Sugar beets and potatoes Farming Simulator 15 Guide
Last update: 11 May 2016
Sugar beets and potatoes require you to cut the leaves before you harvest them. The following machines are necessary for you to buy: a special sowing machine, a machine that cuts the leaves and one that harvests the plants. The last two tasks can be performed by one, very efficient, but expensive harvester. All the other tasks are identical to those when growing grain - cultivation, sowing, spraying. Next, you will have to cut off the leaves and then - harvest. It makes the work a bit longer, but these plants are very profitable.
Sugar beets
In order to start growing sugar beets, you will need a special sowing machine. At the beginning, it will be the same model that can also be used for growing corn - Tempo F8 for 61 000$. The sowing is done the same way as always, but remember about choosing the right seed [O]. After you've sowed the field, don't forget to spray it as well.
When the plants are ready to be harvested, another machine will enter the stage - a machine for cutting the leaves. You can complete this task with FT 300 for 17 000$. Unfortunately, you cannot hire a worker to do that for you, which makes the time of harvesting beets longer. Remember to drive in a straight line and try not to omit any rows. You cannot allow a situation in which you will harvest for example only two rows. Fortunately, there's no speed limit here, so this task goes faster than the harvest.
After removing the greens, the time for proper harvest comes. For this, you will need a special harvester - Rooster 604, which costs 88 000$. Unfortunately, just like in the case of the previous task, you cannot hire a worker here. The width of the harvester is not large, so it may take you some time. Moreover, you have to frequently drive to the trailer, to unload the tank.
However, there is a cure for the problems described above - you can cut the leaves and harvest the roots at the same time. It is possible thanks to Maxtron 620, which costs only 479 000$. This harvester performs these two tasks simultaneously and you can hire a worker to drive it. It is a perfect machine for harvesting beets, but the price is its huge downside. If you think about growing this plant seriously, you have to save money to buy this harvester - despite the small width, it will speed up the work considerably. The most efficient way is to help your worker - let the Maxtron 620 work on 2/3 of the field and take care of the rest yourself. Remove the leaves and begin to harvest - you will do the work much faster when together. Another way is to drive a tractor with a trailer right next to the harvester so that it doesn't need to stop and unload the crop. Because of large crops, you will also need to invest in a bigger tipper - at least TMK 266 Bull with 32t capacity (it costs 35 000$). Thus is only for the start. The bigger area you sow on, the bigger the crop, so it's good to buy a bigger trailer later.
Below, you can see a table of profits given by growing sugar beets. Remember to spray the field - otherwise, your crop will be two times smaller.
Plant | Crop (1 ha) | Average profit (1 ha) |
Sugar beet | 66,90t | 29 440$ - 31 240$ |
As you can see, growing sugar beets is twice as profitable as growing grain, so starting this business should be an obvious choice at some point of the gameplay. However, you should remember about the initial costs (166 00$ in total) and later expenditures - a bigger tipper, the best harvester (over 500 000$). Additionally, when using cheaper machines, you have to perform two tasks by yourself, which makes the work much longer. Growing beets is much more viable and less arduous when you have the best equipment. It is therefore good to try to save some money to buy it.
Potatoes
Growing potatoes is similar to growing sugar beets. To start this activity, you have to purchase a special sowing machines. The cheapest one costs 21 000$ (model GL 420). If you have some more money, do not hesitate and buy GL 660 for 57 000$, which is twice as wider. You fill it up the same way as usually.
The first task, when the plants are ready, is to remove the leaves. You can do that using a K 75-4 (it costs only 7900$). Cutting the greens shouldn't take you long, but you have to do this task yourself - there's no possibility of hiring a worker here. Next, you can harvest the potatoes. To do that, buy an appropriate harvester (SE 260, which costs 127 000$). Its biggest downside is the width, which amounts only two meters. Unfortunately - this task also cannot be done by a worker, so prepare yourself for a lot of work.
Just like in the case of sugar beets, you can make the work faster by buying a special harvester, which removes the leaves and harvests potatoes at the same time. It costs 479 000$ (Tectron 415). The costs is quite high, but if you think about the business seriously, you have no choice - joining two tasks into one will speed up the work. Also the width of the harvester is bigger. You can also hire a worker to drive it. Don't forget about a large trailer, as you will harvest more potatoes than sugar beets.
Below, you can see a table of profits. Remember to spray the field - otherwise, your crop will be twice as smaller.
Plant | Crop (1ha) | Average profit (1ha) |
Potato | 74,30t | 29 320$ - 30 130$ |
Growing potatoes is also very profitable - you harvest large crops, on which you can earn a lot of money, despite the low prices. You should however remember about high initial costs (155 900$) and later expenditures - a better sowing machine, larger tippers and lastly, Tectron 415 harvester, without which, you cannot start a big business.