Among the crop growers in the Republic, there are literally hundreds of small family owned farms that have begun cultivating crops in Wa-Daisho. Many grow only what they and their immediate family need - perhaps growing a little extra to sell in the open market. The largest family owned farms and the few corporate owned farms that gross a profit ratio of over a quarter million a year, however, run the show. In 115PA these powerful ag franchises organized the creation of the "Comercial Crop Cultivationists Collective", or 4C for short. The function of 4C is to determine everything from the selling price of produce, how much farm hands should be paid for their services, and what should be grown by who and in what quantity. The equalizer, the balancing element to 4C, is the Councilman of Agriculture and Councilman of Labor on the Republican Council. These two elected officials have near absolute authority to over rule any ruling made by 4C. As such IF any of their rulings impede upon the rights of anyone in the Republic, they can be overturned and be sanctioned for any hardship they may have caused with a controvercial decision. Essentially what these elected officials protect against is artificial inflation of prices of goods, falsely advertising quality of goods, and of course marketing goods not up to the standards of the Republic. In terms of Labor, such as in the determination of how much to pay farm hands - the Councilman of Labor makes certain that their pay rates are neither over inflated - thereby making it impossible for the small farms to at least be competetive, and of course that their pay rates are not below the minimum salary. There are also some limitations placed upon how many hours they can work these farm hands for their salary, and extensive regulations as to what compensation must be paid to employees that are required to work time over their base number of hours. Finally these elected officials also see to it that no unauthorized farming techniques and materials are used in the planting, cultivation, and harvesting of the crops.
The members of 4C more or less grow all of the miriad of varieties of produce sold in the Republic. Each has their own individual focus in terms of what kinds of crops they focus on. Here are the most noteworthy cropgrowers in the Republic - all of which are members of 4C;
Van's Orchard; Owned by Van Ta, a partner in Smithe Corp, Van's Orchard is a respected member of 4C. Every year Van's Orchard, located North of Silverstone, grows a fair percentage of the fruit grown in, used, and/or exported from Wa-Daisho. Among their annual crop harvest are Apples, Pears, Plums, Cherries, Currants, Peaches, Hazelnuts, Chestnuts, and Walnuts.
Van's Vineyard; Owned also by Van Ta, this company is again a member of 4C, but is located East of Silverstone near the shores of Spinal Disk Lake. Van's Vineyard grows just about everything that comes on a vine, including cucumbers, zucchini, several varieties of Squash, several varieties of Tomatoes, Hops, a few varieties of grapes, and Saanicheon Kiwifruit. All told, the products grown in Van's Vineyard account for 3/4 of the vine grown produce grown on the Island!
Toolette Cropgrowers Cooperative; Also known as TCC, this company is THE giant in terms of grain products. Owned by an alliance of six families, they virtually control all grain crops on the island by dictating to other farmers the prices they must sell their products at - or risk a price war they cannot possibly win. (Even members of 4C bow to TCC in regards to grain crops!) Some smaller farms ally with TCC annually by paying 24,000 credits a year as membership dues which includes charging for storage, packaging, and distribution of their grain products. Note that TCC is the ONLY 4C member that does not use Smithe Corp Packaging Facilities. Among the crops they control, include; Corn, Wheat, Rye, Barley, Flax, Oats, Soy Beans, Wild Rice, and Potatoes.
* Eastman Agriculturists Association; Also known as EAA, this company is a vegetable crop giant. Originally owned by a quartet of Eastern immigrants, the EAA has accepted a number of new members into the fold in the past finally allowing it to become a 4C member. Unlike TCC, EAA does NOT use it's power as a means to subjugate non-members, but in fact encourages competition - so that later they can use the techniques that farmer used to accomplish higher yeild or decreased costs on a more grand scale. They are also much more down to earth regarding membership, requiring no significant fee, and meeting at a family restaraunt/bar called the Golden Laddle in Wa-Daisho City on the 15th of every month to discuss business and enjoy themselves! Among the products they produce are; Carrots, Asparagus, Corn, Spinach, Beets, Sugar Beets, Lettuce, Garlic, Ginger, Basil, Green Beans, Wax Beans, Lima Beans, Pinto Beans, Herbs, Bell Peppers (Several Varieties.), Hot Peppers (Red, Jalapino, Habanero, Chili, and Cayenne!), Oregeno, Eggplant, Parsnips, Onions, Peas, Green Cabbage, Brussel Sprouts, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Tomatoes, Squash, Cucumbers, Zucchini, Pumpkin, Muskmelons, Strawberries, Grofwhin Spears, Rouwhin Spears, Zhandacule, Pous, and Daughlie.
Adison Brothers Inc; The Adison Bros are twins native to Kingsdale, who decided to head to Wa-Daisho to start up a farm - or at least that is the official story. In reality though the Adison Bros name is an alias, they were once the Atkinson Brothers, and are actually native to New Chilicothe! After they broke into a vault storing priceless goods salvaged from Pre-RIFTS ruins, in a government facility, they were labeled as wanted men - wanted dead or alive! They were on the run for over two years by the time they found out about Wa-Daisho. With a number of head hunters hot on their trail, they narrowly escaped capture by these bounty hunters in Water Point Preserve casting off for Wa-Daisho. Since this time, the Atkinson brothers have sold most of their stolen goods here and there - eventually earning them enough money to start up a profitable business in the hills north of Silverstone. Despite still being in hiding, the Adison Bros farm has actually become rather successful landing themselves a spot in 4C during the 117PA growing season. Their farm specializes in fruit and berry crops, more specifically being; Apples, Pears, Peaches, Salmonberries, Blueberries, Blackberries, Raspberries, Saskatoon Berries, Pomegranates, Loganberries, Boysenberries, & Sea Buckthorn.
Haimes Family Farms; The Haimes Family Farms was actually on the island before Nyan Tamya's initial arrival here. The Haimes Family immigrated here after a conflict in Water Point Preserve forced them to leave their farmstead. This forced Tomas Haimes Senior to start the farm on the island North of the future site of Wa-Daisho City in 92PA. After the move and the start of the new farm - the conflict in Water Point Preserve actually turned out to be quite benefitial. Prior to this the community on Vancouver Island relied mostly on fishing and gardens to provide most of what they needed for food. Naturally there were some issues with that, with food sometimes being rather scarce - save for fish of course. Haimes Family Farms changed all of that, however, giving the people much needed grains and a much larger supply of vegetables than they had ever previously had access to. With the start of Wa-Daisho, Haimes Family Farms were no longer considered AS important as they were previously, but the influx of settlers in Wa-Daisho meant that they could safely increase the size of their farmstead, increase the productivity, and increase the profits naturally. Despite the death of Tomas Haimes Senior in 110PA, by the time 4C was started in 115PA Tomas Haimes Junior had made Haimes Family Farms large enough to be a member of 4C. Note that many old timers who originally lived on the Island before the Republic started up, swear by the products of this farmer and refuse to purchase goods from any new farmers. Among the produce they grow is; Wheat, Corn, Sugar Beets, Carrots, Asparagus, Artichoke, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Garlic, Ginger, Lettuce, Green Cabbage, Tomatoes, Squash, Cucumbers, Zucchini, Muskmelons, Blueberries, Blackberries, Raspberries, Apples, Green Figs, Black Figs, Mission Olives, Rhubarb, Sea Buckthorn, Herbs, Honey, Beeswax, Pine Mushrooms, White Button Mushrooms, and Labrador Tea.
* Ferosinai Farms; The Ferosinai Farms is an Elven farm started back in 109PA by a family immigrating from Lazlo. Located in the woods East of Shiunren, this farm is like no other in Wa-Daisho. It is for lack of a better term - purely Elven. The family resides in a tree brought with them as a sapling called a Torrensuta in the Dragonese tongue. Essentially it is a traditional Elven dwelling - a tree that naturally grows with a hollow within that spirals upwards into smaller spaces as it continues upward. At present their home has three levels - due to the magics they have cast upon their Torrensuta to allow it to grow at a far enhanced rate of growth. Their crops are those they have planted among the landscape without altering it severely, including the traditional elven crops of Grofwhin Spears, Rouwhin Spears, Zhandacule, Pous, and Daughlie. In addition to these, they gather naturally growing Raspberries, Blackberries, Mushrooms, Wild Onions, Honey, Beeswax, Labrador Tea, and a handful of naturally growing herbs. The use of their magics to enhance growth and production allows Ferosinai Farms to compete with the produce of farms much larger than their own. Furthermore Ferosinai Farms exports a large percentage of their Elven traditional produce to Lazlo and New Lazlo resulting in far increased profits.
Richardson Inc; Richardson Inc. was started by Matthew Richardson in 108PA East of the Dragon Teeth Mountains. As one of the first farms located East of the mountains, at first getting supplies to and from the farm was difficult, but with time, and the construction of the Republic Highway things improved steadily over time until Richardson Inc became among the leading producers in the Republic. Among the crops grown by Richardson Inc are; Wheat, Rye, Corn, Apples, Pears, Plums, Blueberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, Boysenberries, Currants, Grapes, Strawberries, Labrador Tea, Honey, Beeswax, and Herbs. Richardson Inc also has a half dozen acres of greenhouses for growing more exotic crops that would otherwise have difficulty growing in Wa-Daisho's climate. Among those grown in the greenhouses are; Bananas, Oranges, Lemons, Limes, a number of medicinal plants, Marijuana, and Tobacco. These are all of course limited in quantity and sell for premium prices.
Deepwood Farms; Located very close to the edge of the Deepwood, North West of Wa-Daisho City, is the last of the major farms in Wa-Daisho. Only occasionally reaching the numbers necessary for membership in 4C, their membership is rather shakey. Some in fact claim it is only through clever bookwork that they can even show the necessary profits to be in 4C! That issue aside, Deepwood Farms has only popped up in the last two years and is run by a mysterious woman named Seryth Gabbiare (Gab-e-air). The issue of workers and farm equipment is rather odd here, as there are no fertilizer trucks, no known magic users hired to cast benefitial magics upon the fruit producing trees, and there are no farm hands hired to assist Deepwood Farms in their harvests - yet they are able to harvest fruit crops that account for 75% of those types of crops in the Republic! How they are able to do this, remains a mystery, although some have reported odd stenches when passing by the farm late at night - like the sweet smell of decay. This has started rumors that the secret behind Deepwood Farms is that it is owned by a powerful Necromancer. The truth of this matter remains to be seen, however. Among the products Deepwood Farms grows are; Apples, Pears, Plums, Cherries, Peaches, Hazelnuts, Chestnuts, Walnuts, Salmonberries, Blueberries, Blackberries, Raspberries, Pomegranates, & Boysenberries.
Republic Correctional Facility Produce Farm; A farm located, five miles south west of the Republic Correctional Facility, in the foothills of the Dragon's Teeth Mountains. This farm is not very large, nor does it produce a vast amount of profit - BUT it supplies enough fruit, vegetables, and grains to supply the entire prison with food year round. It is included in this listing because it is significant in the fact that it is entirely maintained by convicted criminals, who constantly keep track of the crops, planting, weeding, irrigating, maintaining, and harvesting the crops. This is part of the rehabilitation programs to attempt to teach a convict a trade while he is behind bars so that he or she may become a productive member of society instead of a low life.