The NCR sharecropper farms are a location in the Mojave Wasteland in Fallout: New Vegas.
Background[]
The farms are a practical manifestation of the Thaler Act, under which private farmers would come to the Mojave Wasteland to farm the land for the New California Republic government in exchange for the NCR's military protection (and to protect their investment),[1] as well as a portion of the crop yield going to Camp McCarran, Hoover Dam and other military locations for the duration of the Mojave Campaign and beyond.[1][2] Along with protection, the NCR offers housing, food, and water to New Vegas' sharecroppers who tend crops on a large swath of land southeast of Freeside's east gate. All the water arrives via a pipe system that pumps water from Lake Mead for the irrigation, taking it several miles to reach the sharecrop farms.[3] The eastern division of the Office of Science and Industry stationed in Camp McCarran also pre-calculates the amount of water needed for every crop to produce optimal crop yield with the least amount of water used.[4] A military unit led by Lieutenant Romanowski has been situated on the premises at all times to deter theft of foodstuffs by wastelanders.[1]
By 2281, the farms are producing a substantial amount and variety of crops, including maize and even tobacco, more out of pragmatism than choice,[5] in spite of recent water rationing and worsening soil quality.[6] It's even been discussed to increase water flow and the number of farms in the immediate future in an attempt to get the New Vegas residents to be more amenable to voting for annexation by the NCR.[7]
Currently, some of the workers are experiencing poor crop growth because of radiation seeping into the ground from an unknown source.[8] Additionally, someone has been syphoning from their water rations, which in turn left the farmers with only 80% of the intended supply for irrigation to grow their crops, drawing the investigative eye of Corporal White and the NCR, though the former has recently disappeared[9] after going to Westside.[10][11]
The compounded consequences of these events have endangered the future of the sharecropper farms. Despite the legitimate complaints of the farmers, all the staff in charge of the farms believe the farmers to simply be incompetent.[Non-game 1][2][4]
Layout[]
Situated directly south of Freeside's east gate, the area consists of a partially enclosed field where the sharecroppers are growing crops consisting of mostly maize. Throughout the area, several greenhouses with junk walls and a barracks can be found.
Inhabitants[]
Notable loot[]
- Chinese Army: Special Ops Training Manual - Inside the barracks (the only permanent, non-makeshift structure in the fenced-in area, located in the northeast corner) on the floor near the south wall.
- One Sunset Sarsaparilla star bottle cap - Also in the barracks, on a desk near the eastern door.
- Dozens of plants including maize, pinto beans, and honey mesquite pods are within the greenhouses and surrounding areas. No Karma loss or NCR reputation penalties will be incurred despite some of the plants being marked as owned.
Related quests[]
Appearances[]
The NCR sharecropper farms appear only in Fallout: New Vegas.
Bugs[]
Sometimes, the map marker will direct the Courier through the greenhouses to reach their location.[verified]
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The Courier: "Why are these fields being guarded?"
Romanowski: "A lot of the crops grown here support the various NCR camps in the region - McCarran, Golf, and Forlorn Hope, to name a few. We can't have wastelanders popping in here for a free meal, so my squad and I are assigned to keep things from going to hell."
(Romanowski's dialogue) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Courier: "Tell me about the farms."
Ortega: "It's NCR-owned farmland. It produces a lot of the crops that supply McCarran and the Dam. The farmers are all civilians, though. They work the farms, and in return they get a safe place to stay and clean food and water. Some of 'em aren't all that grateful, though."
(Ortega's dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "What can you tell me about these fields?"
Romanowski: "Impressive, aren't they? You don't see anything like this outside of NCR territory, that's for sure. We get the water - clean water - pumped in from Lake Mead. If you follow the big pipes, they'll take you all the way to the Lake."
(Romanowski's dialogue) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Courier: "Trent Bascom says he's not getting his full allotment of water."
Romanowski: "The Office of Science and Industry has carefully calculated the amount of water needed for these crops. The whole thing is handled by computer. Besides, most of these crops look fine to me. If the farmers can't handle the job, they shouldn't have signed up in the first place. If there really is a problem, they can take it up with Lieutenant Boyd at McCarran. Farming isn't my department."
(Romanowski's dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "What kind of crops do you grow?"
Trent Bascom: "Everything I can. Farmers out here don't have the luxury of being picky. I get by mostly on maize and tobacco."
(Trent Bascom's dialogue) - ↑ The Courier: "What's the Thaler Act?"
Trent Bascom: "Something the politicians back in Shady Sands came up with. They pay us to move here and farm the land. They even protect the fields."
The Courier: "Why is this work a bum deal?"
Trent Bascom: "Bad soil and rationed water. It's to be expected around here, but the rationing's off. Worst part is NCR won't admit it. Pretty hard to meet their crop quotas with twenty percent less water than we're supposed to be getting. Not that OSI cares about any of this."
(Trent Bascom's dialogue) - ↑ NCR Embassy terminal entries; terminal, Farm Report
- ↑ Events of Hard Luck Blues
- ↑ The Courier: "Anyone else missing?"
Carrie Boyd: "Yeah. The man I'm more interested in is Corporal White. White had a lot of promise. Wanted to be a ranger as bad as anyone I've seen. But he also had some extracurricular activities going. Now he's gone."
(Carrie Boyd's dialogue) - ↑ Events of The White Wash
- ↑ The Courier: "I'm looking for Corporal White. Trent told me you'd seen him."
Romanowski: "Corporal White is currently solving the mystery of the Great Water Shortage. Tried to convince me he had proof, even. I didn't buy any of it. He went over to Westside to talk to Tom Anderson. Anderson's a Follower of the Apocalypse. Helps the people in Westside grow crops or something."
(Romanowski's dialogue)
Non-game
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