Farms are a type of property for which managers need accurate land layouts in order to survive and prosper. In general, problems with titles, past surveys and easements, all aspects of land ownership that depend on maps, can play havoc with the boundaries of a holding. Farm properties over the years have been broken up, sub-divided and recombined - every change of this type adds more room for errors to be made. Gaps between pieces of property and overlaps of property lines often occurred. Accurate maps help to resolve these discrepancies. But the problem then becomes how to make a farm map sufficient for a farmer's needs.
Accurate farm maps drawn via computer software enable farmers to see the details of their properties and to manage the various boundaries of all their fields. Characteristics that vary from field to field can be added to maps to ease farm management: crop rotations, drainage channels and basins, pest and weed infestations, soil types, fertilizer history, salinity spots, etc. A web based map can be embedded with icons designating not only the features of the land, but also the infrastructure items found on ranches. One important software function not possible with paper maps is the zoom-in, the ability to change the map scale to see details in smaller areas. With farm mapping software that create PDF files, a rancher can also print out custom-made maps that cover either larger or smaller areas with as much detail as desired.
A farm map can be used to manage crops and other vegetation, enabling views of how the fields are used for crop rotations, fertilizer applications and cell grazing. Property sub-divisions can be planned and alternatives displayed. Environmental additions, such as set aside, can be tested and accepted or discarded with flexible mapping software. Drainage improvements, such as windmills, water tanks, dams and irrigation channels can be placed and moved as desired before a single shovelful of dirt is turned. Wetland management is something every farmer must handle and software maps make it all much easier. When it comes time to pass instructions on to contractors and other farm workers, maps are the perfect medium to show where the assigned work needs to be done and the hazards that must be avoided. Planning and estimating are no longer difficult tasks that keep getting put off into the future - software maps make it all easy. Finally, accurate maps are the key to keeping up good relations with neighbours - litigation over property boundaries is one thing every farmer wants to avoid and a good map can settle those questions once and for all.
If you want to build a land map via software, it's not that difficult. Farm map software uses satellite maps to help the farmer create layers of features that can be added and adjusted by the application user. The first step is always to pinpoint the locality of the farm. Once a full address with either a postal or ZIP code is entered into the system, the general satellite image for that locale appears. Next step is to zoom in on the farm acreage to be included on the map. The software user draws an outline around the area to be mapped -- the area outlined is the foundation for the next step, where information on details and features is added by pulling icons for features and characteristics off a toolbar onto the map. The resulting map can then be saved and, if need be, printed
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The website http://www.farm-file.com is one source for this type of farm mapping software
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