Farmer

Farmers are the staple to nearly every great civilization. Great civilizations have crumbled under the burden of adequate food supplies. Take the most civilized lord and deprive him of food and watch as civility and etiquette are rapidly overcome with a feral need for food. It is this necessity that makes attrition during war so effective.

The three areas that a farmer can specialize in are Agriculture, Husbandry and Irrigation. A good farmer will know a little of each of these of course. But a farmstead with farmers that specialize in one of each of these skillsets will always outperform a simple farm any day.

Farmers who specialize in agriculture, or Agriculturist, know when best to plant crops, when those crops should be harvested and what crops should be grown each year to keep the nutrients in the soil rich. They can spot and resolve diseases that will decimate your crop before it destroys your livelihood. A farm with one of these on hand produces more crops abundantly and consistently.

A Husbandry Specialist will keep cattle and other livestock healthy and happy. They know how to spot and isolate a sick animal from the herd, as well as how to handle that sickness. They know what traits to look for in the studs bought from breeders and can tell you when best to breed your animals. Farms with this type of specialist produces more meat and does so more consistently than a farm without one. The farm can also begin breeding its own livestock with this specialist on hand.

A farmer who specializes in irrigation is valuable not just for the farm. With their ability to sculpt land and deliver water where it needs to be, or drain it from places it doesn't, they are useful to builders, architects and engineers. However, a farm with an Irrigation Specialist produces greater harvests and meat, they can increase their plot and their herd sizes more rapidly.