Both require regular clean straw for bedding, and the smart farmer wise to the recycling loop will have already planned for this event by bailing up previous harvests which he/she should have stored in the barn. Cows differ slightly as they will eat a hybrid mix of hay, straw, and silage, which will help maximise milk yields going forward. The pigs require a well-balanced diet of maize and protein, as well as a regular supply of fresh water and will regularly need cleaning out to ensure they stay healthy. In terms of livestock it pays off to practice basic animal welfare, so, as long as they get regularly tended to, they should stay fairly happy and productive. Farmers playing the long game should also consider planting oilseed radish, which can be broken down into the soil mid cycle to restore depleted nutrients which will benefit the crop to follow.

Once these conditions have been met, the crop can be successfully harvested, used locally, or sold on to local traders.

The soil needs 'loosening' up the field should be weeded to ensure growth is unrestricted and once a crop has taken to a field it will need to be fertilised at least three times using either manure, slurry or an alternative high yield manufactured equivalent. As one might expect, the key to successful crop cultivation involves following a set of procedures in a particular order. Rather than concentrating on just one aspect of running a productive farm, Giants Software has given wannabe ranchers the options of cultivating traditional arable crops, tending to livestock, and for the first time ever in the series, forestry (err, trees). To make essential tasks a little bit easier, there are also over 250 accurately reproduced vehicles from all the major manufacturers, as well as an in game railway system for exporting produce further afield. Farming Simulator 17 provides a sanitised opportunity to step into those green wellies, take charge of, intensely labour in, and expand upon one of two small holdings located in either a US (Goldcrest Valley) or European (Sosnovka) based environment. After all, it's an industry driven by the output of perishable end products that, despite an unwavering demand, are constantly at the mercy of external factors that can affect both the yield and quality. Undoubtedly, farmers put in some seriously long hours and work damn hard for their money.

Landwirtschafts simulator 17 demo