Organic research
Organic research is an upgrade tree tied to one specific piece of construction - a cowshed, chicken coop, pigsty, sheep pen or orchard. You open it with an Organic research license and then keep going with organic coins, which differ depending on the building type. Every completed node stays permanently tied to the one building I researched it in, and the tree offers everything from small production bonuses to a choice between several final upgrades.
For me, organic research pays off mainly on buildings I plan to keep long term and don't want to demolish or replace - it's a permanent investment in one specific building, not in a whole category of buildings, so it makes sense to aim it where I already know the building is staying.
A license opens the research tree in one specific building
Before I can research anything at all, I have to use an Organic research license on the building in question. That unlocks the first node and at the same time opens up the rest of the research tree for that one building - a cowshed, chicken coop, pigsty, sheep pen or orchard (apple, cherry, vineyard and mixed orchard alike).
Unlocking the first node also makes the building organic. That matters for some of the later research, which only works in relation to neighboring organic buildings.
The tree branches out and I pick the next node based on what I've already researched
Once the first node is unlocked, I choose what to research next - the condition is that the new node has to connect to a node I've already finished. According to the game's own help there's no outright wrong choice here, because the details of each node tell you exactly what it does.
What's worked for me is checking the final nodes of the tree right at the start and deciding from those which direction I actually want to work through the whole tree, because the final nodes are the ones that hand out the biggest bonuses.
Research covers production, resource savings and the chance of bonus resources
- Higher production of a specific resource - milk, eggs, feathers, pork, truffles, silk, cream, cherries, apples or red grapes, for example.
- Lower building requirements - less hay, feed, fertilizer, nutrient leaves, ground peas or soy flour needed, or a lower worker requirement.
- A chance of a bonus resource when harvesting - manure, water, horseshoes, catalysts for the farm laboratory, certificates for the garage, collectibles and materials for the cooperative village, reputation points for the Cooperative Competition, lucky coins, Championship coins, Fuku Tsuho coins, a Joy Park ticket or a random product from the spinning factory, dye factory or greenhouse.
- Lucky charm - a number of nodes raise the chance of a so-called critical harvest (extra production on top) or increase the amount such a lucky harvest drops.
- Bonuses for the whole farm - happiness of that building, village happiness or extra storage capacity.
- Bonuses for the surroundings - higher production from a neighboring vineyard, a neighboring dairy, neighboring organic buildings or neighboring fields (corn/peas, cabbage/soy), or less damage to the hedges after harvesting on neighboring fields when sheep are grazing there.
- Repeat harvest - on some buildings one of the nodes can add it.
Final nodes let you choose between a production multiplier and an alternative bonus
On the chicken coop, pigsty and orchards (apple, vineyard, mixed apple-cherry) two branches of the tree lead to the same kind of choice - a production multiplier. I pick one of three levels, where a higher multiplier raises resource consumption and production time along with it:
| Level | Effect |
|---|---|
| Normal production | 1x feed/fertilizer, time and production output |
| Second final node | 2x feed/fertilizer, time and production output |
| Third final node | 3x feed/fertilizer, time and production output |
On the cowshed and cherry orchard, the matching final nodes offer alternative bonus drops when harvesting instead of a multiplier. On the sheep pen, the final nodes unlock other sheep colors for breeding - according to the game's help those are the Cotswold, Hebridean and Suffolk sheep.
Switching to a different final choice costs me the starting research I've done so far in that branch, so it's not a decision I take lightly.
Licenses and organic coins are bought in the reward center or the shop
I get the Organic research license and organic coins alike in the reward center, where they can be bought for Golden Apples, and in the in-game shop as well. The coins also come in two versions depending on the building type - Organic coins (Livestock) for stables and Organic coins (Orchards) for orchards, so keep separate stocks depending on where you're investing right now.
Demolishing a building forfeits all the progress you've gathered
The game warns about this explicitly - if you demolish a building with organic research underway, its progress in the tree doesn't come back. Before I delete such a building or replace it with another one, I'd rather store it, because otherwise I lose every license and coin I put into it with nothing in return.
