NCR Sharecropper Farms

The NCR sharecropper farms are a location in the Mojave Wasteland in 2281, located directly south of Freeside's east gate.

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), as well as a portion of the crop yield going to Camp McCarran, Hoover Dam and other military locations in the Mojave. 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. The Office of Science and Industry 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. A military unit is present on the premises at all times to deter theft of foodstuffs.

By 2281, the farms are producing a good amount of crops of all kinds, including Maize and even tobacco, in spite of water rationing and bad soil. There are even plans to increase water flow and number of farms in the next few years in an attempt to get the New Vegas residents to vote for annexation in the NCR.

Currently, some of the workers are experiencing poor crop growth because of radiation seeping into the ground from an unknown source. To top of the radiation problems, someone has been syphoning water, which in turn left the farmers with only 80% of the intended water ration. Private White was investigating this on his own time, but has since disappeared after going to Westside.

The future of the farms is threatened by these concurrent events. Despite the legitimate complaints of the famers, all the staff in-charge of the farms believe the farmers to simply be incompetent. The NCR has consistently ignored a recent water shortage and soil quality at the farms, caused by Westside and Vault 34. With just 80% of their water ration, many farmers are struggling to meet their quotas, and risk losing their jobs or plan to outright quit.

Layout
This 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

 * Anne
 * Morgan Blake
 * Private Ortega
 * Lieutenant Romanowski
 * Trent Bascom

Loot

 * Chinese Army: Special Ops Training Manual - Inside the barracks (the only permanent structure in the fenced-in area, located in the northeast corner) on the floor near the south wall.
 * A Sunset Sarsaparilla star bottle cap - In the barracks, on a desk near the eastern door.
 * Dozens of plants including maize 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

 * Hard Luck Blues
 * The White Wash

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.