Optimal farming

[invivo4u]

What is the optimal size of a field and number of farmers per field, assuming they're within 30m of the barn or home?

[Booneblaster]

there isn't a 'farmers per field' mechanic.
i try to keep my plots to less than half the max size.
this is because only one farmer will do one job at a time per plot.
4 possible jobs per plot are there. harvest, fertilize, hoeing, seeding.
so if there is only hoeing and seeding to do on a large plot, only two farmers will work on that entire plot. then the seeder will seed solo until it's finished. you could have 5 farmers standing around in the barn while one or two try to finish one or more large fields. if you divide up your fields/plots into smaller fields, more farmers will be farming at a time, more of the time.

[brown29knight]

Originally posted by invivo4u:

What is the optimal size of a field and number of farmers per field, assuming they're within 30m of the barn or home?

To even begin to figure that, you would need to know what season it is, the number of farmers, the skill level of each farmer, what crops are in what fields, (and are those crops sown/harvested this season) the days per season (more days = more/bigger fields with fewer farmers) and the number of fields... Not really worth trying to figure it out. If your farmers can handle all the fields year-round, go bigger or start more fields. If they can't, scale it back or pick up the slack yourself.

In general, if you have as many or more total fields (that need work that season) than farmers, there will not be farmers standing idle, but you could also wind up with some fields only partially worked. (or not worked at all)

The important mechanic is that a farmer will take the closest available job, so it is not unusual for 2-3 farmers to work in the closest field, while completely ignoring the further fields until the first one is done. Therefore plant your most important crops closest to the barn.

Also keep in mind that the only downside to multiple small fields instead of one big one is the tiny amount of space you lose to the border between the fields... Taxes are per tile, not per field, and if there are borders (roads, streams, mine-able rocks, etc,) then you can usually find a way to fit multiple smaller fields in that area without losing any total farmable tiles.

[subwaybananas]

Originally posted by brown29knight:

To even begin to figure that, you would need to know what season it is, the number of farmers, the skill level of each farmer, what crops are in what fields, (and are those crops sown/harvested this season) the days per season (more days = more/bigger fields with fewer farmers) and the number of fields... Not really worth trying to figure it out. If your farmers can handle all the fields year-round, go bigger or start more fields. If they can't, scale it back or pick up the slack yourself.
[...]

The skill level doesn´t matter for the animation/work speed of farmers.
The walkway layout is one of the important parts. And what´s the heaviest workload season on your farming plan. With a good layout (short walkways) you can calculate with an average workload round about 100 +/-40 squares per farmers and days (mean for example 25 squares of every single job, or 50 for harvest and fertilize...), depends on many different settings. The harvest of veggies are very slow, the harvest of crops with a scythe are very fast.

[brown29knight]

Originally posted by subwaybananas:

The skill level doesn´t matter for the animation/work speed of farmers.

Are you sure, I run many large orchards, and a single high skill farmer on their own can harvest several of them in one day, whereas several low skill farmers seem to only do the same amount between them. Now days I have 8 max skill farmers (working the apiary does wonders for upping farming skill, so I rotate them in until they have farming 10, then rotate them to my fields and get the next farmer-in-training on the apiary) and my 607 trees (203 of which are "low production, barn too far") are all picked completely by the first day of summer.

[subwaybananas]

Yes absolut, i have done larger test rows with it (a few hours long, different special settings, with low failure sources).
The animation work doesn´t change. BUT: there are a small increase between level 1 to level 10 if you are far away. Than the animation isn´t rendering anymore and only a based calculation. At this point the work is much faster and have a low different from 1 to 10 level about 20%.
btw: the lowered effectivity because to far from barn isn´t lower production. The production rate doesn´t care about the barn distance. What the warning mean is, that your farmers have a long traveltime. And this traveltime is during the 10h of worktime, what lowered the effective field time. The plots have the same harvest amount than all others.

[brown29knight]

I was aware of the "lowered eff" just being more travel time, and not production rate. But I figured that would still slow down overall picking.

Good to know the animation speed doesn't change. I am always away from town on day 1 of the season, (questing and shopping) so that is probably why I always saw increases to the productivity.

[invivo4u]

OK! I'm so glad we have so many analytic minds working on the various challenges in MD. Is it possible to pull together all of the great data in the responses, collate, etc. and come up with a ideal configuration? 2 farmers skill level 10, 1 field XxX, close proximity to house/barn ... I'm starting a new village which I plan to dedicate to farming and the ancillary activities (windmill, barn, resource storage ... not sure food storage would be necessary). I plan to grow only wheat and flax...my other farms can take care of the other grains. I have some 10-level farmers I can move into the new houses. (It's good to know about the apiary boost! thanks!)

[Booneblaster]

having barns close to fields reduces walk times when they change jobs. because they walk back to the barn each time. you can build new barns for distant fields to up the efficiency without actually having farmers stationed in that new barn. i just think if you have lots of farming to do, just increase the days in a season. maybe 5 to 10 depending on how much farms you have. this will give workers the time to do it all in those seasons like summer/fall when there is much to do. then in off seasons, just skip the extra days after 3. you can move those extra farmers into barn work and process the grains in winter or even spring.

but yeah, houses need to be close to their work areas for farmers only because animations coincide with progress.

[Raven]

Why is there only ONE choice for a planting plan?

Does it change the plan based on what season it is, or do you have to leave parts of the field unplanted just because you can't plan for 4 different seasons?

I want to make sure that they have a different plan for each season, so they always plant the right crops at the right time.

How do I do that?

[brown29knight]

Originally posted by Nathanael:

Why is there only ONE choice for a planting plan?

Does it change the plan based on what season it is, or do you have to leave parts of the field unplanted just because you can't plan for 4 different seasons?

I want to make sure that they have a different plan for each season, so they always plant the right crops at the right time.

How do I do that?

Change it each season. Either after the work day on the last day of the season, or in the morning of the first day of the new season.

There is no way to queue new orders for other seasons without using mods.

If that is too much seasonal work to bother, make extra fields, and set 1 crop each, so that the farmers will always have something to work on. (while most of the fields are fallow)

[Foxglovez]

If you want your workers to do the planting and harvesting you will want to use the KISS method - Keep it simple stupid because unless you micromanage stuff perfectly it is a nightmare. If on the other hand you want to do the planting for those items that have a shorter or longer duration, you can fill in easily. But your workers, not so much.
The answer is make specific field or set up for each grain. No most the fields aren't fallow that much and once it's set up you don't need to think of it again. What could be easier than that? For trees, takes them a few yrs to mature so get them in asap. Look at the recipes and figure out what you want to make or just overplant for the ambience and sell residue on your travels.
As for specific number of farmers, you will need to figure that out when playing the game. It depends on your field size, village size, what you make with the fields. Actually, that's the game. It isn't for everyone. Some like to have everything run by the villagers, others more hands on. Things change as your peeps become better at their jobs, more peeps to feed, change jobs, mothers leave for years, so looking for the "answer" may be frustrating for you. For most it's the reason to play the game, it is for me. ymmv

Bit of a necro.

[AfLIcTeD]

Guy just finds every old topic and necros them all.

[Priest]

Since there are too many Variables the best you can do is swapping some Settlers.
At start of a season send them all to field work, and as soon as they idle send them for the rest of the season into some work buildings for extra Ressources (I let them chop woodlogs and get some Copper)

Btw dont make your fields too large
4*16 is decent

Trees are important since spoiling food will add fertilizer, and they make nearly no work

[Priest]

After some tests my at least temorary result is that 6 Farmer can nearly work 8 Farms with 4*16 in 3 Days

Nearly means the last fiield still has some crops on one end and 1/4 already with new seeds.

Keeping in mind that the Difference can come from many Variables i would say that
As rule of thumb One farmer can manage one field of 5*16 in 3 days (or better 4*16 + 1*16 ) since too big fields cause issues since only 4 can work on one field at once