Complex sentence: Initially the settlers' economy was based on the cultivation of crops; however, after the first year they experienced a succession of poor harvests and concentrated more on the rearing of cattle and the felling of timber for sale in nearby Savannah.
Split into simpler sentences: Initially the settlers' economy was based on the cultivation of crops; however, after the first year they suffered a succession of poor harvests. They concentrated more on the rearing of cattle and harvesting timber for sale in nearby Savannah.