Academy 25 [Crops 101] Barley - How to sow and harvest

This Tutorial is all about Barley - We show you how to seed and grow this golden plant.

What Is Special About Barley?

• Barley is quite easy to start with!
• Use barley to feed your pigs and chicken.
• While harvesting barley, you can enable straw swath and generate some straw.
• Straw can be used for TMR and barns to produce manure
• Seed your barley between the start of September and the end of October
• Harvest your barley during June and July

What You Need for Barley

Already have your equipment? Then skip this part! Barley is a good crop to start with. Like wheat, a lot of the equipment you need for barley, is needed at the beginning anyway.

• You need a tractor with a front loader attachment to attach the following tools and operate them. 
• You need a bale spike and a pallet fork to transport your resources.
• You need a cultivator to prepare the field for your crops. 
• You need a seeder and seeds. 
• You need a fertilizer spreader, fertilizer, and lime. Without these, the income from your harvested crops will be lowered. For beginners, artificial fertilizers are the best choice.
• You need a weeder to get rid of the weeds that will soon pop up. Otherwise, the yield will be reduced, and you won’t get as much money out of it.
• You need a harvester with a grain header to harvest your crops.
• You need a trailer to transport and sell the harvested barley. 
• You need another trailer to transport the header of your cultivator

Let’s Go To Work!

So you got all the equipment, but don’t know how do you use it? Don’t worry, we are here to help! Grow barley from the start of September until the end of October. Harvest it during June and July.

How To Operate The Machinery

The process of putting your machinery into operation is similar. We show you how to utilize your machinery:

1. Align your tractor with the designated tool. Back slowly to your desired tool until a notice pops up. Now press the designated button to connect.
2. If necessary, fill your machine with the required resource (seeds, fertilizer, lime). Just place the implement next to the resource and press the button for refilling.
3. Drive to your field and use the machine. Unfold the machine, lower it (if necessary) and you are good to go!

Step By Step: How To Plant Barley

Use these instructions so that you don't get confused:

1. Applying lime: Just use your fertilizer spreader and cover your field in lime.
2. Cultivate your field: Work the lime into the ground and prepare your field for seeding.
3. Sowing barley: Fill up your seeder and start the process.
4. Fertilizing: Apply it on your field. If you want to get a fertilization rate of 100 %, you need to apply fertilizer on your field after another stage of growth of your plants.
5. Weeding: You will find weed between your crops. Get rid of it as soon as they pop up. The longe you wait, the harder they are to terminate. Use a weeder in their first stage. Afterward, you need a hoe or an expensive field sprayer.
6. Harvesting barley: When the barley is grown, get your harvester. As streets are often narrow and crowded, we recommend transporting the header on a trailer. Remember to activate the straw swath if you want to collect straw afterward.
7. Selling and using barley: Transport your harvest in your trailer. Choose one of the selling points to sell your harvest. You can also use barley to feed your animals. Or produce some flour at a mill. The choice is yours!

That’s it!

Clean your machinery and take care. Head back to the Academy for more tutorials. Keep on farming!