Built by people who needed better grade control.

Ditch Assist™ began around 2012 when Simon Knutson built the first PC-based visual guidance software. When Joel Classen and Simon founded Northern Plains Drainage Systems, they developed that idea into full machine control because the systems available at the time were not good enough for the work they wanted to do.

Where it started

From visual guidance to full machine control.

The first version of Ditch Assist™ was not a corporate software project. It was a practical answer to a field problem: show an operator where grade is, make the target clear, and remove the guesswork from drainage and earthwork.

That same field-first thinking shaped the move from PC visual guidance into RTK GPS machine control, hydraulic automation, guidance-only kits, Slope-IQ™ design tools, LandXML support, and DIG™ excavator guidance.

Surface drainage work using Ditch Assist

The story

The goal has not changed.

Joel and Simon wanted to build the best and most affordable grade control system on the market. That was the goal when Northern Plains started developing Ditch Assist™ into machine control, and it is still the standard we measure against today.

Around 2012

Invented by Simon Knutson.

Ditch Assist™ started as PC software for visual guidance: a way to help operators see grade in real time instead of relying only on lasers, stakes, or repeated checks.

Northern Plains

Built into machine control.

After Joel and Simon founded Northern Plains Drainage Systems, the team pushed Ditch Assist™ beyond guidance into full RTK machine control because the market needed something more practical.

Today

Still honoring the same goal.

The latest app updates, mode improvements, DIG™ expansion, and file-import workflows all serve the same idea: powerful grade control that more operators can afford, learn, and trust.

Family business

Self-made, family-run, and still hands-on.

We are proud to be a self-made family business. Joel and Simon still run Northern Plains Drainage Systems while staying involved in other farming, software, and consulting ventures.

Hardware and software development.

Simon heads up Ditch Assist™ hardware and software development. He built the Gen 2 app and this website, and continues to lead product direction from the same field-first perspective that started the system.

Operations, support, and dealer relations.

Joel acts as GM, overseeing day-to-day operations including logistics, customer support, dealer relations, and the feedback loop between the field and product development.

A team behind the system.

Ditch Assist™ is supported by a dedicated team based in Canada and the United States. Together with our dealer network, we work to provide practical grade-control solutions and responsive support before, during, and after the sale.

Principles

What we believe.

Operators are smart.

Build tools that respect that: clear modes, visible targets, practical controls, and workflows that match the way real work gets done.

Accuracy should not require complexity.

RTK grade control should be powerful without becoming intimidating. Ditch Assist™ keeps the operator close to the work.

Affordability matters.

A grade control system only helps if operators can justify owning it, moving it between jobs, and using it every day.