Canola

Canola is an Iron Teeth-exclusive crop that matures in 9 days and yields 3 Canola Seeds per harvest. Canola Seeds are processed at an Oil Press to produce Canola Oil, one of the most versatile and important intermediate goods in the Iron Teeth economy. Canola Oil is not consumed directly as food; instead, it serves as a critical ingredient in multiple production chains, including Fermented Soybeans (via Fermenter), Eggplant Rations (via Food Factory), Algae Rations, and Grease (used for mechanical maintenance). This makes Canola the linchpin crop that connects Iron Teeth agriculture to both food production and industrial operations.

The Canola production chain begins with Farmhouses, where the crop is planted at 0.2 hours per tile and grown over 9 days. Once harvested, the 3 Canola Seeds per tile are transported to an Oil Press, which requires Gears to construct and Power to operate. The Oil Press converts Canola Seeds into Canola Oil, which is then distributed to Fermenters (for Fermented Soybeans), Food Factories (for Eggplant Rations and Algae Rations), or other industrial buildings that need Grease. Because Canola Oil feeds into so many downstream recipes, a shortage of Canola can bottleneck multiple production chains simultaneously. The yield of 3 per tile is generous, but the 9-day growth time means that large, dedicated Canola farms are necessary to maintain steady output. Beehives reduce growth time by 30%, cutting it to approximately 6.3 days.

Strategically, Canola is one of the most important crops for Iron Teeth players to scale up in the mid-game. Because Canola Oil is required for both Fermented Soybeans and Eggplant Rations, any settlement pursuing diverse food production will need substantial Canola acreage. Players should begin planting Canola as soon as they have the Gears to build an Oil Press, even if Soybean and Eggplant farming are not yet online, since stockpiling Canola Oil early prevents bottlenecks later. On maps with limited farmland, Canola competes with other Iron Teeth crops for space, so players must balance the need for direct food crops (Kohlrabi, Cassava, Corn) against the industrial value of Canola Oil. A common strategy is to dedicate roughly one-third of available farmland to Canola, one-third to Cassava, and the remaining third to a mix of Kohlrabi and other crops. Compared to any single food crop, Canola's value is harder to quantify because its output enables entire production chains rather than directly feeding beavers, but its importance to the Iron Teeth economy cannot be overstated.