FS22 Speedrun | Small Farms Don't Work In Farming Simulator 22

[@RamboHackerGaming]

Excellent video, and every farmer needs our thanks for all they do. I know others already mentioned this, but you can cut costs by leasing equipment that is not regularly used, like a harvester and such. That is what we did on my dad's farm. Another significant cost saving is to do direct drill seeding to save the cost of having to have a cultivator/plow and do that work. Also reduces the amount of tillage you have to do, which is better for the soil. Corn is not the best for profit (unless you make silage from foraging the corn). Out of the standard crops (excluding root crops (potatoes, sugarbeets, redbeets,carrots, and parsnips) which dramatically increase your equipment cost), sorghum is usually first on most maps, followed very closely in a tie for second by canola, sunflowers, or soybeans with corn coming in third best and wheat, barley, and oats bringing up the rear, on profits. Now if you include straw (which increases you equipment cost), then it is tie between wheat, barley, and oats. However, if using precision farming, soybeans are the big winner, because they no longer require fertilizer. I know sugarcane, poplar, cotton, grapes, and olives are all big money makers, but after account for the cost of the equipment, I think the top profit maker for a small farm with the cheapest equipment investment is making silage from grass, as you can get 3-4 cuts per year. If not using precision farming, you can use a grass roller after each cut and it adds an application of fertilizer and skips a growth stage. Which translates to one bonus cut per year.

[@WithTheStovers]

I actually really like that idea of rethinking the business plan. Going back and significantly cutting initial equipment costs.

[@MooseFarms329]

Gotta be strategic with the small farming. 1) Soybeans or Sunflowers provide the best profit, always wait for high price. 2) minimal equipment: 1 tractor, JD 220 disk (functions as a plow so no weeds), one planter, and a couple gravity wagons. 3) lease stuff that isn't a constant need like a lime/fert spreader, or combine.

[@WithTheStovers]

All very good info. Thanks. I will probably take the 80 and see if I can reinvent it.

[@ultragamer4990]

u blow me away evrytime u build somethink just amazing good work

[@WithTheStovers]

I really appreciate that. Thank you!

[@ultragamer4990]

well i had my nml build all fished and lost it all so now got to start over this sucks @@WithTheStovers

[@Twinkiiman1]

Curious, why harrow a plowed field? Does it assist with yield?

[@WithTheStovers]

I don't think so. I do believe some planters require a seed bed state before working. Other direct drill equipment does not. But I could also be completely wrong.

[@winkletown8828]

Ouch!!!! Now try a season of sunflowers or soybeans? Just for the sake of trying a crop rotation.

[@WithTheStovers]

Good idea. I went with corn just because it felt fairly common.

[@Schmittez]

I'm a little confused as to the conclusion of this video? Is 80k not enough profit? how much profit do you think you should have gotten? even in you had 10k of input costs thats still an ~10 year ROI on all the equipment which doesnt seem too bad.

[@WithTheStovers]

Pointing out that it’s likely a better financial decision to invest less in equipment. Bringing the ROI down from 10 years to maybe 2 or 3 to break even. But mainly just having fun.

[@JAleksandr]

A 10 year ROI would be a waste of an investment. Those numbers indicate a 10% annual gross on the investment. That means by end of year 2 you’re completely bankrupt and trying to mitigate how negative your numbers will be.

[@Schmittez]

@@JAleksandr can you run those numbers by me I don't quite understand

[@JAleksandr]

@@Schmittez if a person invests 700k and at the end of the season/year he makes a total of 70k that is a 10% gross-out of that you will have the expenses of equipment maintenance, operating expenses, any kind of salary. After you subtract all those expenses you would have your net profit to offset your ROI (return on investment). The 10% gross isn’t even enough to justify the initial investment if you put it all against it. I am hard pressed to justify any kind of investment that doesn’t give me 12.5-15% profit after all expenses (to include any kind of salary for any time I invest) and a minimum 20% ROI. If did a 700k hands off investment-I would expect to walk with 1.4 by end of year 5. That alone is basically a “payback” of 280k p yr. Which if I remember correctly he made 80k? That for me would be considered a 200k loss end of year one and still not counting any expenses needed for the following season to start.

[@stonetooth2506]

Corn is more of a feed crop as opposed to a cash crop. 80k isnt necessarily something to sneeze at. Even if half went towards repairs and materials. It's a decent living.

[@WithTheStovers]

I agree completely. This was really loosely built around a podcast I've been listening to online. The idea that small farming at one point in time was much more profitable than it is and so many small farms just can't keep up with the rising costs of everything! Not to mention, it's impossible to own brand new equipment.

[@WithTheStovers]

Do you think it's even possible to run this farm on the actual money we brought in for one full year of farming?

[@MooseFarms329]

If you grow the right crops and lease stuff, it's possible.

[@BLYFACTOR]

Yoooo Stover, That planter @ 6:32 has seeder drill textures. Not sure if you know how to edit mods If you do open that Planters mod zip file find the vehicle names xml file and open it. Find "fieldgroundtype" change it to "planted" and VOILA.

[@WithTheStovers]

I noticed that as well. It's a JD from the in-game modhub too.... I've got to get a proper PC so I can actually edit my files.

[@BLYFACTOR]

@WithTheStovers Oh you play on console?

[@WithTheStovers]

@@BLYFACTOR I’m on a MAC and unfortunately the extract and compress of files in MAC doesn’t work well with the game. The MAC adds some additional data to the files that FS22 won’t read. :-(

[@BLYFACTOR]

@@WithTheStovers Isn't there a way to run windows on MAC.

[@WithTheStovers]

@@BLYFACTOR I don’t know if you can now with apple silicone. I’m running an M1 Max on a Mac Studio. I’d have to look more into it

[@brucesolter3670]

Get Allis Charmers and Gleaner and do it again. Current FS values of old equipment is preposterous as well. I love the game since 2009, but the popularity of the game nowadays has actually drove up auction and private sales prices of old equipment. My Father is elderly. He got AC D17, AC WD, Deutz 6006. various defunct or homemade implements, year 1966 Ford 600 grain truck, and a MF 300 harvester (Gleaner A2 fell apart and back then no parts available in early 90's, contractor harvest companies wouldn't bother with him in late 90's, so he got a good deal on a working MF 300 and kept a going).

[@WithTheStovers]

I really like this idea. Thank you for your time and commenting.

[@brucesolter3670]

Thank you. His total acreage is 168 (real life). Pigs was the thing he lost money on in modern era. Pork is even more monopolized than grain. I tried giving him some modern ideas, but he's elderly and I'm only middle aged LOL. @@WithTheStovers

[@Rusty_farms14]

You should have just seeded soybeans not corn

[@WithTheStovers]

I know! :-) Doing it again with another crop.

[@marcusolsson5506]

Here in Sweden that is why all small farms closing down. Our farm was about that size our is here. About 25 years ago our farm was a medium size. So big difference is it here

[@WithTheStovers]

So sad to hear that. Yes, even 100 acres is a lot of work. I didn't even figure in insurance, fuel, repairs, and labor. On the opposite end of the spectrum, I think I would be even more stress if I had a farm with 10K acres. That requires you to have the millions of dollars worth of equipment and then you are working for the lender.

[@marcusolsson5506]

@@WithTheStovers Yes and you are working at least 14 hours per day and that is when its not harvest time. And you can completely forget any vacation

[@derschwarzbrennerausdember8746]

when you have precision farming on you gotha take them sampls or it is worth nothing and you harvest even less than in the base game.

[@WithTheStovers]

Good point. I didn't think of that.