Harvest in the Heartland is a whimsical farm simulation starring a boy or girl protagonist. The focus is squarely on planting crops, raising livestock, and eking out a living as a hard-working farmer. In order to have a successful harvest, players must spend each day watering plants, spraying pesticides, cleaning barns, feeding animals, and performing other chores before retiring for the night. Among the crops you can grow are tomatoes, corn, lettuce, potatoes, carrots, onions, and soybeans.
Money earned from crop sales can be used to upgrade the farm, purchase technology such as irrigation systems, and acquire John Deere-licensed equipment. As players work through all four seasons, each spanning 18 days of game time, they can earn ribbons and trophies for show-worthy animals and crops. Also included are four barnyard mini-games and wireless support for up to ten players. The latter allows friends to visit each other's farms and leave behind postcards.