There’s no season more revealing than summer. The heat is on, the rain is unpredictable, and the land is fully awake. If you pay attention, your fields will tell you everything—where the water goes, which patches of soil need a second look, and what’s quietly robbing your yield potential. While spring is for planting and fall is for harvesting, summer is the season for studying. It’s your best chance to read the land while it’s in motion.
Here’s how to make the most of what summer shows you—and how to use those insights to make better land decisions down the line.
Watch Where the Water Moves—and Where It Doesn’t
Nothing maps your slopes, drains, and ponding zones quite like a summer rainstorm. After a heavy downpour, take a walk (or ride) and see for yourself:
- Are there spots where water consistently pools?
- Do certain areas dry out too fast?
- Are your ditches and drainage ways handling the load?
These patterns often go unnoticed when crops are young or the weather is mild. But in the heart of summer, problem areas come into sharp focus. They might signal compacted soil, poor tiling, or elevation shifts that weren’t obvious during planting.
This is also a good time to cross-check what you see on the ground with what is visible from above. Pull up your parcel on AcreValue’s interactive map and zoom in. Aerial imagery and slope and elevation data can help you understand the “why” behind the water—and help you plan tiling or grading improvements after harvest.
Spot Yield-Limiting Zones Before the Combine Does
Every field has its overachievers and underperformers. And while yield maps can confirm what happened, summer gives you a live preview. Watch for:
- Stunted growth in consistent patches
- Color changes in leaves (yellowing, paling, purpling)
- Weed pressure flaring up in certain rows
These symptoms might point to soil fertility issues, drainage problems, or even old compaction zones from past equipment traffic. The middle of the growing season is the right time to mark them—not just mentally, but physically or digitally. That way, you’re not scrambling to remember “that one bad spot” come harvest.
AcreValue’s soil data, land use history, and parcel data can help you dig deeper into persistent issues. Does that zone have lower organic matter? Has it historically underperformed in neighboring fields? Use what you observe now to guide where you test, rip, or rotate later.
Evaluate Weeds, Edges, and Pressure Points
Summer is the season when weeds make themselves known—especially on field edges, fence lines, or neglected corners. You’re not just fighting pigweed and waterhemp. You’re also learning where your field boundaries are most vulnerable. Ask yourself:
- Are certain edges getting sprayed late—or not at all?
- Are adjacent properties (roads, ditches, fallow land) contributing to weed pressure?
- Would cover crops or buffer strips help here?
They’re often right on the line—shared ditches, compacted trails, or the “back corner” of a parcel. Pay attention now, and you can draw better management boundaries come fall.
Use Heat and Stress to See What the Soil Is Really Like
High temps and inconsistent moisture create stress conditions that reveal the true nature of your soil. That lush green crop you saw in May might start to struggle once the thermometer climbs. This is when you’ll spot:
- Sand pockets drying out faster than the rest of the field
- Clay-heavy areas cracking or crusting
- Soil that simply can’t hold nutrients through the heat
Take notes. Literally.
Summer isn’t always the time to act, but it’s the perfect time to log observations. Later, you can cross-reference these areas with AcreValue’s soil survey data to verify your hunches. Matching on-the-ground symptoms with verified soil types can help you make more targeted fertility and cropping decisions next season.
Scout the Neighborhood, Not Just Your Own Ground
While you’re out there watching your own acres, take a look at what your neighbors are dealing with, too.
- Are they harvesting hay earlier—or later—than usual?
- Is anyone trying a new rotation?
- Do nearby fields show the same water or weed issues you’re seeing?
AcreValue allows you to study parcels across your area. You can compare land uses, slope trends, and even ownership patterns to see if challenges are localized or widespread. Sometimes the field next door tells you just as much as the one you’re farming.
Plan for Action—When the Heat Breaks
Summer’s not the season for ripping up tile or redesigning an entire field layout. But it is the season for taking stock. The land is giving you signals every day. If you write them down now, you’ll have a head start when you sit down to plan your fall work or winter crop decisions.
With AcreValue, you can revisit those summer insights when the pace slows down and the data matters most. Whether you're adjusting rotations, exploring a new lease, or analyzing the value of neighboring parcels, the observations you make now become the groundwork for smarter, more confident decisions later.