Farming

Using farms you can grow plants. After researching crop rotation you can start farming multiple plants in a single farm. Crops need water to survive, and can be fertilized to improve the fertility threshold, which determines the amount of units you will receive from the crop. In most cases ordering of the plants in the "growth calendar" does not matter, as long as the two plants next to each other are different, as having two identical plants farmed after each other will result in growth penalty. Growing the same plant in the first and last "growth calendar" counts as the crops being grown after each other therefore it adds the growth penalty.

Fertilizer mechanically increases Soil Fertility by supplying Fertilizers, raising the farm’s fertility to the target level, which directly boosts crop yields. High-fertility-need crops like Soybean (0.5% fertility per day) benefit more than low-need crops like potatoes (0.35% per day) due to greater fertility consumption. Yields scale linearly with fertility, even above 100%, but maintaining fertility above 100% requires significantly more fertilizer due to a 200% demand multiplier, though yield benefits remain consistent without diminishing returns.

Crop Schedule

Farms can grow up to 4 plant types in a rotation schedule after researching Crop Rotation. The choice of crops and schedule significantly impacts yield efficiency, fertility management, and logistics. Below are strategies for different crop counts, emphasizing calorie efficiency, avoiding the 50% fertility penalty for consecutive same crops, and minimizing logistical issues. For the sake of consistency, we consider Green Manure a plant, but it produces no food and should generally be avoided unless no other crops are available.

Farm with 1 plant

Single-crop farms should only be used in the early game when just one crop (e.g., Potato) is unlocked, as growing the same crop repeatedly incurs a 50% fertility penalty, drastically reducing yields and requiring excessive fertilizer. Research Crop Rotation as soon as possible to unlock a second crop. If no second crop is available and Crop Rotation is unlocked, pairing with Green Manure avoids the penalty by boosting fertility (0.12% per day), but this is a temporary measure, as Green Manure produces no calories, wasting growth time compared to a food-producing crop.

Farm with 2 plants

Two different crops (e.g., Potato and Vegetables) are the most efficient setup for most farms, maximizing caloric output by avoiding the 50% fertility penalty and ensuring continuous food production. Only use Green Manure if no second crop is unlocked, as it produces no food, effectively halving your farm’s output time. Prioritize crops with different belt types to prevent logistical backups: for example, Potatoes use Loose belts, while Vegetables use Flat/Countable belts, allowing one crop to flow even if the other’s belt is full. For instance, two farms each growing Potatoes + Vegetables yield more consistent food than one farm with Potatoes + Green Manure and another with Vegetables + Green Manure, as Green Manure wastes production cycles.

Farm with 3 plants

Three different crops (e.g., Potato, Vegetables, Corn) avoid the fertility penalty but introduce significant logistical challenges. Multiple crops often share belt types (e.g., Vegetables and Corn both use Flat/Countable belts), risking backups if one output buffer fills, requiring complex sorting or dedicated belts. The third crop also increases rotation time, reducing harvest frequency for each crop. You’re almost always better off splitting into two farms with 2-crop rotations (e.g., one farm with Potatoes + Vegetables, another with Potatoes + Corn). This simplifies logistics, maintains consistent output, and avoids buffer congestion. Three-crop farms are rarely justified unless you need a very specific, low quantity of a crop (e.g., Soybean for niche production), as the longer cycle can throttle output to manage excess.

Farm with 4 plants

Four different crops are technically viable but highly inefficient due to increased logistical complexity and reduced harvest frequency. Each crop is harvested only once every four cycles, compared to every two cycles in a 2-crop farm, leading to inconsistent supply (e.g., Corn appears less often). Shared belt types exacerbate backups, requiring intricate conveyor setups. Splitting into two farms with 2-crop rotations (e.g., Potatoes + Vegetables and Corn + Soybeans) yields the same total output over a cycle but with more frequent harvests and simpler logistics. Four-crop farms are almost never recommended unless you’re intentionally limiting output for a specific crop with difficult excess management, but even then, adjusting farm counts or using 2-crop setups is usually better.

Soil fertility

Soil Fertility affects crop yield: the actual yield is one that the recipe of crops says times Soil Fertility. For example, the yield will be 60% of the recipe if fertility is 60%.

Every crop consumes Soil Fertility by growing, typically between 0.2% and 0.5% per day depending on the crop. Fertility replenishes naturally when below 100% at a rate of 0.6% of the missing fertility per day (e.g., at 0% fertility, it regenerates 0.6% per day; at 50%, 0.3% per day). Then, Soil Fertility is settled at a value depending on the corp schedule. You can use Green Manure or File:FertilizerI.png Fertilizers to increase the yield of crop(s).

Fertility needed

“Fertility needed” is the amount of extra fertility per day required to maintain the target fertility level, supplied by Fertilizers. When the target fertility is 100%, the “fertility needed” equals the crop’s fertility consumption (as specified in the recipe, adjusted for rotation penalties). The formula for fertility needed is:

Fertility Needed (% / 60 ) = F_C P - 0.006 (100% - F_T)    if F_T ≤ 100%

Fertility Needed (% / 60 ) = F_C P + [2 F_C P + 0.002] (F_T - 100%)    if F_T > 100%

F_T: Target Fertility (%)

F_C: Fertility Consumed that recipe says (% / 60 )

P: if lacking rotation (same crop follows), then 1.5, else 1.0

For example, for Soybeans (F_C = 0.5%) with proper rotation (P = 1.0) at F_T = 110%:

Fertility Needed = 0.5% + [2 × 0.5% + 0.002] × (110% - 100%) = 0.5% + 1.002 × 10% = 0.6002% per day.