SimFarm - Strategy

How to get loads of money:

1. Load oranges
2. Grow in the south, near Florida
3. Harvest your crop
4. Toss in a wind storm and drought
5. Make sure you've got enough trucks for each crop (they get harvest within a couple of week of each other).
6. You've got $35k each crop, so you've got your 10m maximum soon

Other Strategies:

• When the town expands, you have an opportunity to vote for the type of development that will be built on the plot. Your vote usually counts. If you have enough dough for a crop duster, vote for an airport. Crop dusters will save you money when you need to spray multiple fields.
• Sell Futures. Check the Schedule Window to find out the current value of your crop, and compare that to its Market Value. If your crop's value is high, sell a future and forget about it. You will have guaranteed a price for that crop. Just hope that its Market Value doesn't go up.
• If you are designing your own terrain, be sure to select a lake or river, or both. These are great water sources. Do consider that farms too close to water are subject to flood damage.
• Plan for taxes. The town will collect some of your money for maintenance and expansion. Taxes are computed from your total land value, machinery owned, structures built, and profit. If you've bought lots of expensive land, your taxes will rise considerably. You're in a heap of trouble at year's end if you don't have money for the tax man.
• Don't use paved roads on your farmland unless you have a lot of land or several non-contiguous plots. Dirt roads are cheaper and don 't need to be bulldozed when you rearrange your farm layout.
• Buy seed. Although there is a default AutoBuy option, seed prices can fluctuate. Buy seeds that can be stored for a long time when prices are low.
• Consult the Farm Expert before planting. The Farm Expert window contains useful info such as ideal crop growth temperatures, moisture requirements, harvest methods, etc.
• Stagger the planting of new fields. By planting fields two weeks apart, you can re-use machinery you own. If you plant several fields simultaneously, you will need more equipment, because the fields will all demand plows and planters at the same time.
• Do not "dead-end" ditches into your fields. Instead, run them all the way along one side. The more exposure your field has to the ditches, the more effect they have.
• Buy a large silo if you can, rather that a few small ones. Four small silos cost $3200, whereas one large one is $2400, with equivalent storage capacity.
• Always plant trees around every field. Trees protect your soil from wind. Trees will have no effect unless they are within two tiles of your fields. You will need at least eight tree tiles to protect your field.
• Don't let a field whose crop quality has gone to Bad ("X" grade) go to harvest if it's deep into the growth cycle. You will incur use damage to your machinery and take up storage of a crop that has little or no value. If you notice a crop go to the X grade, use the Cut button to leave it fallow, or replant it with another crop.
• Click on Drought in the disaster menu. Wait till the prices are really high, then sell crops. Instead of having fences around your livestock, use irrigation ditches, the livestock can't "break" ditches.
• On the main screen, choose "Create Your Own". Put rainfall and temp to it's highest, click on river and lake, then choose Generate World. When you get one where your property touches the lake, choose "Play!". Sell that property for $28K, then buy another piece, which should only be worth about $15K. You'll get a huge profit.
• Build your crops about 2 weeks apart so you don't get an equipment overload.
• Only use paved roads if you have a long way to drive to the fields.
• Build big of everything at the beginning to save money.
• In the beginning, make a land with Temperature and Humidity to the max, and Wind with zero. Then, plant several fields of oranges. They'll flourish in the good climate.