Ray L. Brownfield is Managing Broker, Owner of Land Pro LLC, a land real estate brokerage and farm management company in Oswego Illinois and brings over 40 years of professional agricultural property excellence to the agriculture interests of his clients.
Ray holds the designations of Accredited Land Consultant (ALC), which is a highly regarded designation within the land brokerage profession, and Accredited Farm Manager (AFM).
As an ALC, Ray is afforded the opportunity to maximize the marketing potential of the sale of land through education, networking and advertising, both electronic and print.
The Accredited Farm Manager (AFM) designation is awarded by the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers (ASFMRA), and is earned through years of experience, education, testing and adherence to strict ASFMRA requirements for standards, ethics and continuing education. As an Accredited Farm Manager, Ray manages over 7,000 acres of land in Illinois for a select clientele, who are absentee land owners.
Ray graduated in 1965 from Illinois State University with a Bachelor of Science in Education degree. Ray is a recipient of the Holbert Award, which is the highest award bestowed on an individual by the ISU Department of Agriculture. In 2010, Ray was inducted into Illinois State University’s College of Applied Science and Technology’s Hall of Fame. In February 2017, Ray received the Alumni Achievement Award from Illinois State University.
Since graduation from ISU, Ray has been a Vice-President of First National Bank – Peoria; Vice-President of Continental Illinois National Bank & Trust Company; Vice-President of Northern Trust Bank and President of a Capital Agricultural Property Services, Inc., a nationwide agricultural real estate company.
Also, Ray was president of the Illinois Society of Professional Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, receiving their highest award, the Hall of Fame Award, in 2001. Ray is past president of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers (2007). In October 2012, Ray received the ASFMRA’s most prestigious award, the D. Howard Doane Award. During 2012, Ray served as President of the REALTORS® Land Institute (RLI), and now serves as Vice-Chair of RLI’s Government Affairs Committee.
Ray received the 2013 Illinois Land Broker of the Year Award from the Illinois Farm & Land Chapter of the REALTORS® Land Institute. In 2017, Ray received the 2016 Land REALTOR® of America Award from RLI. In 2018, Ray received the APEX 2017 Top Twenty Producer Award, and the 2017 Largest ALC-to-ALC Transaction Award, both from RLI.
Ray serves on the advisory board of the Chicago High School of Agricultural Sciences, and holds their honorary FFA degree.
Additionally, Ray served in the Illinois Army National Guard for 35 years, retiring as a Chief Warrant Officer, CW5.
Ray, and his wife Patty, reside in Naperville, Illinois.