Wet spots cost yield every season they're ignored. Here's how to map them with GPS and turn scattered problem areas into a real drainage plan.
Most fields have the same wet corner every spring — everyone on the operation knows roughly where it is, but "roughly" is exactly the problem when it comes time to actually fix it.
Mark the problem, not just the memory
Dropping a GPS point the moment you spot standing water or a stunted patch turns a vague memory into an exact coordinate — one that's still findable months later when the ground has dried out and looks the same as everywhere else.
Look for the pattern across seasons
A single wet spot is a data point; three seasons of the same spot logged in the same place is a pattern worth acting on. Comparing points year over year is what separates a real drainage problem from a one-off wet spring.
Turning points into a drainage plan
- Log wet spots as soon as you see them — walking back later to "mark it properly" is when most points get skipped.
- Note the approximate size of the affected area, not just a single point, so a contractor can scope tile runs accurately.
- Overlay logged points against the field boundary to see whether problem areas cluster near a particular edge, slope or old fence line.
FieldCalc keeps every logged wet spot on the same map as the field boundary, so a pattern that took three seasons to notice is visible in one look.
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