Guide
How to measure the area of a field
Every quantity follows from the area. Here are the ways to get it, and how far to trust each.
On the ground
- Walk the boundary with GPS, phone in hand, back to the start. Good for any shape; a few metres of error on a large field.
- Corner by corner: stand still at each corner while the position is averaged. Best for straight sides.
- Tape lengths: the sides and a diagonal split the field into triangles, like a surveyor.
From the map or the record
Draw the field on a satellite view: as good as the photo under it. Or take the area written in your land record, if it is up to date.
What to leave out
A pond, a building, a track: the area you sow is the net area. Take them out before you count bags.
With Seed Calc
All five ways are in the app, from a field's page or a quick calculation. See Field area. A measurement is good for buying inputs, not a legal survey.
