Speaking of crop patterns...

[Duer 157099]

Plug these coordinates into the search box at Google maps, and then look at the satellite image of that field.

38.776068, -121.56445

Can anyone explain it to me? Is it a farmer being artistic? Or is there some natural explanation?

[bluedigger]

1. Rice?

[Duer 157099]

7. Very likely is rice

but what's with the pattern?

[bluedigger]

8. Artificial ponds.

It looks to me like the ground has been contoured to provide wetlands for rice cultivation.

[Major Nikon]

2. I'm guessing they are using some type of terracing

[Kaleva]

3. Check out 38.801591, -121.569607 a lttle to the north.

[Duer 157099]

5. Yeah I noticed that one too

but it doesn't have the same sort of symmetry that the other one has.

[OriginalGeek]

4. i see a lot of weiners

hope that doesn't mean anything. Rorschach fields trip me up.

[Duer 157099]

6. I see that too

I really wondered if that was intentional

[calikid]

9. It was a rice field at one point

Being a rice farmer and living about an hour away from the photo, I'd say it was the farmers artistic attempt at waterfowl enhancement for hunting. Also, it's not hard to do this with GPS steering in the tractors.

[Duer 157099]

10. GPS steering? Interesting

Hadn't heard of that before, but it explains how this pattern could have been done. Makes sense. It didn't seem like it could have been natural, with the symmetry going on.

Thanks for the insight!