential
NDVI data helps identify crop vigor throughout the growing season. A strong NDVI signal early in the year can point to a productive stand, while declining values may suggest pests, drought, or nutrient deficiency.
2. Pasture and Rangeland Management
For cattle operations, NDVI maps can help assess available forage and track regrowth. This supports better rotational grazing decisions and helps prevent overgrazing.
3. Scouting and Field Variability
NDVI exposes variability within a field. If one corner of a parcel is underperforming, you’ll see it on the map—potentially before symptoms are visible on the ground.
4. Land Valuation and Investment Analysis
For buyers, NDVI gives a quick read on land productivity. For sellers, it’s a data-backed way to showcase the value of healthy vegetation or past improvements.
How to Use the Vegetation (NDVI) Map Layer on AcreValue
The AcreValue NDVI layer puts vegetation health at your fingertips. Here’s how to use it:
- Log into AcreValue: Make sure you’re signed in to unlock premium mapping features.
- Navigate to the Interactive Map: Go to the interactive map section of AcreValue.
- Enable the Vegetation (NDVI) Map Layer: Locate the Vegetation (NDVI) Map Layer option in the map layers menu. Enable the overlay.
- Zoom In and Explore: Click on a parcel to view NDVI values and compare vegetation density across properties, within fields, or over time.
Combining the NDVI map layer with the Soil Survey map layer or Slope data can help you get a fuller picture of what’s driving productivity differences.
Use Cases
- A farmer scouting a 200-acre cornfield uses NDVI to pinpoint stressed zones needing in-season fertilizer.
- A cattle rancher managing 3,000 acres of rangeland uses NDVI to identify pastures ready for grazing rotation.
- An investor comparing two parcels for purchase pulls up NDVI maps to see which one consistently shows higher vegetative health.
Timing Is Everything: NDVI Through the Seasons
NDVI is most useful during the growing season—typically spring through early fall. Outside of that window, bare soil, snow, or crop dormancy can skew values. Luckily, you can compare NDVI data across multiple time frames, giving you a sense of how a parcel performs over time—not just in one snapshot.
Conclusion
The Vegetation (NDVI) layer on AcreValue helps you see the land’s health—literally. Whether you’re farming, grazing, buying, or selling, NDVI provides an extra layer of insight that can lead to smarter decisions and better outcomes. With just a few clicks, you can monitor growth, compare fields, and spot stress before it becomes a problem.