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by brookst 381 days ago
The farmer enjoys greater economies of scale, and there is more food in the system, driving prices down overall. The farmer doesn’t just charge the same that they would have without the tractor.

Productivity really is good for everyone. It’s the reason quality of life has improved dramatically in the past 50 years despite real wages being stagnant to declining.
2 comments
bgwalter 381 days ago
Prices are not really down though. Potatoes grow in the US and should have benefited from automation. But the price increase exceeded monetary inflation:

https://www.in2013dollars.com/Potatoes/price-inflation

link
WalterBright 381 days ago
Quality of life before tractors was way, way less than today.

During WW2, the Japanese would take several weeks to make an airfield, using a large labor force with picks and shovels.

They were horrified when the SeeBees showed up with bulldozers making forward airbases operational within hours.

link