This helpful guide is useful in changing your square feet or yards measurement into acres or fraction of an acre. If you are planting a nice sized deer food plot it is important to know the plot size in acres for buying the correct amount of seeds, or fertilizer and lime.

You can easily measure a plot with a laser rangefinder, or you can use a measuring tape if a laser rangefinder is not available. First, measure the length and width of your plot. It may not be exactly a square or rectangle, just get your best round-about measurement. The laser rangefinder will measure in yards.

 If measuring by hand, calculate the measurement into yards (3 ft = 1 yd).

Second, multiply the width in yards times by the length in yards (W x L) to get the total square yards.

Third, divide that number by 4,840 to get the amount of acres.

If you don't like calculating, these figures may help you figure acreage;

1 acre = 4,840 square yards ~ examples; an area 20 yards by 242 yards or 40 yards by 121 yards

1/2 acre = 2,420 sq. yds. ~ examples; an area 20 yds. by 121 yds. or 40 yds. by 60 1/2 yds.

1/4 acre = 1,210 sq. yds. ~ examples; an area 20 yds. by 60 1/2 yds. or 40 yds. by 30 1/4 yds.

1/8 acre = 605 sq. yds. ~ examples; an area 20 yds. by 30 1/4 yds. or 10 yds. by 60 1/2 yds.

1/16 acre = 302 1/2 sq. yds. ~ examples; an area 10 yds. by 30 1/4 yds. or 5 yds. by 60 1/2 yds.

   Depending on what types of seeds you want to plant an acre may take from 5 to 18 lbs or more of seeds.   For example;
Forage Chicory is planted at 5 lbs per acre, Chic Magnet 3 lbs per acre, Ladino Clover - 8 lbs per acre, Imperial Clover 8 lbs per acre,  Bulls-eye 8 lbs per acre, Imperial No Plow at 18 to 25 lbs per acre.  
All of these are recommended seeding rates, depending on how you broadcast the seeds or if over-seeding an existing plot, you may need a little more or less.