Farming Simulator 22 guide: How to make more money

As a sister guide to our money-saving guide for Farming Simulator 22, here’s a few handy tips at making more bank. Coming across money in Farming Simulator 22 is a very slow and arduous process, much like real life.

There’s always an expense to take care of, so it may feel like you see more money going out than coming in. Thus, strategizing your decisions is the key to actually racking up a steady revenue stream in the sim.

Strategies for increasing your profits in Farming Simulator 22

• Improve your crop yield — Naturally, the main source of profit comes from harvests. With that being the case, you need to pay attention to key ways to keep your fields healthy and generating the maximum possible output of whatever crop you’re planting. The main way to do so is to keep your fields fertilized and clear of disturbances like weeds and stones. Assuming you have no assists turned on, the proper procedure for a healthy field is to plow (periodically), plant your seeds, fertilize, wait for them to enter the first stage of growth, weed, and then harvest. Fields also require liming every now and again. Rollers and mulchers can be used in place of plowing to improve the quality of the top soil. Using them when there’s still crop stubble from the last harvest will also help improve yield. Between crops, you can also plant oilseed radish. Even with seasons turned on, this is a crop that can be planted and grown at almost any time of year. You don’t harvest it, though; cultivate it once it starts growing to give your field a boost. When you walk over a field, it’ll show you how healthy it is, so always pay attention to that percentage. The different filters on the map will also show you what condition your fields are in.

• Keep an eye on crop selling points and the crop demand calendar — Fluctuating prices for goods have existed in the Farming Simulator series for quite some time, but Farming Simulator 22‘s now built-in inclusion of the seasons mechanic has added a layer of depth to the situation. It’s wise to check out the prices of a crop before you even plant it. Crops such as soybeans and canola are basically always far more valuable than wheat and barely. That said, the lower-selling crops should not be ignored. Not only do they play a part in the new production chains mechanic (we’ll get to that later) but selling too much of the same crop will drive its selling price down. So, diversify your fields to make sure demand never drops too low. Due to seasonal shifts, there are months where a crop is in exceptionally high demand, so check the crop calendar to find that out. Also, make sure to see which selling point is offering the most for your crop. There are randomized times when demand skyrockets, and you’ll receive a notification when that happens; try keeping a solid amount of reserves from your harvests for such moments in order to nab a quick boost in profits.

• Don’t forget contract jobs — The other fields that are on a given map are owned by virtual farmers. They’ll almost always have an extra set of fieldwork available to outsource to you for some extra cash. If the job is profitable enough, you can even set AI Workers to continue mulling away on your own fields while you’re off doing one of these jobs. The payment of the job is mostly determined by the size of the field, with the larger fields netting you the biggest profits at the expense of taking the most time to complete. While you can use your own equipment to handle a contract job, if you don’t have what’s necessary (or your equipment is basic) you can lease the right equipment for a slight reduction in reward.

• Explore alternate revenue streams — Thanks to the seasons in Farming Simulator 22, investing in alternate streams of revenue is more crucial than ever. All of these have an upfront cost to them, but they pay out in the long run. Here’s the rundown:
• Animal Husbandry — The animals in Farming Simulator aren’t just there to be cute and cuddly virtual pets, they can actually provide a lot of different resources. For instance, sheep provide wool that can be either sold or even turned into even more valuable fabric. Cows produce milk, but can also be sold. They also provide manure which is a free alternative to using store-bought fertilizer. Indeed, animals come with a lot of benefits, but they do require a bit of an initial investment. Not only monetarily, but also in terms of space for their dwellings. You also have to spend time and money on their food, water and bedding, of course. That said, they’re a long-term investment that can be a good source of profit, especially during the off-season, for your crops.

• Forestry — This activity is by probably the most off-brand feature of Farming Simulator, which is a good thing. Not only is it a great way to break the mold and do something that totally gets you away from fieldwork, its mechanics are relatively simple to learn. Of course, buying all of the machinery required for cutting down trees, pruning them of their branches and transporting the logs is quite the expense. But, again, it pays off overtime. Most maps have forested areas (some more than others), so it should be a long time before you have to plant new trees to take the place of what you cut down. Of course, keep in mind that the logs you make can be further produced with production chains.

• Greenhouses and beehives — Another new feature in Farming Simulator 22 is the introduction of greenhouses. They’re built for the sole purpose of producing small crops all-year round by creating a false climate inside a glass structure. In the sim, you can use them to farm strawberries, tomatoes, lettuce, which you cannot plant on your main fields. They’re extremely hands off and only require you to supply them with water. Once the vegetation is finished growing, it’ll be automatically stacked in pallets next to the greenhouses. Beehives function similarly; you simply place them on your farm, and wait for them to produce honey. The honey will be automatically jarred and stacked in pallets for you to then transport. You’ll need large quantities of both goods to generate truly meaningful profit, but some money is better than no money. However, the key way to maximize their potential is to make them a part of your…

• Production Chains — Even beyond just diversifying the use of logs, honey, and fruits/veggies, production chains diversify the use of everything you produce in Farming Simulator 22. Every set of goods that you make can be taken to a factory as an ingredient to turn into a refined product. For example, a dairy factory requires milk from your cows, thus creating products like butter and cheese. Wheat and corn can be taken to a grain mill to produce cereal. The list goes on. Before you can actually start generating mass produced products, however, you’ll actually need to buy (or build) a facility. On top of that, you’re the only supplier of ingredients, so you need to have a constant flow of them to take to your factories in order for them to keep running. Thus, production facilities require investment on basically every front, but they’re the truest version of a long-term payoff. Once you get your materials chain in order, then you can pump it into your production front, generating even larger profits by the end of it all. A kind soul on Reddit posted this handy iconography guide that shows a simple chart as to what each good is and where it fits in the production chain.

For more tips on Farming Simulator 22, keep an eye on our Guides and Features hub.