[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

The lack of knowledge of Medieval and early modern social and economic systems is nearly complete, with knowledge of American history exiting just behind.

[AnAmericanMother]

All I can say is, I have ploughed behind a mule (just for fun, on my great-aunt's farm, closely supervised by her foreman who used the mule to put in a vegetable garden for my great-aunt. Farm was cattle, hay and sorghum. Mule's name was Snowball.) I have also helped get in hay (summer job on a cattle ranch).

Ploughing is hard, heavy work even with a modern steel plough, and haying even with modern equipment (mower, rake, stacker, baling machine) is the hardest work I've ever done. That includes roofing, laying drywall stone, and setting railroad ties for retaining walls! They say it keeps you young - I say it keeps you tired.

Moderns don't appreciate just how difficult (and deadly) pre-industrial farming was.

[Vanders9]

Can you explain that statement further?