Yet Another Modeling Spreadsheet

[JayG]

Two Crop Modeling
Yesterday in response to a request, I created a model that allows the user to look at scenarios involving the planting of 2 crops. It's been hashed out before that strawberries are the best crop for maximizing profits for the new farmer, but after you have $47,700 to cover the cost of 900 plots of strawberries (with plowing) what next? The attached 2 Crop Calculator (in xls and xlsx formats) will allow you to model just that sort of thing.

So you've got the $137,700 to cover 900 plots of tomatoes which means you can maximize the plow plant harvest model (disregarding arguments of Clickonomics), but you find that's rather dull, and doesn't make for a real scenic farm either. What now?

Multi Crop Calculations
The second set of sheets attached is for multi crop scenarios. You can enter your available cash and as a first calculation the model will divide it equally among the 6 crops and show you how many of each you could purchase. From there you have options to specify the number of plots for specific crops and the model will divide all remaining cash equally amongst the unspecified crops and show you the number of plots for each. While this model is not about maximizing profits it will show you gross and net profits for various models if this is of interest to you.

There is a macro in the xls version that will allow you to clear all of the user entry spaces (colored green).

Disclaimer
The focus of these sheets is primarily for for new farmers looking to gain a better perspective on crop allocations as it relates to income. As the game evolves aspects may be introduced that invalidate part or all of the calculations herein.

Be Careful
These sheets are not protected, enter your values only in the green spaces!

[papajon]

Well, Jay, you have gone far above and beyond my original request. I now have over $600,000 bucks, and there is no need for me to ration my cash for maximum profits, but I'm sure new cash croppers will find this very useful.

[JayG]

Well, Jay, you have gone far above and beyond my original request. I now have over $600,000 bucks, and there is no need for me to ration my cash for maximum profits, but I'm sure new cash croppers will find this very useful.

Ahh see where one can get in less than a month of diligent clicking, er mmm farming I mean :) Glad to hear that things have worked out well, and appreciate the endorsement of these for helping other farmers who are just getting started.

[Mark]

Please enlighten me why one would plant multiple crops?

Crop Profit/Day
Strawberries 45.8
Tomatoes 49.95
Rice 36.75
Corn 43.98
Potatoes 41.4
Wheat 33.53

So why would you like to do a multi crop if you wanna get the most money?
Tomatoes is almost 10% more profitable than Strawberries...

[JayG]

Please enlighten me why one would plant multiple crops?

Crop Profit/Day
Strawberries 45.8
Tomatoes 49.95
Rice 36.75
Corn 43.98
Potatoes 41.4
Wheat 33.53

So why would you like to do a multi crop if you wanna get the most money?
Tomatoes is almost 10% more profitable than Strawberries...

Because for the new starting farmer it's better to build up on strawberries and transition over to tomatoes, due to the limits imposed by available cash. If you read my initial post, download the file, and enter values you'll see this for yourself. Hope this helps!

[Magda]

Two Crop Modeling
Yesterday in response to a request, I created a model that allows the user to look at scenarios involving the planting of 2 crops. It's been hashed out before that strawberries are the best crop for maximizing profits for the new farmer, but after you have $47,700 to cover the cost of 900 plots of strawberries (with plowing) what next? The attached 2 Crop Calculator (in xls and xlsx formats) will allow you to model just that sort of thing.

So you've got the $137,700 to cover 900 plots of tomatoes which means you can maximize the plow plant harvest model (disregarding arguments of Clickonomics), but you find that's rather dull, and doesn't make for a real scenic farm either. What now?

Multi Crop Calculations
The second set of sheets attached is for multi crop scenarios. You can enter your available cash and as a first calculation the model will divide it equally among the 6 crops and show you how many of each you could purchase. From there you have options to specify the number of plots for specific crops and the model will divide all remaining cash equally amongst the unspecified crops and show you the number of plots for each. While this model is not about maximizing profits it will show you gross and net profits for various models if this is of interest to you.

There is a macro in the xls version that will allow you to clear all of the user entry spaces (colored green).

Disclaimer
The focus of these sheets is primarily for for new farmers looking to gain a better perspective on crop allocations as it relates to income. As the game evolves aspects may be introduced that invalidate part or all of the calculations herein.

Be Careful
These sheets are not protected, enter your values only in the green spaces!

Hi JayG, many thanks for your work! But I have a question: We put the cash for the initial counts, before or after plowing? (I am trying to start a second farm to obtain $, and just now I have the half of the farm (450plots) full of strawberries waiting tomorrow to be harvested).

Kind regards!

[Mark]

How come your starting numbers aren't what i calculated?

[JayG]

Hi JayG, many thanks for your work! But I have a question: We put the cash for the initial counts, before or after plowing? (I am trying to start a second farm to obtain $, and just now I have the half of the farm (450plots) full of strawberries waiting tomorrow to be harvested).

Kind regards!
Magda, the sheet incorporates the plowing costs, so you start with cash on hand prior to plowing.

Jay

[JayG]

How come your starting numbers aren't what i calculated?
Mark, Not sure where to go with that unless you offer up the numbers in question, can you give a specific example or two?

Thanks!

[Magda]

Hello JayG

Many thanks for the spreadsheet. It has been good for me starting my 2nd farm... while we are waiting for more updates!!

Cheers

[robbo]

Dude i have made up my owen spreadsheet, its got profit, diff servers, animals, and trees, do you ant 2 have a look? and how can i post it?

[PeterH]

On my sheet, all my calculations point to rice. Isn't it the only crop that has enough net profit to replant itself?

[JayG]

On my sheet, all my calculations point to rice. Isn't it the only crop that has enough net profit to replant itself?

Read the initial post I made here, and then have a look at my sheets. There are a number of reasons where your reasoning here may have gone astray. Or post your sheet and I'll have a look.

[JayG]

Dude i have made up my owen spreadsheet, its got profit, diff servers, animals, and trees, do you ant 2 have a look? and how can i post it?

You can post files like these using the paperclip icon in the compose window (upper left top row)

[PeterH]

Here's mine. Net profit minus replant cost says that only rice is profitable and the other crops run you into the ground, so to speak...

Thanks for your input!

[Scarlet]

Hi Peter,

I think there are two problems with your spreadsheet.

The first is trivial, but will add up over time: the profit you have worked out from the shop info gives you a price slightly higher than you actually receive when you harvest. The actual prices you receive "in the marketplace", so to speak, are:
strawberries 98.00; tomatoes 201.00; corn 233.00; rice 129.00; potatoes 285.00; wheat 200.00
(In case you are intersted, there is a thread about this here (http://www.myfarmcommunity.com/showthread.php?p=17181))

The other problem is what is really skewing your figures and your interpretation. Your "repeat crop" column does not show the cost of the repeat crop! It shows - correctly - that it is more expensive to start the more expensive crops, such as tomatoes, because of the higher initial outlay. You do indeed need need a few days profit to cover that outlay (but since you have to amass the outlay before you can plant you don't really notice). However you are >not< right to suggest that on a long term basis you "pay" for planting e.g. tomatoes, because your net profit already includes the cost of planting and ploughing each time, and once you have planted the first time, that amount is simply there when you harvest.
To see this, think about it this way: I need to outlay $153 in total to plant a square of tomatoes the first time; after that the $201 I receive for selling the crop pays for the next $153 of planting, leaving me with $47 in my bank account as clear net profit. After 4 days, that has easily covered the initial cost, and I am netting $47 clear each time I harvest tomatoes.

Your figures also show that the risk is higher for high cost crops - if I let my tomatoes spoil, I am going to have to find the money somewhere to replant them all, and if I had 900 squares of them, that is a lot of bucks. (This is one reason why some people plant potatoes, which take 6 days to spoil rather than 2).
They also remind me that when I harvest, I need to replant first, before I go to the cash shop to buy trees, animals or buildings, so that I am really buying out of profit and not out of my running investment capital that I need to keep the farm planted and yielding.

Hope all that makes sense. You can see that you are not right because if you were none of us would be running with any profit at all!

If you still don't believe me, go to one of your unused farms on another server (if you have an unused one of coruse!), start it up and watch what happens with the money. I started on E with four tomato patches and $400 odd dollars when it came on stream a few weeks ago and I am already running on about $20,000...

Happy farming :farmer:

[JayG]

Here's mine. Net profit minus replant cost says that only rice is profitable and the other crops run you into the ground, so to speak...

Thanks for your input!
Hopefully you've followed Charlotte's well laid out response. In a nutshell your logic flaw is taking the replant cost against the net profit, in fact your replant cost is covered in the gross profit, which provides the funds to replant, and leaves you the net profit as funds available for expansion. Again use my two crop model and select any dollar value you want, and simply run it, take the profit figures and run it again. Folks around here grew their farms on the backs of strawberries and tomatoes for a reason. If we were dead wrong, we'd not be millionaires now :)

[PeterH]

Thank you, Scarlet and Jay. I see your reasoning, but need to digest it. I appreciate your help and will repost my sheet after I adjust. Thanks again!
:little yellow cat:

[ringtail]

Quike note to all this

I am unable to open in mircsoft spread sheet the ones you have will not inport well

can you help on this?

[JayG]

Quike note to all this

I am unable to open in mircsoft spread sheet the ones you have will not inport well

can you help on this?

There are two types for each sheet in the original post, which type did you try, and what version of Excel are you using? Second have you tried the one that is a link in my signature?

[PeterH]

Got it (and in less than 24 hours!)... I was completely upside down. Bring on the Tomatoes!

Time to stop chasing the numbers :cat-catching-fly:

Thank you!!! :grabing fruit:

[JayG]

Got it (and in less than 24 hours!)... I was completely upside down. Bring on the Tomatoes!

Time to stop chasing the numbers :cat-catching-fly:

Thank you!!! :grabing fruit:

Ketchup indeed! Glad you've got it figured, but with all that said, stock up on trees they're far better than crops once they are up and running. :)

[ringtail]

There are two types for each sheet in the original post, which type did you try, and what version of Excel are you using? Second have you tried the one that is a link in my signature?

Not Excel note I think i did say Mrico Soft Spreadshet ...

Microsoft Worksworks uses XLR formatand did not import your XLS or the XLSX (this one did not even try to get imported)

Error: "there was a serious error loading data. Your document seems to be damaged. Worls will stop loading the ducment with what have been read so far. try loading a recent back up"

If you can export your XLS to XLR (Works format) I would like to see your work any ways.

But seem that tomatos is the ticked :) as I figured it out been planting tomatos and geting good cash.

As for tress well i think Im up to about 20 -30 and 20 so animals running around thanks to a few friends I recruted.

I still would like to play with the sheet any way on the multi crops and se what I can come up with

Thanks Lawrence

http://apps.facebook.com/farmgame/index.pS Hope ya can see how im doing ?

[JayG]

Not Excel note I think i did say Mrico Soft Spreadshet ...

Microsoft Worksworks uses XLR formatand did not import your XLS or the XLSX (this one did not even try to get imported) Sorry I've been using Office for so long I see Microsoft and spreadsheet and think Excel automatically!


If you can export your XLS to XLR (Works format) I would like to see your work any ways. I'll see what I can do on that one. Also know that Open Office which is free will also open them and all other Microsoft Office formats. It's also likely to be a more robust product overall than the one you are using. There is a thread in the Computer section with more details.



I still would like to play with the sheet any way on the multi crops and se what I can come up with

Thanks Lawrence I'll have a look later in the day to see what's possible


http://apps.facebook.com/farmgame/index.pS Hope ya can see how im doing ?That's not the farm link you want, the one you need ends in your FB id, if you click the link to view Friends Farms, and then click your own farm, the link in the address bar will be the one you want. Also if you've put your FB ID into the forum the tree icon next to the avatar in your post will take people to your farm.

[JayG]

Not Excel note I think i did say Mrico Soft Spreadshet ...

Microsoft Worksworks uses XLR formatand did not import your XLS or the XLSX (this one did not even try to get imported)

Error: "there was a serious error loading data. Your document seems to be damaged. Worls will stop loading the ducment with what have been read so far. try loading a recent back up"

If you can export your XLS to XLR (Works format) I would like to see your work any ways.

Have a look at this Microsoft Support link (http://www.microsoft.com/products/works/more/worktogether.mspx). I do not have an option to save in XLR format, but you may be able to get a converter for your end that works. If not, have a look at Open Office (http://www.openoffice.org/).

[ringtail]

Thank you Jay, very most help I will look into all this and see what I come up with.

"Added later on" Still very glad you helped with this

I thought clearly with a good nights rest and in the morning with a pot of coffee.

EUREKA !!!!

Remembering this is a newly bought PC and forgot I had a office CD some placed stored from and older PC
Installed Excel :) thank you so much for reminding me office has Excel all your hard work now can bee seen and yes strawberries are good :) I love the jam they make and dipped in chocalate.... well thats another story

hope my sig is good this time as well

Thank you JayG (http://www.myfarmcommunity.com/member.php?u=7)

.

[Anna0513]

I still have the smaller farm the one you get when you start out. I have only 165 crops, some trees, animals and a recently added chicken coup. I am way behind you seasoned farmers! I'm confused on how to get bigger. I see the link to making your farm bigger but there are warnings that you will lose crops and/or money. How do I upgrade without losing everything? Also, should I keep increasing my crops?

[Anna0513]

Also, how does everyone get so many trees, animals etc? are they gifts?

[Joy]

Also, how does everyone get so many trees, animals etc? are they gifts?

Yes, they are gifts from your farm friends. If you don't have enough farm friends, there is a thread in this forum where you can request farm friends. Just remember that a good friend reciprocates.

[Anna0513]

Yes, they are gifts from your farm friends. If you don't have enough farm friends, there is a thread in this forum where you can request farm friends. Just remember that a good friend reciprocates.

I'm not finding this thread. I would reciprocate to anyone. In fact, I would give without receiving.

[Joy]

I'm not finding this thread. I would reciprocate to anyone. In fact, I would give without receiving.

Try this" http://myfarmcommunity.com/showthread.php?t=36&highlight=friend+request

[Anna0513]

Thank you...

[Anna0513]

Also...what about upgrading to a larger farm without losing everything? Can you help with that?

[Joy]

Also...what about upgrading to a larger farm without losing everything? Can you help with that?

You won't lose anything when you upgrade, but it will be all jumbled around -- crops in two or more places, etc. I have heard that sometimes people find their buildings and animals in the green void at the edge of the farm, but that didn't happen to me or my farmer husband.