Stardew Valley: How to Unlock the Farm Computer

Stardew Valley comes with a big farm, and while players have to start small, you can eventually put every square to use. Doing so is great for farm productivity, but it can become hard to keep track of everything. That's why the game features a number of helpful automation features.

One such feature is the Farm Computer. This computer lets you know which crops need watering, which ones are ready to harvest, and even what's happening inside the greenhouse once it's up and running. The only trouble is that the only way to build one is to complete a special order that has nothing to do with farming.

How to Earn the Farm Computer

Stardew Valley Computer Quest — One of the two quests that can unlock the farm computer in Stardew Valley.

On or after the second day of Fall, during the first year, Mayor Lewis will install a "special request" board in front of his house. These requests have bigger requirements than the normal requests on Pierre's shop, but the rewards include more cash and unique bonuses.

Two special requests can unlock the farm computer: "Biome Balance" and "Aquatic Overpopulation." Both requests come from Demetrius, and their requirements are very similar. Demetrius is concerned about fish overpopulation, and to deal with this he wants someone to catch a certain number of fish.

For "Biome Balance" he wants 20 of a category of fish (river, lake, ocean), and for "Aquatic Overpopulation" he wants 10 of a specific species of fish. This can include seasonal and non-seasonal fish, but the target species is always something you can catch with a fishing line while the special order is active. However, the order only counts fish caught after you accept the quest.

Once you catch all the fish, you get a gold reward immediately, and Demetrius will send the blueprints for the farm computer through the mail the next day. These special orders can reappear after completing them once, but you only get the computer after the first time.

The components needed to build the farm computer are a Dwarf Gadget, a Battery Pack, and 10 Refined Quartz. The best odds for getting a Dwarf Gadget come from breaking open a Magma Geode or an Artifact Trove.

What the Farm Computer Provides

Stardew Valley Computer Readout — The information you get from a farm computer in Stardew Valley.

The best place to put the farm computer is right next to the front door of the farmhouse. This way you can plan out where to go during the morning routine before starting it.

Most of the lines on the farm analysis screen are self-explanatory, but for the rest:

"Crops Ready" and "Crops Ready In Greenhouse" specifically refer to crops that you can harvest immediately.
"Open Tilled Soil" refers to any hoed square on the farm that contains no crops.
"Machines Ready" refers to machines either inside or outside that have products ready to grab.
"Farm Cave Ready" means that there are products in the farm cave ready to harvest.

None of these numbers include squares on the Ginger Island farm, even if you place the computer in the Ginger Island farmhouse. On the bright side, this means you can use the computer to learn when you need to visit the Stardew Valley farm while living out on Ginger Island.