What to do when two farmland documents disagree

Start with the sentence you cannot yet support

You are finishing a farmland listing pack when a new document arrives. Its acreage differs from the brochure you have already prepared. Before changing the brochure, you need to understand whether the documents describe the same thing and which statement needs checking.

Give the difference a precise description in your working notes. Instead of “documents do not match”, write “the brochure acreage and the acreage on page two of the supplied document differ”. Include the filenames and page references so another person can find the issue without repeating your search.

The workflow below is a suggested way to organise that follow up. It does not decide which document has legal authority. Its purpose is to keep an unresolved statement visible, give it a next action and track any resulting change to the listing material.

Keep both versions before editing the summary

Retain the originals through your brokerage’s document process. Note who supplied each file, when it arrived, the date printed on it and any version or revision reference. Keep your comparison notes separate from the originals so your annotations cannot be mistaken for the issuer’s wording.

Avoid overwriting the earlier file with another file called “final”. Use a clear revision label in the working pack and record which version went into the brochure. If a correction is later confirmed, you will be able to identify the material that used the earlier wording.

Check whether the statements are actually comparable

Read the headings, units, dates and footnotes around each statement. Confirm that both documents refer to the same land and period. Ask what each figure describes: the entire area shown, a named portion or an area used for a particular purpose. Do not strip away those labels to make the numbers look comparable.

For an illustrative example, a heading of “total area” beside one figure and “cultivated area” beside another is a reason to check the definitions before calling either number wrong. It is not evidence that this explains the difference on your listing. Record the question and obtain the relevant explanation.

Keep the date you received a file separate from the date of the information it contains. A recently forwarded copy may still contain older information. If a date or definition is missing, note that gap rather than filling it from context.

Send the issuer a question they can answer

Once the difference is clear, identify who can explain the relevant statement. Ask the seller for the original supporting document where needed, or seek clarification from the document’s issuer through the appropriate channel. Share only the material appropriate for that recipient and purpose.

Suggested wording: “We are comparing the acreage on page two of your document with the figure in our listing worksheet. Could you confirm the area your figure covers, how it was obtained and whether this copy has been replaced by a later version?” Adapt the request to the actual issue.

Record the person contacted, the question and a date for your next follow up. If the answer requires interpretation outside your role, identify the appropriate professional through your brokerage’s process. A reply confirming receipt is not an answer to the document question.

Use Ironpost to locate the public source behind a figure

When one of the documents is an Ironpost report, start with the relevant page and its source notes. Ironpost brings available parcel, crop, soil and terrain information into a cited PDF report. Its public sample and source guidance, checked on September 29, 2026, show source references and retrieval dates alongside the land information.

Use those references to explain what the report drew from and which land it describes. A retrieval date tells you when the source was consulted; it should not become a claim that field conditions changed on that date. Ironpost does not interpret title or contracts, and its report does not settle a disagreement between those documents.

Record what the response changes

When an explanation arrives, keep it with the original question. State whether it explains a difference in scope, supplies a replacement document or leaves something unresolved. Record the supporting reference for the conclusion instead of marking the issue complete merely because a new attachment arrived.

If the response supports a correction to your listing material, make a dated revision and note which statement changed and why. Review the places where you reused that statement, including brochures and showing notes. For material already shared, use your brokerage’s process to send the appropriate correction to the relevant recipients.

If the question remains open, keep it open in the working pack and avoid repeating the disputed statement as settled fact. The useful outcome is a clear account of the documents compared, the explanation obtained and the next action still needed. Explore the Ironpost sample below to see how its source notes can support that work.