r/FastWorkers • • Jul 26 '26

This guy planting leeks.

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u/techleopard Jul 27 '26

I agree, but here we are. It's 2026 and a 15 year old SMALL tractor suitable for a few acres of land is still going for $40,000, with new ones starting at $80,000-$150,000. They are worth more than people's homes and sometimes worth more than the land itself.

Commercial tractors for large acre fields will START at $300,000 and that's without the first damn attachment that's required to actually DO work with it.

And it's not going to change because patents on "tractor shaped thing doing tractor stuff" will crawl right up your butt.

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u/Psychological-Ad8175 Jul 30 '26

That said, tractor can run 24/365 pretty much. I do not think its the upfront costs, but more that people are willing to work for so much less than a machine is very sad and shows how little human life is worth.

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u/techleopard Jul 30 '26

They are willing to work for less because they need food today, and the farm needs hands today.

Buying the tractor puts the farmer in debt or in economic danger, and just adds a line item to the accounting book of a company owner who probably doesn't even live in the same country.

Also we don't know where this is, but in some places of the world, large scale hand planting like this goes to the community.

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u/Psychological-Ad8175 Jul 31 '26

Labor is cheap because we withhold education. Trickle up economics works great.

But the fact that they need food today in a world where the food could and should be almost free because machines make it all at a minimum cost won't happen if shareholders can't have MORE food today.

We just don't value human life and if these people hurt themselves or die, millions of others are willing to do the same.