Very nice Billboard Insider podcast #52. Jon Odom of Productivity Fabricators builds all my signs and I am very very impressed with the quality of work his team does.  Jon had some great comments about keeping dirt off the base of a billboard column. Kenjoh Outdoor accomplishes this using a $275 water trough from Tractor Supply (see below).  It keeps our signs looking custom and very presentable.  The water trough from Tractor Supply Company is designed to hold water so it never deforms even with the weight of concrete. We let it stick out about 10 inches from the dirt level. Landowners seem to appreciate this because they can mow and work around the sign without running into the pole or worrying about damaging the sign. This should work for both cube footing and drilled footing.