Farming Simulator 19: Beginner-to-Advanced Guide

This guide covers FS19 from your first field to a profitable multi-crop farm with animals and forestry. It includes start modes, the full crop cycle, yield boosters, what to buy first, money-making strategies, and the DLC and mods worth adding today.

Researched September 2026 — current as of the final FS19 content (last official DLC: Rottne, March 16, 2021). FS19 is complete; GIANTS has since released Farming Simulator 22 and Farming Simulator 25. Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Status note: FS19 no longer gets new content, but it's still sold, fully playable offline, and supports multiplayer (up to 16 players on PC) and ModHub mods. Its systems are simpler than FS22 and FS25 (no production chains or seasons without mods), which makes it a good low-cost entry to the series.

Quick Start

• Pick "New Farmer" for your first save. It gives you a small farm, fields, and starting equipment, and it's the most forgiving mode.
• Do contracts before buying land. Contracts on other people's fields pay well and let you use your equipment (or borrowed equipment) without owning more land.
• Hire helpers. Press H in a vehicle to hire an AI worker. They cost money per hour but let you run several machines at once.
• Sell at the right place. Each crop's price differs by selling point, and prices change over time. Check the Prices screen before every sale.
• Fertilize. Fertilizing is the easiest yield boost and pays for itself.
• Don't buy everything. Lease equipment from the shop for jobs you only do occasionally, and use the equipment some contracts lend you.
• Take a loan carefully. A small loan to buy a field or key machine is fine. Pay it off as soon as you're profitable, because interest adds up.
• Grass and animals take time to pay off. Start with arable crops, then add animals once income is steady.

Start Modes

Mode | What you get | Who it suits

New Farmer | Farm, fields, basic equipment, some money | First-time players

Farm Manager | More money, no fields or equipment | Players who want to plan from scratch with a cushion

Start from Scratch | Very little money, no land | Veterans who want a real challenge

Default Controls (PC keyboard)

Key | Action

W / A / S / D | Drive or walk

E | Enter or exit a vehicle

Tab | Switch between vehicles

Q | Attach or detach an implement

V | Lower or raise an implement

B | Turn an implement on or off

X | Fold or unfold

H | Hire or dismiss a helper

Esc | Menu (map, prices, finances, contracts)

Bindings can be changed in the Controls section of Options, and a few vehicles use extra keys shown in the on-screen help box. Check the help box (top left): it always shows the current context actions.

Maps

Map | Style

Ravenport | American map with large fields, big equipment, and wide roads

Felsbrunn | European map with smaller, irregular fields and villages

Erlengrat (Alpine Farming Expansion) | Mountain valleys, grassland focus, alpine equipment

Beginner pick: Felsbrunn's smaller fields are easier to manage with starter equipment. Ravenport rewards big machinery later.

The Crop Cycle

• Cultivate or plow the field.
• Sow the seed with a seeder or planter (the right one for the crop).
• Fertilize (up to two stages for full effect).
• Deal with weeds using a weeder or herbicide sprayer.
• Wait for the crop to grow through its stages.
• Harvest with the right header or harvester.
• Transport with trailers and sell or store.

Crops in FS19

Crop | Equipment notes

Wheat, Barley, Oat | Cereal header on a combine

Canola, Soybeans | Cereal header; high value

Maize (corn) | Corn header, or chopped for silage

Sunflowers | Sunflower header

Potatoes | Potato planter and harvester

Sugar Beet | Beet planter and harvester

Cotton | Cotton harvester (makes modules or bales)

Sugarcane | Sugarcane planter and harvester

Grass | Mower, tedder, windrower, balers or loader wagons

Poplar | Energy crop; special harvester

Oilseed Radish | Cover crop that fertilizes the soil

Starter crop tips: wheat, barley, and canola work with the same combine and cereal header, so start there. Root crops and cotton need expensive specialist machines, so add them later.

Yield boosters

Booster | How

Fertilizer | Solid or liquid fertilizer spreaders, or slurry or manure from animals

Lime | Apply when the field needs it (shown on the map overlay)

Plowing | Plow when the map shows it's needed

Weed control | Weeder early, herbicide later

Use the map overlays (in the Esc menu) to see which fields need fertilizer, lime, plowing, or weeding.

Money-Making Strategies

Early game

• Contracts: harvest, fertilize, cultivate, sow, spray, or bale on NPC fields. Some contracts lend you equipment. Pay is solid, and you learn the machines.
• Grow cereals and canola on your own fields and sell at the best price.
• Straw bales from cereal harvests sell or feed animals.

Mid game

• Buy fields next to yours to cut travel time.
• Store grain in silos when prices are low and sell when there's high demand. Watch for "great demand" events on the Prices screen.
• Add a second combine or bigger header for faster harvests.

Late game

• Specialty crops (potatoes, sugar beet, cotton, sugarcane) pay more but need dedicated machines.
• Forestry: fell and sell logs, or chip them. Forestry DLCs (such as Rottne) add high-end harvesters and forwarders.
• Animals: turn grass, grain, and straw into higher-value products.

Animals

Animal | Needs | Products

Cows | Water, grass, hay or silage, straw; TMR for top productivity | Milk, slurry and manure

Pigs | Water and a mix of grains, protein, and root crops | Sell pigs, manure

Sheep | Water, grass or hay | Wool

Chickens | Grain | Eggs

Horses | Food, water, straw, daily riding and cleaning | Horse value rises with care

Horse tip: riding and cleaning horses daily raises their fitness, health, and value. It's a steady income source once you have a stable.

Equipment Tips

• Match horsepower to implements. An implement's required power is listed in the shop.
• Leasing is great for rare jobs such as liming or plowing once a season.
• Wider implements save the most time once you have enough power to pull them.
• Keep machines clean. Wash dirty machines at your farm's washer or with a pressure washer; dirt and age reduce resale value.
• Sell what you've outgrown. Selling an old tractor or header helps fund the upgrade.

DLC and Expansions

Content | What it adds

Alpine Farming Expansion (Nov 12, 2020) | Erlengrat map, 30+ alpine machines (Aebi, Lindner, PÖTTINGER, SIP), first electric vehicle in the series (Rigitrac SKE 50)

Platinum Expansion | A large set of new equipment

Precision Farming (free, Dec 8, 2020) | Soil sampling (four soil types), pH and nitrogen, variable application rates

GRIMME Equipment Pack (Jan 26, 2021) | 14 GRIMME machines for potato farming

Rottne DLC (Mar 16, 2021) | Rottne H21D harvester and F20D forwarder

Season Pass | Includes the later DLCs such as GRIMME and Rottne

The Premium Edition bundles the base game with 10 content packs, including the Alpine and Platinum expansions.

Free ModHub bonus vehicles: John Deere XUV865M Gator, CLAAS DOMINATOR 108 SL MAXI, and CLAAS TORION 1914 Dev Mule.

Mods

• ModHub (in-game Mod Hub menu) has official, tested mods for maps, equipment, and gameplay.
• Popular additions include Seasons 19 (adds seasons, weather, and growth cycles), Precision Farming (official free DLC), and map mods.
• Multiplayer: every player needs the same mods as the host. The game prompts you to download ModHub mods when joining.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Overspending on machines early. Lease occasional-use equipment first.
• Harvesting before checking prices. Selling at the wrong point can cost a lot.
• Skipping fertilizer. Unfertilized fields lose a lot of yield.
• Forgetting helpers are running up costs. Dismiss them when they're idle.
• Buying animals without feed production. Buying feed eats your profits.
• Mixing up headers. Corn needs a corn header, sunflowers need a sunflower header.
• Carrying a large loan long-term. Pay it down once you're profitable.
• Leaving weeds unchecked. Weeds cut yields at harvest.

Advanced Tips

• Use slurry and manure from animals instead of buying fertilizer.
• Plant oilseed radish as a cover crop when you have spare time. It fertilizes the field for the next crop.
• Chain helpers. One helper harvests while another cultivates the previous field and you handle transport.
• Store and wait for high demand. Silos plus patience beat selling at harvest.
• Plan field shapes. Uneven fields slow helpers down. Big rectangular fields are best for AI work.
• Precision Farming can save money on inputs once you've sampled your soil.
• Try Seasons 19 for more realism once the base game feels easy.

FAQ

Is FS19 still worth playing in 2026? Yes, for a cheaper, simpler entry or for its mod library. FS22 and FS25 have newer systems and more support.

Can I play multiplayer? Yes. Up to 16 players on PC, with mods matching the host.

How do I make money fast early? Take contracts, grow cereals and canola, and sell at the best price point. Avoid big purchases until cash flow is steady.

Which map is best for beginners? Felsbrunn for smaller, easier fields. Ravenport once you're ready for big equipment.

How do I hire an AI worker? Get into a vehicle with an implement attached and lowered where needed, then press H.

Does FS19 have seasons? Not in the base game. The Seasons 19 mod from ModHub adds seasons, weather effects, and growth cycles.

Sources

• Farming Simulator 19 on Steam (store page and announcements)
• Official announcement: Rottne DLC out now (Mar 16, 2021)
• Official announcement: GRIMME Equipment Pack (Jan 26, 2021)
• Official announcement: Precision Farming DLC (Dec 8, 2020)
• Official announcement: Alpine Farming Expansion (Nov 12, 2020)
• Official announcement: Farming Simulator 22 release date (June 22, 2021)