Stockmen's Association

The Stockmen's Association is a faction in New California in 2241. It is also mentioned by multiple characters in the Mojave Wasteland in 2281.
==Background==
The Stockmen's Association is an alliance of wealthy brahmin barons operating in New California. In 2241, the organization was relatively small and its head, a man named Duppo, operated the entire enterprise from the premises of his shop in downtown Shady Sands.Duppo: " {101}{}{It's Duppo. He runs the Stockmen's Association.}" Their primary focus was protecting cattle drives against raiders, an ongoing concern in the expansion northwards,Deputy Karl: "{124}{}{Work? The Stockmen's Association is looking for guards. Raiders been hitting the cattle drives hard again. And I heard that President Tandi's been looking for somebody "resourceful," as she puts it. That help?}" and finding enough hands willing to get the brahmin herds across the wasteland.Dumont: "{155}{}{Well, there's Duppo at the Stockmen's. He does the hiring for the brahmin drives. Then there's Mr. Westin. If you talk to him, tell him I sent you. Even President Tandi's been asking around for some help.}{156}{}{Duppo up at the Stockmen's Association wrangles hands for the brahmin drives. Go try him.}" The NCR's rapid growth meant that the ranchers were hiring around the clock.Slave overseer: "{144}{}{Me, I'm always on the lookout - problem is, nobody ever wants to hire a slaver anymore. Vortis, my boss, has got something hush-hush. And in town the ranchers at the Stockmen's Association are always hiring plus Dorothy can always use a hand at the powerplant if you got skills. Word is even President Tandi's looking for a specialist.}"
In 2281, 40 years later, the Stockmen's Association became a major influence. Originally constrained by regulations limiting the number of cattle head per rancher, the Association's power grew with their repealing after Tandi's death. This led to the rise of brahmin barons, whose ranches provide the Republic with meat, leather, and beasts of burden gained unprecedented wealth and exert a great deal of influence in the Republic. The Association was an organized tool for the barons to further their interests and agenda.Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide Collector's Edition p. 456: "Controversy over Economic Development
The NCR's economy is based on two resources: its great Brahmin herds, and swaths of land that have been restored to arable condition. These provide the nation with meat, leather, and starchy vegetables. During President Tandi's presidency, regulations limited the number of cattle head and the acreage of fields that could be owned by a single person. Despite constant pressure from the Stockmen's Association and Republican Farmer's Committee, such regulations loosened only a little so long as Tandi was in office. Following her death, however, they eroded until President Kimball overturned them completely.
As a result, the past 12 years have seen the rise of the Brahmin Barons and Agri-Barons: captains of industry who are, by post-apocalyptic standards, spectacularly wealthy. This has given birth to a number of cottage industries, from the rebirth of luxury goods production to "journalism" that reports on the latest purchases, commissions, and "life lessons" of the newly rich and famous.
The past 12 years has also seen a change in attitudes towards collective welfare. Citizens of the NCR rarely face significant dangers on a daily basis, and survival is an assumption rather than an aspiration. Citizens are far more reluctant to share food and other resources, and the person who provides services free of charge, whether it's something as quotidian as sewing or as rarefied as surgical expertise, are now the exception rather than the rule.
An added economic strain is the scarcity of salvageable goods. Sixty-five years of scavenging has done a good job of picking clean the wastes of what was once Southern California. Rare are those individuals who can make a living by scavenging and hunting what they need.
A consequence of these economic and cultural transformations has been the rebirth of wage labor. Whereas one's labor was until recently seen as benefitting and belonging to a collective (whether a family or small town), it has now become a commodity. To earn their keep, many citizens must seek an employer and trade the sweat of their brow for Caps.
Citizens of the NCR hold a variety of opinions about these developments. Many boast of their nation's economic strength; others decry what they feel has been lost. Many curse the selfishness of their fellow citizens, usually while pursuing aims that will benefit only themselves or their families. Here in the Vegas wastes, however, nearly all citizens will agree on one matter: opportunity has dried up back home, and to earn a fortune, one must come East."(Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide/Behind the Bright Lights & Big City) 
It's not merely just for political pressure: The Stockmen's Association has deep coffers and uses that wealth to expand the barons' wealth. For example, Heck Gunderson, one of the wealthiest barons west of the Colorado, uses the Association to bail failing banks out, then demand immediate repayment of outstanding debts. Since most small-time homesteaders can't afford to repay credit on the spot, they decide to cede the land to Gunderson.Walter Phebus: "There's a long list of grievances that Heck Gunderson's got to answer for, kid. I'm here to make sure that "rancher" stops stealing our lands. If he ain't chiseling behind your back, he just sends his men, ready for a fight. Then you either "sell" your ranch for a penny or you're dead. I'm tired of being trampled over, kid, and I got a good mind to stop Heck once and for all. I came to take care of Heck Gunderson. That bastard's taking over any ranch he spots in The Wasteland."The Courier: "Were are you from?"Ethel Phebus: "Oh, a good ways west of here, in a place you've never been. Far as we concerned, only name it ever had was "Phebus Ranch." That was before we lost some land to Heck Gunderson. The bank demanded payment in full the day after the Stockmen's Association bailed it out."(Ethel Phebus' dialogue)
==Interactions with the player character==
* In Fallout 2, the Chosen One can go on a cattle run for Duppo, indirectly working for the Association.
==Appearances==
The Stockmen's Association appears only in Fallout 2. It is mentioned in Fallout: New Vegas.
==References==
;Non-game
Category:Post-War businesses
Category:Fallout 2 factions
Category:Fallout: New Vegas mentioned-only associations
ru:Ассоциация скотоводов
uk:Асоціація скотарів
zh:畜牧业协会