Farm Idle
Prove up a Nebraska homestead, one season at a time.
It's 1870, and you've filed on 160 acres of unbroken prairie in northeast Nebraska with a family of four, a worn wagon, one yoke of oxen and about three months of supplies. Break sod, plant in season, keep the family fed and warm, and get through five years to prove up the claim, while the real history of your county happens around you.
Windows 10 or 11. Nothing to install: run the file to play. If Windows asks, choose More info, then Run anyway.
Features
Your County, 1870
Settle in one of seven real northeast Nebraska counties. Its towns appear on the region map as they're founded, and its history arrives on the day it happened.
Real Work, Real Seasons
Break sod at about an acre a day behind one yoke of oxen, plant and harvest in the real windows, and watch the season calendar before time runs out.
A Family to Keep
Food and fuel run down daily. Gather buffalo chips, catch prairie chickens, plant the garden, butcher the hog, and build a sod house before winter.
Corn Walks to Market
Corn rarely paid to haul, so feed it to hogs and sell them to the drover, shell it to fit more in the wagon, and crib it before the rats get it.
The Road to Norfolk
Norfolk is as far as it really was, two to eight days by ox team. Load the wagon, take your chances on the road, and get to know the people who buy, haul and trade.
History You Can Follow Up
The Easter Blizzard, the grasshoppers, the railroad: every note links to History Nebraska, the Park Service and other sources to read more.
How to Play
- Choose your county, then walk the ground to find the best soil.
- Pick a homestead site and put the family to work breaking sod.
- Plant, harvest and do the chores in season, and keep food and fuel stocked.
- Build a sod house, farm 10 acres and last five years to prove up.
Controls
| Action | Keyboard & Mouse |
|---|---|
| Pause or resume | Space, Numpad 0 or Pause |
| Speed 1×, 2×, 4× | 1, 2, 3 (or the numpad) |
| Select a tile, lend a hand | Click a tile |
| Give someone work | Click a person, then a tile or a chore |
| Read more about a note | Click a Learn More link |
Made For
Anyone who likes a thoughtful, slow game with real history in it: no rush, pause any time, and something to learn each season.
Version History
Version 0.1.0, updated Oct 23, 2026. See every release.