Getting Started With Field Farming
A complete base-game field cycle: inspect the field, prepare the soil, seed or plant, maximise the yield bonus, control weeds, harvest, and decide whether to sell, store, feed, or process the crop.
1. Inspect before touching the field
Open the field information and check crop state, fertilisation, weeds, lime requirement and ploughing requirement. Also check the seasonal calendar before choosing the next crop. The best workflow is the one that fixes only the states the field actually needs.
2. Decide the soil-working route
After harvest, mulch stubble if you want the optional bonus. Apply lime when required. If the field says ploughing is required, use a plough or a tool that satisfies that requirement; otherwise cultivate or direct-drill. The choice determines time, fuel use, stones and weed pressure.
3. Plant, care, then harvest
Sow/plant with the crop-compatible machine, roll while the field is freshly sown if desired, fertilise to full, remove weeds early and harvest with the correct crop system. Specialist crops should only be planted after their harvester and transport plan are confirmed.
Procedure
- Inspect field requirements.
- Mulch previous stubble if you want the optional yield bonus and the crop leaves suitable stubble.
- Apply lime when the field reports that it is required.
- Plough only when required; otherwise cultivate, disc, subsoil or use another compatible seedbed method.
- Sow or plant the selected crop inside its planting window when seasonal growth is enabled.
- Roll immediately after sowing/planting when the crop and workflow allow it.
- Reach full fertilisation, normally with two applications separated by a growth stage.
- Remove weeds as early as possible.
- Use narrow tyres for crop-care passes when crop destruction is enabled and your vehicle supports them.
- Harvest in the correct harvest window, then collect useful by-products such as straw where applicable.
Detailed procedure guides
Alternative options
Cultivators, disc harrows, power harrows, subsoilers and some direct-drill seeders can all reduce the number of separate soil-preparation passes depending on the field state and tool.
Solid fertiliser, liquid fertiliser, slurry, manure, digestate and oilseed radish can all contribute to fertilisation. Manure/slurry can use double application rate where supported.
Buy machinery used repeatedly; lease expensive specialist harvesters for occasional crops if that better suits the farm budget.
Practical tips
- Do not perform a soil-working pass just because it is traditional; first check whether the field actually requires it.
- Combine compatible front and rear implements when practical to reduce passes.
- Keep a transport plan ready before harvest so a full harvester does not sit idle.