There are a couple of ways to accomplish the goal, but they all start with the farmer taking the goose across first. The table below illustrates how this is done.
| Action | Left Bank | Right Bank |
|---|---|---|
| Start | farmer, fox, goose, beans | |
| Farmer takes goose across | fox, beans | farmer, goose |
| Farmer returns alone | farmer, fox, beans | goose |
| Farmer takes fox across | beans | farmer, fox, goose |
| Farmer returns with goose | farmer, goose, beans | fox, |
| Farmer takes beans across | goose | farmer, fox, beans |
| Farmer returns alone | farmer, goose | fox, beans |
| Farmer returns with goose | farmer, fox, goose, beans |