[swliner]

Even today's Monsanto and ConAgra would probably be A level MegaCorps.  I'm assuming that (based on the ubiquity of soy based products) they or whoever subsumed their function switched from corn to soy at some point.  I guess my question is: Are they still around?  Were they bought out by a AAA, and if so, who?  The only one that really makes sense is Aztechnology, especially since the UCAS held on to much of the corn belt, and they have a decent working relationship with them. With them  I can even imagine a renewal of the 'sacrifice a virgin to ensure a good harvest' tradition.  But of course that's all just extrapolation.

[Fortinbras]

If Archer-Daniels-Midland were a Sixth World Company, they'd be a AAA. Trying to figure out what happened to modern companies and how they turned into Shadowrun companies will drive you up the wall. Assume the timeline split around 1989 and call it a day.
The Azzies have a good chuck of the worlds foodstuffs, but Evo, Horizon, Renraku and all of the rest have as least some kind of food distribution and development in their portfolio.

[swliner]

I guess I wasn't really asking what happened to those companies specifically, I was (clumsily) trying to ask who filled their role in the Sixth World.

[CanRay]

Every Mega has some interest in food.  No matter what, people have to eat, and thus it's good business.

S-K owns a Ketchup Factory in every major city, for instance.  Although that might be because we are crunchy and good with ketchup... 

[farothel]

just as Aztech owns Heineken.  This alone shows that they have no taste at all. 

[Simagal]

Angola Correctional Agriculture- chipped chain gangs in the CAS, growing real food.

[CanRay]

Actually, one of the major economic strengths the Native-American Nations has is that it controls so much farmland.  Of course, some of it is Frankenfood, grown in the arctic areas of Former Canada, but it's a major strength nonetheless.

[Canticle]

There are a few companies mentioned in Augments: Yakashima and Meridional Agronomics. They are AAs. Proteus also does sea food.

EDIT: Zeta-ImpChem owns Nestlé.

[Malex]

Mmm mmm good krill burgers. Just needs some S-K Ketchup.

[Rockopolis]

Heh, in the Sixth World, does Nestle even have to bother with the whole 'non-slave labor' thing anymore?

[CanRay]

Heh, in the Sixth World, does Nestle even have to bother with the whole 'non-slave labor' thing anymore?

Do any of the Corps?

It's part of the Corporate Court charter that Unions are to be crushed.  Hard.

And if you want to do business with any of the AAA-Level Corporations, you can't allow them in your country either.

[Blond Goth Girl]

I just couldn't stop myself when I saw this topic.  May it bring about some campaign ideas.

[CanRay]

"Oh, man, REAL MEAT!"  "You know where that..."  "Real.  Meat.  Shut up now."

[Rockopolis]

Yeah, but that's cutting into Tanamous' employee benefits package.

I don't know, speaking.about crushing unions and everything just reminds me that every time I think about economics, it's so circular and twisty it makes my head hurt.  Wonder if that's available as a knowsoft?

[John Schmidt]

One thing that you will probably hear more about is skyfarms (Sixth World Almanac pg. 122, Neo Tokyo 2nd paragraph, 2nd sentence). These 30-story buildings are massive investments and as such probably owned exclusively by AAA corps. Shortening up the supply chain, year round crop production all in a controlled environment circumventing pestilence, crop disease, and unfavorable weather. This type of structure would probably be used for smaller domesticated animals as well, chickens, turkeys...maybe as large as pigs or sheep. Cattle would still probably be an outdoor critter and more than likely the vast majority of that would reside with the Sioux Nation and the USCAS (at least in North America).

The RL fixation with corn based ethanol will probably give way to something that is not a 1 to 1 energy swap. Personally, I envision (hope) that the polywell fusor becomes the dominant form of electrical generation. If EMC2 Fusion Development Corp research is on track they should have completed testing of the WB8 at the end of April. The US Navy is funding it now and has classified the program. If it works as hoped, this power source should displace, coal, gas, and nuclear power plants in short order. And yes, I am placing a huge amount of faith/hope that it does precisely that. Combined with graphene/carbon nanotubes which have demonstrated properties of room temp superconductivity and potential for significantly improved batteries...I believe that energy production will be a vastly different beast then has been previously theorized in Shadowrun. The real downside to electrical vehicles today has been the weight of the lithium ion batteries. Researchers at MIT believe that a carbon nanotube battery weighing 9 lbs could deliver as much electricity as the 900 lbs of litium ion batteries in the Tesla Roadster. Very exciting stuff...at least to me.

Energy talk may seem misplaced when in a thread discussing food but the two cannot be thought of as different topics. The only way to make skyfarms work is the existance of cheap and plentiful electricity.