Silos are an essential building to have on any Stardew Valley farm. These tall, 3×3 structures are used to store hay, which is a vital material for any farmer who chooses to raise animals. Without a silo, players may struggle to keep their cows and chickens fed and happy, especially in the wintertime.
Some players may not realize the importance of this building until they have already begun to raise animals, resulting in a scramble to get one built quickly. To help new farmers, here’s a quick guide on how to build silos and use them on the farm.
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Updated December 15, 2024, by Demaris Oxman: Now that the 1.6 update has arrived on all platforms, more farmers than ever are flocking to Stardew Valley to live out their dreams of a simple country life. In addition to exciting new items and events, the game’s latest version also adds plenty of balance changes and quality-of-life modifications. One of these relates to how grass grows on the farm during Winter, which affects how players feed their animals and store their Hay in silos. For those who are exploring 1.6, here’s what farmers need to know.
How To Get A Silo
The silo is a good choice as a first building to purchase. It is cheaper and requires fewer materials than most other buildings; furthermore, it allows players to stockpile a feed supply, which will help keep their animals happy and producing quality goods. To build a silo on their farm, players will need to collect the following materials:
- 100 Stone: This is one of the easiest materials to collect. Simply break rocks with a pickaxe on the farm or in the mines.
- 10 Clay: Dig in the dirt with the hoe. Players can typically find enough Clay when preparing land to plant seeds. Additionally, look for artifact spots (little worms sticking out of the dirt). These may yield Clay as well.
- 5 Copper Bar: Break copper ore nodes with the pickaxe in the mines. These are common in the upper levels, so players should be able to quickly collect a supply even in the early game. Place five copper ore and one coal in a furnace to make one copper bar.
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Take these materials to Robin at the carpentry shop to purchase a silo for 100g, which will take two days to complete. Generally, the best locations for silos are at the far edges or corners of the farm, where they won’t get in the player’s way. However, depending on the player’s choice of layout, they may decide to incorporate them decoratively into their farm’s design.
How To Use A Silo
Once the silo is built, players can use it to store hay. Hay can be acquired in a number of ways:
- The player can cut grass on their farm with a scythe, which has a 50% chance to let them collect hay. Players cannot harvest hay in this way without a silo.
- Cutting
Wheat has a 40% chance to spawn hay. This hay will collect in the player’s inventory rather than in the silo. 
Marnie sells hay at her ranch for 50g each. - The desert trader will sell the player 3 hay in exchange for 1 omni geode.
- Marnie may send the player 30 hay in the mail .
Any hay the player collects with a scythe will be deposited directly into the silo. Additionally, if players purchase or receive hay as a gift, they can right-click on the silo while holding the hay to add it to the stash. Each silo can hold 240 hay.
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To access hay from the silo, simply click on the 
Hay Hopper in a barn or coop. Players can then place this hay in a feeding trough for their animals. Alternatively, if players have grass to cut and need to make room in the silo, they can remove all hay from the silo via the hopper, storing it in a chest.
Note that if the player purchases a Deluxe Barn or Deluxe Coop, these will come with an auto-feed system. The player will no longer need to manually fill the feed trough every day; instead, it will fill automatically. This also means that players can no longer manually remove hay from the silos to store it elsewhere. If the player has auto feeders and several animals on their farm, it’s often helpful to have multiple silos, so that they don’t run short on hay every few days.
Planning Ahead
As mentioned above, the Silo is a great choice for a first building on a new farm. Many first-time players, eager to start raising animals, may be tempted to buy a Barn or Coop first; however, it is a mistake to do so without a Silo on the farm. The lack of a Silo makes it very difficult to keep animals fed, unless the player has lots of grass growing outside.
Speaking of grass, players will likely be cutting a lot of grass in the early game as they clear the overgrown land for planting and building. If the player does not have a Silo on their farm as they do so, it’s a waste of sources for hay. With this in mind, players should make an effort to build a Silo — or even two — as one of their first priorities.
Storing Hay in the silo(s) is particularly important when preparing for winter. During this season, animals won’t graze outside, preferring the cozy warmth of the barn or coop. As such, storing hay in the silo is essential. Any grass left standing at the end of Fall will remain on the player’s farm throughout Winter; however, it goes dormant. This means that if it is cut, it will not grow back until the start of Spring. Additionally, grass provides less Hay when cut during the winter. Make sure that the silos are fully stocked with hay before the seasons change, as keeping them full will be a challenge during the snowy season.
