The concept of a building being efficient is a complex one to explore. You need to balance the increase in product with upgrade cost and workers required. Increasing how fast you grow is dependent on finding some sweet spots. Is $2,860,000 to upgrade a goat worth 13 cheese or is it better spent on a land expansion?

Things are further complicated when you start to consider the alternative value of workers and cash spent on upgrades – is $5,000,000 better spent on upgrading stables, orchards or expanding? Are workers spent on more humus from a higher level composter more valuable than using those workers to upgrade an apple to level 8? All fun questions.

Things are even further complicated when you add in personal value. A 6th cow is of more value than a 2nd pig to someone that has built their farm purely for their co-op and they are making the choice to pay more and earn less to achieve that goal. But, if they did have a pig, what level should it be?

The other key concept to consider is that there are 2 land expansion “shifts” in the game:

• Expansion 10 to approximately 32 - you wait for materials to be able to expand, and often you are level locked.
• Expansion 32 to 42 - you have the materials, but money is the problem. Upgrades get expensive and you have to wait and save to expand. It is possible to have the materials needed for a few expansions saved up.
• Expansion 43 and above - you can earn the money 3-4 times faster than the materials, which means while you are waiting for the materials, you will have $200 million that needs a home and is perfect for all of the upgrades you put off. Money not being a constraint changes the value of an upgrade. This is when it starts to make sense to spend big dollars on lower products returns, like level 7+ stables.

The fastest growing farm invests in the item that gives the highest return. This puts a focus on growing out (expanding) and up(grading) wisely until you are expansion material choked, and then upgrading further.

In terms of workers to product generation, level 1 buildings always win. If you need to fill space, level 1 buildings until you have a plan always work and they are easy to bulldoze.

These are some things to consider when you look at what level your buildings should be.