Of course, everybody is entitled to set his or her own goals in Hayday.
Nevertheless, most experienced farmers will advise younger farmers to focus on coins rather than xp in the beginning. Personally, I found it a good way to grow as many crops as possible - I still do that - and sell the surplus. To be specific, I sell longer term crops in my shop and wheat to the visitors. This gives coins, xp and tools, but in a very good balance.
I keep most of my machines busy at all times, but I use those products mainly for boats and townies, not for the shop. Like most experienced farmers, I focus heavily on getting expansion tools (BEMs, SEMs). Crops (particularly wheat), animals, pets, townies and Derby play a big role in that context. Levelling up is no goal in itself for me, but it seems to happen anyway.
