Stuck on Silver for last level Top row - any tips?

This is the one where you start with Nothing and have to get 40 cheeses in 40 mins to get the Gold. I do pretty well up to getting a Cow at around 27 mins, but getting the cheese has been near impossible! Does anyone have any tips for getting the Gold on this? Do you bother with cupcakes (I haven't been).

My usual mode:
Sell bears - upgrade storage - buy ducks (up to 4) - buy egg solids - sell bears/eggs/solids - buy sheep - buy another sheep - buy spinning - buy 2 more sheep (I usually stop selling bears by this time due to space) - upgrade storage & truck - buy the cloth making one (typically around the 20 min mark or so). Then it kinda goes downhill from there - I get the cow and try to sell full loads but coming up with 20k for butter then 40k for the cheese dairy in time has been eluding me.

Any help would be great, maybe I'm just missing something.

Well, I found out you sell bears until you start with sheep. That made it easier. I finally got this with about 1 minute to spare heh.

Now I need to figure out the last level on the bottom

I think there are probably lots of ways to approach the final level - I usually start with 2 bears, upgrade the truck, sell more bears, buy one goose, sell more bears, then buy more geese etc. But sometimes I find I have to re-sell the first goose to get enough money to start the cake maker. (I make sure I have collected several eggs first though.) It depends how many bears you get in the first two and a half minutes. Have you noticed it's not always the same number?
I must try the sell bears and start with sheep option and see what happens!
The last one on the bottom level is a bit harder in my opinion. It all hinges on what you sell first up and can be done but it's a close thing. I find some of the middle levels the hardest to get gold.

I managed to get Gold on all levels but I cant remember what exactly I did. I believe the trick is to only aim to get what is required and sell the rest, including the animals that you dont require.

I made a mistake and went back and played some levels a few months after completing the game - so I "lost my gold." Became a challenge all over again. I know #2 is out, but I want to make sure I've gotten gold across the board on the great Original - another one of my favorite games I've purchased!!

Level 1 (Top row – First from the left)


You start out with 2 ducks and $170.
Immediately buy another duck and start collecting their
eggs and you’ll have it in no time!
Best time : 00:36

For gold on the last and longest level of the game, my strategy has always worked:

What to buy as soon as you can afford it, selling bears along the way to help with finances:

1 duck - buy first, then send the truck with second bear
(don't buy water until absolutely necessary, when the grass is gone)
1 egg solids plant
1 bakery
1 more duck - warehouse upgrade

Now I'm going to have to play Farm Frenzy again .. to see if I can better my silver!

For gold on the last and longest level of the game, my strategy has always worked:

What to buy as soon as you can afford it, selling bears along the way to help with finances:

1 duck - buy first, then send the truck with second bear
... don't buy water until absolutely necessary, when the grass is gone
... don't sell any eggs or egg solids, only bears
1 egg solids plant
... at 2:30 min, you get 4 bears - trap two. Warehouse one, send truck with it, warehouse the other. Then try to slow the others down with only two clicks (for fully upgraded cage) until the truck comes back. If the duck gets too close, you'll have to trap them and forfeit that bear sale, but sometimes you get lucky and can sell at least three. If you sell only two, send 6 egg solids with the second bear.
1 bakery
1 more duck
... upgrade warehouse - either around 2:30 min or after the 2nd duck
upgrade egg solids plant & bakery
1 more duck (total 3)
1 sheep
1 spinnery
1 weaving mill
1 more sheep
upgrade spinnery & weaving mill
1 more sheep
2 more ducks for necessary 5 - upgrade warehouse but not duck buildings
1 cow
sell ducks, keep processing stockpile of eggs
1 churn
1 cheese dairy
2 more sheep for necessary 5
1 more cow
upgrade churn & cheese dairy
sell sheep, keep processing stockpile of wool
1 more cow
upgrade churn & cheese dairy
repeat last two lines until you get your 40 necessary cheese

I just played the level again, and even losing my first cow immediately to a bear, I still finished the round in 34:21 min, well under the Gold level limit.