[Crops 101] How To Sow & Harvest Long Grain Rice

Welcome to your next “Crops 101” lesson of the Farming Simulator Academy! This time, we show you how to grow, harvest, and process long grain rice. Let’s get started!

Long Grain Rice Or Rice?

There are two different types of rice in Farming Simulator: rice and long grain rice. They are separate crops and require different growing methods and equipment. In this tutorial, we focus on long grain rice.

Looking for regular rice instead?

What Is Special About Long Grain Rice?

• Long grain rice needs to be grown in a rice paddy, but unlike regular rice, it does not need water.
• You can sow long grain rice with a regular seeder and harvest it with a conventional harvester using a grain header, whereas rice requires special machines.
• Long grain rice only needs to be fertilized once.

What You Need For Long Grain Rice

Long grain rice requires a rice paddy, but you do not need the specialized planting and harvesting machines used for regular rice. Let’s take a look at what you need.

• Tractor: Used to operate most of the following tools.
• Seeder: Plants long grain rice and needs to be filled with seeds.
• Fertilizer spreader: Used to fertilize the crop. Depending on the machine, you can also use it to spread lime.
• Harvester and grain header: A conventional harvester with a fitting grain header can harvest long grain rice.
• Trailer: Transports the harvested long grain rice to a selling point or production facility.
• Cultivator: Prepares the soil for the next sowing.

Let’s Get To Work!

If seasonal growth is enabled, sow long grain rice in April. It will be ready for harvest in September.

Step 1: Placing a rice paddy

Open Build Mode and go to the cultivation section where you find rice paddies alongside olives and grapes. Select the rice paddy and start creating it on an open area of land that you own.

• Place the first corner of the paddy with the assigned button.
• Continue placing points until the paddy has the shape and size you want.
• Keep in mind that the water pump will be located on the first side you create.
• When you are finished, press the assigned button to complete the paddy.

Tip! If you no longer want to use the area as a rice paddy, enter demolition mode and sell it. The lowered terrain remains, so use the ground sculpting tools if you want to level the area again.

Step 2: Applying lime

A newly placed rice paddy does not need lime. For an existing paddy, check the field information to see whether lime is required. After every third harvest, the soil needs lime again to avoid a yield penalty.

Step 3: Planting long grain rice

Fill your seeder with seeds and select long grain rice as the crop. Lower and activate the seeder, then cover the entire rice paddy. Unlike regular rice, you do not need to fill the paddy with water before sowing.

Everything you need to know about seeders and sowing.

Step 4: Fertilizing

After sowing, fill your fertilizer spreader and cover the entire paddy. Long grain rice only needs to be fertilized once, so there is no need for a second application.

Find more information about fertilizing here.

Step 5: Harvesting long grain rice

Once long grain rice is ready to harvest in September, attach a fitting grain header to your harvester. Lower the header, activate the machine, and harvest the paddy row by row.

Keep an eye on the fill level while you work. When the harvester is full, bring your trailer alongside it, unfold the pipe, and overload the harvested long grain rice.

Step 6: Selling long grain rice

You can sell long grain rice directly. Check the prices screen to find a selling point offering a good price, drive there with your trailer, and unload in the designated area. Alternatively, deliver the harvest to a suitable production facility if you want to process it into other products.

Step 7: Preparing for the next harvest

You do not need to build a new rice paddy for the next crop. Keep the existing paddy and cultivate the field to prepare for the next sowing.

Check our tutorial for more details on cultivating.

Prcessing Long Grain Rice: Products

Instead of selling long grain rice directly, you can use it in several production chains and make for example rice flour or noodle soup. The overview above shows all possibilities you have.

Well Done!

Congratulations! You now know the basics of growing long grain rice in Farming Simulator. When you're ready, continue with the next Farming Simulator Academy lesson!