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In Stardew Valley, your main goal is to create a successful farm in Pelican Town, and constructing a silo is one step to that success.
Silos are indispensable farm buildings on any Stardew Valley farm. These towering 3×3 buildings serve as a hay storage facility, a crucial resource for farmers raising livestock. Without a silo, keeping your cows and chickens well-fed, especially during the harsh winter season it’s more challenging to feed your animals and maintain a steady income.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through the steps on how to obtain a silo, its cost, and how to efficiently utilize it to support your livestock.
Hay Production and Storage
The primary purpose of a silo is to turn the grass you cut into hay. Not only does the silo act as a hay converter, but it also serves as a storage for hay. A fully constructed Silo can hold up to 240 units of hay. So make sure when you cut grass, you already have your silo ready.
This hay storage is important for your animals, especially during winter or rainy days when they can’t graze outside their barns or coops. It ensures you always have a reserve of hay to keep your livestock well-fed and happy.
To access the stored hay inside the silo, you’ll need to utilize the hay hoppers found within your barns and coops. But if you fully upgrade your farm buildings, the auto-feed system will help you place the hay automatically on your animals’ feeding bench.
Monitoring the Amount of Hay
Keeping track of the hay stored in your silo is very easy and straightforward. Simply interact with the silo, and it will display the total amount of hay it contains. If you own multiple silo, there will be a display box that will show the combined amount of hay across all of them, making it easy to manage your resources efficiently.
How Much Does a Silo Cost?
To start building your silo, you’ll need the following first:
- 100 Gold: This is the in-game currency that you’ll have to earn to construct the silo.
- 100 Stones: Stones can be found throughout the map of Stardew Valley, but it is mostly seen in the mines and quarry.
- 10 Clay: Clay is another essential material for the silo. It’s often found while mining or from breaking dirt patches using your hoe.
- 5 Copper Bars: To obtain copper bars, you’ll need to smelt copper ores first in a furnace.
Once you have these resources in your possession, head over to the Carpenter’s Shop, located in the northeastern corner of the game’s map. Keep in mind that Robin takes two days to complete the construction, so don’t cut your grass just yet.
You can request her services any day except Tuesdays, between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM. Simply bring the required materials and your hard-earned gold to Robin, and she’ll start building your silo.
Planning Ahead
As previously mentioned, building a silo is a wise choice for first-time farmers. While it may be tempting to invest in a Barn or Coop initially, doing so without a silo can make animal care very challenging. As we mentioned before without a silo, you’ll waste resources when cutting grass on your farm. Make sure that you will prioritize building one or even two Silos as one of your initial farm projects.
How to Add Hay to a Silo
Now that you understand the significance of your silo let’s explore the various methods to add hay:
- Purchase Hay: You can buy hay directly from Marnie’s Ranch or the Desert Trader and then it will be placed in your inventory, so make sure you have space for it. You should be able to manually transfer the hay to the silo.
- Grass Cutting: Whenever you cut the grass on your farm using a scythe, there’s a 50% chance that the hay will be automatically added to your silo. If you upgrade your Scythe to a Golden Scythe, the chances increase by 75%.
- Wheat Farming: During the summer and fall seasons, you can plant Wheat Seeds, harvest the Wheat that grows from them, and manually add it to the silo.
- Weed Cutting: Use any melee weapon enchanted with the Haymaker effect to cut the weeds on your farm and you can gather hay for your silo.
With these methods, you can ensure that your silo remains well-stocked with hay to cater to your animals’ needs throughout the year.
Acquiring and utilizing a silo in Stardew Valley is an essential step towards becoming a successful farmer. It not only simplifies the process of keeping your livestock well-fed but also contributes to the overall efficiency of your farm.
