Thanks for all the feedback, guys!
The farmer totally used to farm row by row. We’re not sure which optimization tweak to the pathfinder caused him to go crazy like this, but we’re looking for the source. So, there’s still a chance that it’s all about aliens.
Aliens wiped the farmers brain and implanted a new Ocd trait that makes them want to plant the whole field all at once, hence constantly changing directions in a desperate attempt to fulfill their programming?
I also seen a hint of some alien technology while digging into the game files. Some unimplemented Farmer Coordination Board. Research suggests that it is an"Advanced communication technology directs and organizes farmers." Sounds sketchy 
When you find it, and have it fixed, you should so make it so that it’s random how he farms. Row by row, column by column, zig-zag, diagonals, random, in a spiral to the center… 
Edit: You could have it replicate all of the Microsoft Powerpoint transitions… 
I pick the area with the highest Vegetation and Wildlife (Almost always find one with Ridiculously Lush and Common) and then try to look around for an area with berries but not too few trees. [quote=“sdee, post:1, topic:6006”]
– What UI commands do you use to harvest trees/berries?
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I used to use the button but now I mostly just mark tons of trees and berries at once to save time
I usually make two hoes and then have my farmers make 2 fields one for each crop (Unmodded, I make 4 small ones if there are 4 crops and etc.) so that I have some crops that are very satisfying and some that are quick.
There’s two-headed corn!? makes huge corn field to see if I can get it
– When you start the game, how do you select where to put your settlement down?
I usually choose an open area with berries nearby and a forest on one side.
– What UI commands do you use to harvest trees/berries?
I use the harvest command in the hotbar (the dragging one)
– What’s your workflow for creating farms?
– Which crops, and how many of each, do you plant?
Two farmers 2 fields of radishes and 1 field of corn. (keeps my farmers busy) I build the farm quickly after i harvest berries.
– Has anyone yet managed to get two-headed corn?
Not yet.
So having built several wall segments at the same time I notice the workers working on the wall posts are using a similar approach as the farmer, that is they randomly work on the wall pillars and parts of the wall. My workers are walking back and forth carrying wood between spots where they work once and move on.
I make my settlement somewhere nestled in a u-shaped area “inside” a mountain range. Namely, at the foot of the mountain, but with a pseudo protective barrier which encompasses some of my village. I’ll wager I’d build on a slope up the mountain, and reinforce the opening of the U, when all things are possible later on.
I totally used to use the ‘1’ command in my keyboard, but that somehow got removed, so now I’m using the shortcut for the harvest button.
Berries first, build some houses (or rooms rather), carpenter, beds etc., and lastly I make a farmer when berries are but a meagre afterthought in the face of far larger gains to be had.
Both wheat and turnips, but I tend to tip towards the former more. Haven’t experimented with both enough to make any educated decisions.
Sadly, haven’t gotten there yet, due to time restrictions.
When you load a previously saved game you can harvest berries from berry bushes that have no berries on them. I’ve done this on several reloads.
Have you reported this bug? Or has someone at least done so?
– When you start the game, how do you select where to put your settlement down?
I look for a place that has a large amount of Land with lot’s of Trees, a medium amount of Rocks, and a fair amount of Berry Bushes. I also look for Land that is as Elevated as the Starting Point because, as of right now, your Settlers can’t climb up or down Mountains and Ledges.
– What UI commands do you use to harvest trees/berries?
I use the Harvest Selection Tool in the Zone Management Section of the Toolbar.
– What’s your workflow for creating farms?
I often make fairly large Farms to feed my Settlers, since they seem to start craving for Food every so often,.
– Which crops, and how many of each, do you plant?
I plant 4 10x1 Rows of each of the three types of Plants, which total up to 12 Plants in a Farm.
– Has anyone yet managed to get two-headed corn?
Wut?
There’s only two in the vanilla game, sir. The first option is to just keep the land tilled.
Oh, so three rows of Dirt, and Six Rows of the two types of Plants.
Not elsewhere, as @sdee asked for feedback on harvesting I reported it here because harvesting berries is a harvesting issue. Using a forum for bug reporting is difficult, with the real issue being, can you post it in a way that the Devs will see it. Tracking is almost impossible in a forum bug reporting system so I think this specific topic report will be the most effective way to report the issue. Of course, I could be dead wrong as I am a software engineer myself (head of my company) and my perspective may be skewed because of past tools I have used to track bugs in very large corporations.
Fair enough, I’d figure you have some knowledge on this. Then again, I do have to agree that the forum system is a pretty bad way to report bugs, at least for now :S
Usually I’d agree, but there are a couple of reasons it’s working fine so far:
We don’t have a ton of users posting hundreds of topics which means it’s relatively simple to keep track of what is being posted - the team check out most of the posts I believe and so have an awareness of what is being reported.
The team are pretty much aware of the majority of bugs they are facing, especially the major ones, there are bound to be a few that they haven’t come across which is where we come in 
excellent catch! but I’m not entirely sure this is tied to a save/load, as I thought it had been reported before (and not associated with a save game)…
then again, I had an awfully taxing weekend…
I think at least part of it is. I don’t think the regrowth time for bushes is saved properly. Ive had berries not respawn after loading a few times.
With the ability to just sort topics by category, all they need to do really would be to go to the Active Bug Reports category and there they can see all of the bugs that are still in play, as the resolved ones get put into a different category 
– I plop my settlement in a tier of land that has a large surface area and a moderate amount of trees.
– I use the harvest UI button to harvest fauna.
– I usually hoe a 3x4 grid of soil.
– In my field, I only pick one crop, usually corn, since turnips taste lousy.
– I have not managed to get two-headed corn yet!