Stardew Valley's Farming skill focuses on everything related to animals, crops, and the production of artisan goods. Leveling up the Farming skill will grant more proficiency with the Watering Can and the Hoe, meaning they'll require less energy to use.

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Like all other Stardew Valley skills, the Farming skill offers two choices at Level 5, then two more choices at Level 10, depending on which Profession was chosen at Level 5. It can be difficult to choose which Professions are best, so we've outlined all the differences, bonuses, and which are best.

Updated May 5, 2023 by Michael Christopher: We've given this guide a bit of a refresh to make sure it's clear, concise, and helpful, as well as to add some information about changing Professions at the Statue of Uncertainty.

Farming Professions Summary

Here's a quick summary of the Professions available at Level 5 and Level 10.

Farming Professions, Explained

Level 5 Choices

At Level 5, the player is prompted with a choice between Rancher and Tiller.

> Rancher

The Rancher branch focuses more on farm animals and animal-related tasks. By choosing Rancher, the player will make 20% more gold from selling raw animal products, like Eggs, Wool, and Milk.

This bonus even applies to artisan goods made from animal products (Mayonnaise, Cheese, etc.). Strangely, Dinosaur Eggs receive the bonus despite being classified as an artifact, but Truffles do not as they are considered a foraged item.

The following items are affected by the Rancher Profession:

• Eggs of any kind
• Mayonnaise of any kind
• Milk of any kind
• Cheese of any kind
• Wool
• Cloth
• Rabbit's Feet
• Duck Feathers

> Tiller

Choosing Tiller will grant a 10% gold bonus when selling crops. This bonus does not apply to fruit that has been foraged, but it does apply to some flowers that are foraged (Crocus and Sweet Pea). Additionally, the game registers if an item is foraged or grown (such as Grapes), even though there's no way for the player to see the distinction.

It's kind of confusing which items count for the Tiller Profession and which don't. Expand this section for a handy list!

Does count:

• Fruit Tree Fruit picked from a tree
• Grown Fruit from standard seed packets (Ancient Fruit, Melons, etc.)
• Grown Flowers from standard seed packets
• Grown Vegetables from standard seed packets
• Fiddlehead Ferns
• Salmonberries and Blackberries plucked from bushes
• Cactus Fruit
• Grown Grapes (from standard seed packets)
• Any fruit sent to the farmer in the mail
• Fruit purchased from Sandy's shop in the Desert
• Some Foraged Flowers: Crocus and Sweet Pea

Does NOT count:

• Fruit from the Fruit Cave
• Salmonberries and Blackberries from the Fruit Cave
• Foraged Grapes
• Fruit grown from Wild Seeds
• Foraged Fruits: Crystal Fruit, Spice Berry, Wild Plum, Coconut
• Qi Fruit
• Some Foraged Flowers: Dandelion, Holly, and Daffodil

read more

Rancher Chosen - Level 10 Choices

If the player chooses Rancher at Level 5, they'll be presented with Coopmaster or Shepherd at Level 10.

> Coopmaster

This Profession affects animals that live in Coops, which includes Chickens, Rabbits, Ducks, Dinosaurs, Void Chickens, and Golden Chickens.

Any player who becomes a Coopmaster will become friends with Coop-dwelling animals much faster. Additionally, the time it takes for an egg placed in a Coop's incubator to hatch will be cut in half.

The game does not include this information, but choosing the Coopmaster Profession will also cause animal products from coop-dwelling animals to have increased chances of being higher quality.

> Shepherd

Choosing the Shepherd Profession affects animals that reside in Barns, which are Cows, Pigs, Goats, Sheep, and Ostriches.

This Profession basically works the same way as Coopmaster but for Barn animals. These animals will befriend the player much faster, and their products will have increased chances of being higher quality.

Rather than the halved incubation time, Shepherd will cause Sheep to produce their Wool more often.

Tiller Chosen - Level 10 Choices

Players who choose Tiller at Level 5 will be prompted with a choice between Artisan and Agriculturist at Level 10.

> Artisan

Easily one of the most profitable Professions in the game is Artisan. By choosing this Profession, all artisan goods will sell for 40% more gold. This means that all that Wine, Cheese, Truffle Oil, and Pale Ale (and everything else) will see a huge bump in sale price. Empires have been built off of the Artisan Profession, and it's an extremely popular choice among players.

> Agriculturist

The other choice at Level 10 is Agriculturist. This skill causes crops to grow 10% faster. This is nice, but it can be done with fertilizer, making Artisan the better choice.

Best Farming Professions in Stardew Valley

Generally speaking, the combination of Tiller (Level 5) and Artisan (Level 10) will be the best path.

> Tiller & Artisan

For most people, the best choice at Level 5 will be Tiller. There are two reasons for this:

1. Crops are much more reliable moneymakers than animal products early on in the game

2. Artisan is the best of all the Level 10 choices

In the early game, it's unlikely that the average player will have very many animals, so the sale price bonus to animal products will not be as significant as the bump to crop prices. Additionally, crops can be grown in abundance, so long as the player has the money or Seed Makers to obtain enough seeds. Animals have limited production that is time-locked and can't really be increased beyond buying and raising more animals.

As for the second reason, Artisan is easily one of the most profitable Professions in the game, and it can't be accessed unless Tiller is chosen. The average farm will, in the long run, be crafting most of their raw goods into artisan products.

Those who do decide to choose Rancher should select Shepherd at Level 10. Coopmaster and Shepherd offer similar bonuses, for the most part, each one increasing the quality of animal products and speed of friendship with animals in either building. However, the third bonus from Shepherd (Sheep produce Wool faster) will be much more useful than Coopmaster's (incubation times halved). Incubating Eggs into new Chickens and Ducks is only useful for a limited time. Sheep produce Wool forever, and Cloth has a ton of uses.

Don't forget: The Statue of Uncertainty in the Sewers allows you to change Professions for 10,000g as often as you want. This can come in handy for temporary switches to make things easier.

For example, if you're planning on expanding the number of animals on your farm but you have the Tiller path of Professions, switch over to Rancher + Coopmaster/Shepherd temporarily to have the new animals warm up to you faster (and for eggs to hatch faster), then switch back.

Another way to use the switching mechanic is if you produce a ton of artisan goods but want animals to produce faster most of the time. Keep the Rancher + Coopmaster/Shepherd Profession and save up all your artisan goods until the end of the season. Switch to Artisan temporarily, sell all your artisan goods, then switch back. This, of course, relies on being able to survive without selling artisan goods until the end of season, and it also depends on the total profits being more than the 20,000g fees of switching Professions twice. But, for those who can turn a profit through this method, it's worth considering.

Stardew Valley is available on PS4, PS Vita, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, Android, and iOS.

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