Farming Simulator 25 isn’t just about traditional farming; it’s a multifaceted game that requires you to master various aspects, including livestock management, for success. Understanding how to raise cattle is essential if you want to develop your farming venture.
Cows are often the first animals that come to mind when envisioning a farm. They play a vital role on your property by providing essential products. This guide will walk you through the basics of managing cattle, enhancing your gaming experience.
A Guide to Cow Ranching
To successfully manage cows in Farming Simulator 25, keep these essential tips in mind:
- Construct a shelter for your cows and focus on breeding.
- Ensure they have access to fresh water and quality feed.
- Monitor their health closely for optimal productivity.
- Consider selling raw milk or creating additional products.
- Plan your sales strategically based on the game’s economy.
Creating a Shelter for Your Cattle
Start by setting up a designated shelter for your cattle. If you lack a pen, you will need to build one.
To do this, access the build mode from the store menu. You’ll see an aerial view of your farm with various options on the left.
In the left menu bar, click on the cow icon to access the Animal Pasture menu. In the first tab, you will find cow pastures and barns available for purchase:
| Item | Price | Capacity |
| Cow Pasture | $15,000 | 7 |
| Cow Barn | $85,000 | 35 |
| Large Cow Barn | $170,000 | 99 |
| Hormann Cow Barn | $254,000 | 50 |
| Large Hormann Cow Barn | $518,500 | 96 |
| Hormann Cow Barn with Feeding Robot | $722,500 | 93 |
You can adjust the capacity of your animal pens by building custom fences. Additionally, adding meadow grass to your pens can help to automatically feed the cows to some extent.
Once the pen is in place, you won’t start with any cows. You’ll need to purchase animals from Animal Dealers and transport them manually. Alternatively, you can buy them directly from the barn’s interactive menu, though this incurs a delivery fee.
Look for a floating green paw icon near your pasture or barn and interact with it to open a menu for buying cows and other animals.
Feel free to also house water buffaloes in cow pastures.
Feeding Your Cows
Grass and hay are the primary food options for cows in Farming Simulator 25, each yielding different results. You’ll need to be strategic about your choices:
- Only Hay: 80 percent effective.
- Only Silage: 80 percent effective.
- Only Grass: 40 percent effective.
- Only Meadow Grass: 40 percent effective.
- Mixed Ration: 100 percent effective.
Good quality feed leads to healthier cows, which is essential for consistent produce. For optimal results, aim to provide your cattle with mixed rations. If you have meadow grass in your barn or pasture, adding hay or silage will achieve full effectiveness.
Cows that haven’t reached puberty only need one type of feed, as they won’t produce milk until they do. Making sure your mature cows are well-fed is crucial for generating quality yield.
If necessary, all types of feed, including mixed rations, can be purchased at the shop.
Providing Water for Cows
Unlike barns, cow pastures require manual watering since they’re not linked to a water delivery system. Fortunately, this task is straightforward.
Start by buying a portable water barrel from the Vehicle Shop under the Animal category. Once you have the barrel, attach it to a tractor and head to a nearby water source. Position the barrel so that it just touches the water to access the refill option.
After refilling, drive the barrel back to your pasture and deliver it by placing it on the water drop icon. When the dump option appears, interact with it to fill your pasture with water.
Managing Animal Waste
In addition to milk, cows generate manure and slurry, both of which can be used as fertilizers for your fields, saving you money on commercial products.
To obtain manure, provide straw bedding in the barn. Slurry is created by feeding the cows.
To utilize your homemade fertilizer, you’ll need either a Manure Spreader or Slurry Tanker, which can be found in the Yield Improvement category of the Vehicle Shop.
Keep in mind that manure isn’t stored at the barn automatically; you’ll need to add a manure storage extension. Enter build mode, find the barn icon, select it, and scroll through the tabs to find Silo Extensions. Choose the Manure Heap Extension and place it near your Cow Barn for automatic storage.
To collect manure from your storage extension, use a Manure Spreader and park a trailer next to it. An option to pick up the manure should appear for your selected vehicle.
Avoid using the Manure Heap, as it is not connected to storage. The Manure Heap Extension links to a barn for automatic manure storage, which is different from the Manure Heap itself.
You can sell both slurry and manure in the game, converting your cattle’s waste into profit. For slurry, you’ll need a Slurry Transport to deliver it to buyers, found in the same category at the Vehicle Shop.
To collect slurry, approach the cow dung icon with your tanker parked nearby to access the refill option. You can then transport the slurry to sellers for profit.
How to Get Your Cows to Produce Milk
Farming Simulator 25 features four types of cows, but only two of them produce milk. The available breeds are:
- Brown-Swiss (Produces milk)
- Holstein (Produces milk)
- Angus (Can be sold for a good price when grown)
- Limousin (Can be sold for a good price when grown)
Cows will start producing milk once they reach 18 months of age. At that point, they can also give birth to calves after a few months. Additionally, you’ll need a proper space for the cows to produce milk, which means that having them in Cow Pastures won’t suffice.
To sell milk, you’ll need a portable barrel. Position the barrel on the milk logo near your barn to refill it.
Afterward, transport the tanker to buyers or processing facilities to sell it or convert it into refined products like bottled milk. Either way, you’re bound to make a profit.
Tips for Growing Your Cattle Business
When selling milk, be aware that selling prices fluctuate by season. The best months to sell are generally January to March and September to October. The average price tends to hover around $2,096, so aim to sell when prices are close to this to avoid losses.
Also, try to process the milk to improve profitability; processed products often fetch higher prices.
Since only two breeds can produce milk, consider expanding your inventory by acquiring non-milk-producing breeds like Angus and Limousin. Buy them young and watch their value increase as they mature. You can fill half your barn with milk producers and the rest with cattle meant for sale. Breeding these animals offers additional hustle and solid income potential when they grow.
