Fertilizers

Fertilizers are research-related farm inputs used to raise a farm’s fertility above the natural 100% limit. Three fertilizer tiers are described: Fertilizer (organic), Fertilizer I, and Fertilizer II. Fertilizer (organic) can only maintain fertility up to 100%, while Fertilizer I can push fertility to 120% and Fertilizer II to 140%.

To use fertilizer, the farm’s green slider in the farm menu must be set to the desired fertility level. The fertilizer consumption depends on the fertility target and the crop’s fertility use. For example, potatoes consume 10.67% fertility per minute, so maintaining that rate requires 10.67 organic fertilizer or 5.34 Fertilizer I / Fertilizer II per minute. When the target fertility is set above 100%, the farm’s natural fertility replenishment also has to be offset with additional fertilizer, which increases total consumption further.

In practice, fertilizers are most useful when higher fertility is needed for boosting crop production, but they come with a continuous input cost. The higher the fertility target, the more fertilizer must be supplied just to keep the farm at that level.