Farm Manager 2018

Farm Manager 2018

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Field Tips
By Trifler
These are some helpful tips primarily related to fields, orchards, and greenhouses. Originally a forum post. Added here by request.
   
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Field Tips
1) In order to be able to use a tractor on a field, one side of the field must be at least 30 squares. The overall number of hectares is irrelevant. A 30 x 10 will work, but a 25 x 12 will not, even though both have the same area.

1a) I later found that there is a slight change in the shade of green when drawing fields that also helps identify when it is able to handle tractors.

2) A 10 x 10 field will grow 2 fruit trees, but a 10 x 11 will grow 4.

2a) A 45 x 45 field will grow 48 fruit trees (even though it makes you buy 57 seedlings), which is the same number as a 50 x 50 field. Making it longer and narrower will not work, because if either dimension drops below 45, it loses a row.

3) The minimum field size of 0.01 hectares has 2 worker slots. Each additional 0.01 hectare adds another worker slot. So 3 worker slots for 0.02 hectares, 4 worker slots for 0.03, etc.

4) Get the Labor Law training right away for 500 at the farm house to give all of your workers 10% more endurance.

5) Add roads around fields or leave space to add them later, to reduce travel times for workers. If workers have to walk around two buildings or fields, rather than between them, the delay can be significant, especially since it's ongoing. - By Limmin.

5a) Roads have a a width of 2 field squares. Even knowing that though, adding roads in advance is recommended. - By Kaeru Gaman

6) Pressing the TAB key brings up a little display above each field/greenhouse with plant status. - By Army.
Equipment Per Crop
I have yet to try using the Forage Harvester, so I'm not sure if it works as a normal harvester or if it gets used after harvesting the crop.

Plows & Cultivators - Universal for all fields, not including greenhouses. Note that perennials do not need to have their field plowed and cultivated again after planting, but the yield will drop some. I've heard roughly 20%, but this may vary by crop.

Sprinker & Sprayer - The Sprinkler is universal for all fields, not including greenhouses. The Sprayer and Trailer With Water will not work in orchards due to their width hitting the trees.

Tractors - The Rega and the Etos are for any non-orchard field, and both work with every implement except the headers, which go on a combine (aka harvester). Orchards require the Orchard Tractor, but it can only pull the implements listed below for orchard crops. Note that the Rega and Etos can plant an orchard, but will not work on that field after the trees have been planted.

Orchard Crops - Orchard Planter, Orchard Sprayer, Box Trailer. The Trailer With Water and the Sprayer will not work (won't fit between the trees). Must be harvested by hand. Using a tractor with a trailer provides the workers with a dropoff point.

Potatoes - Potato Planter, Potato Digger (aka potato harvester). It would be nice if a Box Trailer could be used when harvesting by hand, but the game indicates that isn't an option.

Cabbage - Planter, Box Trailer. Must be harvested by hand.
Red Peppers - Planter, Box Trailer. Must be harvested by hand.
Raspberries - Planter, Box Trailer. Must be harvested by hand.
Strawberries - Planter, Box Trailer. Must be harvested by hand.
Tomatoes - Planter, Box Trailer. Must be harvested by hand.
Cucumbers - Precision Seeder, Box Trailer. Must be harvested by hand.
Pumpkins - Precision Seeder, Box Trailer. Must be harvested by hand.

Sunflowers - Precision Seeder, Rodon or Xena Combine (aka harvester) with corn reaper (aka header).

Corn (aka Maize) - Precision Seeder, Forage Harvester, Rodon or Xena Combine (aka harvester) with corn reaper (aka header).

Sorghum - Precision Seeder, Forage Harvester, Rodon or Xena Combine (aka harvester) with cereals reaper (aka header).

Lupine - Seed Drill, Rodon or Xena Combine (aka harvester) with cereals reaper (aka header).
Buckwheat - Seed Drill, Rodon or Xena Combine (aka harvester) with cereals reaper (aka header).
Colza (aka Rapeseed, Canola) - Seed Drill, Rodon or Xena Combine (aka harvester) with cereals reaper (aka header).
Oats - Seed Drill, Rodon or Xena Combine (aka harvester) with cereals reaper (aka header).
Wheat - Seed Drill, Rodon or Xena Combine (aka harvester) with cereals reaper (aka header).
Rye - Seed Drill, Rodon or Xena Combine (aka harvester) with cereals reaper (aka header).

Grass - Seed Drill, Mower, Windrower, Self-Loading Trailer (aka silage trailer).
Crop Harvest Time
This table is incomplete. Feel free to submit missing items in the comments, and I'll add them.

Crop
Days
Corn
75
Wheat
105
Buckwheat
105
Cozla
85
Sunflower
105
Cucumbers
77
Red Peppers
71
24 Comments
Byzanoid 23 Oct, 2018 @ 3:31am 
Here are some more days, but check to make sure my numbers are right if you want! :104:
77 days on cucumbers
43 days between red pepper harvests
71 days on red peppers just planted

I will bring more if I can.
T22Gaming 15 Oct, 2018 @ 4:37pm 
so far this is what i have noticed:
crop - days
corn - 75
buckwheat - 85
cozla - 85
wheat - 105
sunflower - 105

it's actually not that important when you get to unlock farm managers hahaha but it really is needed when you manually click on everything
Trifler  [author] 15 Oct, 2018 @ 6:24am 
@Five
I'd love to, but I don't know how to find out their harvest time.
T22Gaming 15 Oct, 2018 @ 6:07am 
can you add crops and their harvest time.. thanks :D
Trifler  [author] 18 Sep, 2018 @ 4:11pm 
@ZehliaTwich
That would be a forum question. I don't have an immediate answer.
Zehlia 18 Sep, 2018 @ 3:54pm 
I have a mission to put an apple tree on the field, so i made a square to put trees on (2 trees were on it).. when the trees were finally finished, it didnt mark it as complete.. im sure people finished that mission, so what did i do wrong? Size too small? I did it wrong in general?
Trifler  [author] 13 Apr, 2018 @ 4:29pm 
Yeah. I've been putting an even smaller field right next to my permanent housing, but I might switch to 30 x 10 just for the sprinkler. I wish you could have them move it from field to field, rather than bringing it back to the garage each time.
ForrestFox 13 Apr, 2018 @ 12:25pm 
I'm starting to think that a field of 30x10 is probably the best size if you are manually gona harvest it. Larger than that, and it will take too much time simply by locking your farmers into one field having them walk back and forth.

Larger fields with a tractor and equipment will do, but even there I have some issues.
Right now I have a 20x50 field with cucumber, using a tractor and box trailer, 3 farmers to harvest and a fourth farmer (tractor driver) to sit inside the tractor just listening to music and idling. Problem is that it takes a long time for them to harvest, and the tractor is not always parked at the optimal end of the field so they must walk back and forth the furthest way, and that fourth farmer inside the tractor is really not earning his pay right now.

So in the end, I think depending on what you are growing and how limited you are on manpower, and as long as you dont have machinery to do all the work for you. you should have smaller fields. :/
Trifler  [author] 11 Apr, 2018 @ 5:32am 
Fortunately, it's not nearly as bad as I feared. Although there are fewer trees, the field sizes are still accurate, so my experiments are sound. I've updated the orchard tip to say 48 trees instead of 57. Thanks for bringing it to my attention Hans.
Trifler  [author] 11 Apr, 2018 @ 5:22am 
HansOlav: Ok, I think I found the issue. The number of trees doesn't match the number of seedlings it says it needs to plant the field... Ugh... So that means hours and hours of experiments are now out the window.