We tested the longstanding (but untested) premise that loess cover (thickness and texture) positively impact the value of land parcels. To do this, we visited 1178 upland sites across 12 counties in Wisconsin with a mix of land uses; each site was underlain by loess of varying thickness. We sampled the loess at each site with a 195-cm long hand auger, and measured its thickness. The per-acre value of each parcel was then determined, where possible, using an online website. Parcels that contained buildings and structures, those whose per-acre values were not listed on the web site, and sites for which we lacked accurate thickness data (because the loess was > 195 cm thick) were eliminated from the dataset, resulting in a final count of 461 sites for analysis. The data, compared statistically using simple linear and logarithmic regressions, indicate that land values are highest on sites with thicker and siltier loess. This conclusion is in agreement with observations made on the ground while sampling. The strongest correlation (R² = 0.268; P-value <0.001) with land value occurred on a composite variable, developed to mimic the total mass of fine and medium silt in a 1 cm² column of loess from the soil surface to the bottom of the loess, indicating that the most prized land in the study area occurs on sites with the thickest and the most “fine-silty” loess.

我们测试了长期存在（但未经测试）的前提，即黄土覆盖（厚度和质地）对地块价值产生积极影响。为此，我们访问了威斯康星州 12 个县的 1178 个高地场地，这些场地具有多种土地用途；每个地点都被不同厚度的黄土覆盖。我们用 195 厘米长的手钻在每个地点对黄土进行取样，并测量其厚度。然后，在可能的情况下，使用在线网站确定每个地块的每英亩价值。包含建筑物和结构的地块、每英亩值未在网站上列出的地块以及我们缺乏准确厚度数据的地块（因为黄土厚度 > 195 厘米）从数据集中删除，从而得到最终的用于分析的 461 个站点的计数。数据，使用简单的线性和对数回归进行统计比较，表明在具有较厚和粉质黄土的地点土地价值最高。这一结论与采样时的实地观察一致。最强相关性（R² = 0.268；P 值 <0.001) 与土地价值发生在复合变量上，开发用于模拟从土壤表面到黄土底部的1 cm ²黄土柱中细粒和中粒粉土的总质量，表明最珍贵的研究区的土地发生在黄土最厚和最“细粉质”的地方。