Appraisal card
The results of a soil appraisal are documented in the appraisal map. The appraisal card is kept in the land surveying office . It was developed mainly (in the 1930s ) for tax reasons. The appraisal map is intended to objectively represent the soil quality of the agriculturally used areas in map form .
An official soil appraiser assesses (in some federal states with 2 other voluntary appraisers from agriculture) the value of the soil in grid squares across the parcel or property boundaries. The soil horizons are analyzed up to a depth of 80 cm (moisture, circulation of the soil, weathering, oxygen content, minerals, etc.). The value is differentiated into green or arable land in different classes with a certain number of points. It is based on the Soil Estimation Act of 1935. The maximum number of points 100 was awarded to the loess soil of the Magdeburg Börde . Gradations due to moisture and nutrient content, location, etc. are also recorded. Certain crops, such as asparagus cultivation in the lower classified sandy soil, are, however, classified higher.
The land appraisal is of particular importance in the case of land consolidation , as it forms the basis for the valuation of the exchanged parcels.