Farming is the skill associated with planting, growing, and harvesting crops on your farm. It's one of the main income sources for the game, and provides ingredients for cooking.

When harvesting, you can stand in the center of a 3x3 square of harvestable crops and hold the right mouse button, then move the mouse over the crops to harvest more quickly.

To plant crops players must first till a patch of soil using a hoe. If they intend to use Basic Fertilizer or Quality Fertilizer that should be applied before planting the seed. The crop must be watered each day to grow, unless it is raining (when they'll require no watering).

If the player fails to water crops for a day, the crop will not die, but will not grow that day (effectively being delayed a day).

Farming Skill Icon.png Farming Skill

The farming skill level can be viewed in the skill tab of the pause menu. Each level grants +1 proficiency to the Hoe and Watering Can, which reduces the energy cost of using the tools. Higher farming skill also increases the chance to obtain quality crops.

Levels are gained by harvesting Crops, petting farm animals, milking cows or goats, shearing sheep, and picking up animal products inside a coop or barn (eggs, duck feathers, wool, rabbit's feet).

Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5
Crafting Recipes: Crafting Recipes: Crafting / Cooking Recipes: Crafting Recipes: Choose a Profession:
  Scarecrow

  Basic Fertilizer

  Mayonnaise Machine

  Stone Fence

  Sprinkler

  Bee House

  Speed-Gro

  Farmer's Lunch

  Preserves Jar

  Basic Retaining Soil

  Iron Fence

  Rancher

Animal products worth 20% more.

  Tiller

Crops worth 10% more.

(Bonus applies to all Vegetables and Flowers, plus any Fruit that has not been foraged)

Level 6 Level 7 Level 8 Level 9 Level 10
Crafting Recipes: Crafting Recipes: Crafting Recipes: Crafting Recipes: Rancher: Tiller:

  Cheese Press

  Hardwood Fence

  Quality Sprinkler

  Loom

  Quality Retaining Soil

  Oil Maker

  Keg

  Deluxe Speed-Gro

  Seed Maker

  Iridium Sprinkler

  Quality Fertilizer

  Coopmaster

Befriend coop animals quicker. Incubation time (for Incubator and Ostrich Incubator) cut in half.

(Also improves coop product quality, see details here)

  Artisan

Artisan goods (wine, cheese, oil, etc.) worth 40% more.

(Note that oil does not actually benefit from the Artisan Profession)

  Shepherd

Befriend barn animals quicker. Sheep produce wool faster.

(Also improves barn product quality, see details here)

  Agriculturist

All crops grow 10% faster.

Quality Crop Frequency

Quality is determined when the crop is harvested, and not when it is planted. For crops that produce multiples at harvest (i.e., Coffee Bean, Blueberry, Cranberries), Basic and Quality fertilizers affect only the first crop produced.

First the game tests if the crop gets gold quality, if it doesn't it tries again with silver quality. If both fail the crop is normal quality. Quality is also dependent on the use of Fertilizer.

The basic formula for finding a gold quality crop (not including fertilizer) is 1% + 2% per farming level. The basic formula for finding a silver quality crop is 2% + 4% per level, though the game must first fail to award a gold quality crop before it will check to award a silver quality crop, so the chances for a silver quality are slightly reduced. The tables below show the probabilities of harvesting each quality of crop. Note that it is possible to reach Farming level 11-13 with buffs from Food.

Normal soil

Farming level % Regular quality % Silver quality % Gold quality Average price
0 97% 2% 1% 1.01
1 91% 6% 3% 1.03
2 85% 10% 5% 1.05
3 80% 13% 7% 1.07
4 75% 16% 9% 1.09
5 69% 20% 11% 1.10
6 64% 23% 13% 1.12
7 60% 25% 15% 1.14
8 55% 28% 17% 1.16
9 50% 31% 19% 1.17
10 46% 33% 21% 1.19
11 42% 35% 23% 1.20
12 38% 37% 25% 1.22
13 34% 39% 27% 1.23
14 30% 41% 29% 1.25

Soil with Basic Fertilizer

Farming level % Regular quality % Silver quality % Gold quality Average price
0 88% 8% 4% 1.04
1 77% 15% 8% 1.08
2 68% 20% 12% 1.11
3 59% 26% 15% 1.14
4 50% 31% 19% 1.17
5 42% 35% 23% 1.20
6 35% 39% 26% 1.23
7 28% 42% 30% 1.25
8 22% 44% 34% 1.28
9 16% 47% 37% 1.30
10 15% 44% 41% 1.32
11 14% 41% 45% 1.33
12 13% 39% 48% 1.34
13 12% 36% 52% 1.35
14 11% 33% 56% 1.36

Soil with Quality Fertilizer

Farming level % Regular quality % Silver quality % Gold quality Average price
0 78% 14% 8% 1.07
1 64% 23% 13% 1.12
2 52% 30% 18% 1.17
3 40% 36% 24% 1.21
4 30% 41% 29% 1.25
5 21% 45% 34% 1.28
6 15% 45% 40% 1.31
7 14% 41% 45% 1.33
8 13% 37% 50% 1.34
9 11% 33% 56% 1.36
10 10% 29% 61% 1.38
11 9% 25% 66% 1.39
12 7% 21% 72% 1.41
13 6% 17% 77% 1.43
14 4% 13% 82% 1.44

Complete Formula

Details 
The probability that a crop is gold quality is linear with respect to both farming level and fertilizer quality. That is, the probability increases the same amount with each level for the same fertilizer quality, and with each fertilizer quality for the same farming level. The formula used in the game's code is as follows:

P(gold) = 0.01 + 0.2 * (lvl/10 + q * (lvl+2)/12)

where lvl is your farming level and q is the fertilizer quality. The game assigns a value of 0 for normal soil, 1 for basic fertilizer, and 2 for quality fertilizer. You can rewrite it to isolate either lvl or q as the 'independent' variable:

P(gold) = (1+2*lvl)/100 + q * (lvl+2)/60
P(gold) = (3+10*q)/300 + lvl * (6+5*q)/300

The probability that a crop is silver quality (given that it isn't gold) is actually twice the probability that it was gold quality, but capped at 75%. That is:

P(silver | not gold) = MIN(2*P(gold), 0.75)

But because sometimes the crop is gold quality, the true probability that the crop is silver quality is a little bit less:

P(silver) = MIN(2*P(gold),0.75) * (1-P(gold))

You can actually see the 75% cap at work in the table above, if indirectly: notice that the probability of a silver crop actually goes down once the probability of a gold crop crosses the 37.5% threshold.

Finally, the probability that a crop is normal quality is the same as the probability that the crop is neither silver nor gold quality. Since it can't be both silver or gold, the formula simplifies to:

P(normal) = 1 - P(silver) - P(gold)

Experience Points

The amount of experience gained from harvesting crops varies from crop to crop, with slower growing and more expensive crops giving more experience upon harvest. Crops that yield multiple produce per harvest, such as blueberry, cranberry, or potato, only reward experience for the first product and do not offer any extra experience for the multiples.

Petting a farm animal, milking a cow or goat, shearing a sheep, or picking up an animal product inside a coop or barn gives 5 experience points each. (Picking up Truffles gives Foraging experience rather than Farming experience.)

To level up farming from level 0 to 1, it takes 12 parsnips, or 8 potatoes, or 5 cauliflowers. From level 0 to 2, it takes about 48 parsnips, or 28 potatoes, or 17 cauliflower plants.

Spring
Crop XP
  Coffee Bean 4
  Tulip 7
  Parsnip 8
  Green Bean 9
  Blue Jazz 10
  Garlic 12
  Potato 14
  Kale 17
  Strawberry 18
  Cauliflower 23
  Rhubarb 26
  Ancient Fruit 38
  Cactus Fruit 14
Summer
Crop XP
  Coffee Bean 4
  Hops 6
  Wheat 6
  Hot Pepper 9
  Blueberry 10
  Corn 10
  Tomato 12
  Sunflower 14
  Radish 15
  Summer Spangle 15
  Poppy 20
  Melon 27
  Red Cabbage 28
  Starfruit 44
  Ancient Fruit 38
  Cactus Fruit 14
Fall
Crop XP
  Wheat 6
  Corn 10
  Eggplant 12
  Bok Choy 14
  Cranberries 14
  Grape 14
  Sunflower 14
  Beet 16
  Amaranth 21
  Artichoke 22
  Yam 22
  Fairy Rose 29
  Pumpkin 31
  Ancient Fruit 38
  Sweet Gem Berry 64
  Cactus Fruit 14

The experience points awarded are calculated using the formula XP=||16 × ln(0.018 × PRICE + 1)|| where PRICE is the base sell price of the crop (listed in ObjectInformation.xnb). Silver or gold quality crops don't grant more XP than normal-quality crops.

Harvesting forageable plants grown on the farm counts as 3 foraging experience points per plant rather than farming experience points.

Experience level is increased immediately upon harvesting, but the "level up" window doesn't appear until after going to sleep.

Lvl Total Lifetime Parsnips Harvested Experience
1 13 100
2 48 380
3 97 770
4 163 1300
5 269 2150
6 413 3300
7 600 4800
8 863 6900
9 1250 10000
10 1875 15000

Food

Certain cooked dishes will temporarily increase farming level.

Image Name Description Ingredients Energy / Health Buff(s) Buff Duration Recipe Source(s) Sell Price
Complete Breakfast You'll feel ready to take on the world!   Fried Egg (1)  Milk (1)  Hashbrowns (1)  Pancakes (1)   200
  90
  Farming (+2)  Max Energy (+50)   7m

  The Queen of Sauce
21 Spring, Year 2

data-sort-value="350"> 350g
Hashbrowns Crispy and golden-brown!   Potato (1)  Oil (1)   90
  40
  Farming (+1)   5m 35s

  The Queen of Sauce
14 Spring, Year 2

  Stardrop Saloon for data-sort-value="50"> 50g

data-sort-value="120"> 120g
Pepper Poppers Spicy breaded peppers filled with cheese.   Hot Pepper (1)  Cheese (1)   130
  58
  Farming (+2)  Speed (+1)   7m

  Shane (Mail - 3+  )

data-sort-value="200"> 200g
Tom Kha Soup These flavors are incredible!   Coconut (1)  Shrimp (1)  Common Mushroom (1)   175
  78
  Farming (+2)  Max Energy (+30)   7m

  Sandy (Mail - 7+  )

data-sort-value="250"> 250g
Farmer's Lunch This'll keep you going.   Omelet (1)  Parsnip (1)   200
  90
  Farming (+3)   5m 35s
  Farming Level 3
data-sort-value="150"> 150g
Maple Bar It's a sweet doughnut topped with a rich maple glaze.   Maple Syrup (1)  Sugar (1)  Wheat Flour (1)   225
  101
  Farming (+1)  Fishing (+1)  Mining (+1)   16m 47s

  The Queen of Sauce
14 Summer, Year 2

data-sort-value="300"> 300g

Crops

History

  • 1.0: Introduced.
  • 1.1: Adjusted Rancher bonus to 20%, up from 10%, Artisan now increases the value of Artisan Goods by 40%, down from 50%
  • 1.2: Farming level now affects crop yield prior to level 10.
  • 1.3: Fixed bug that prevented farming XP being granted when harvesting with Scythe.