this post was submitted on 28 Sep 2024
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The whole "more cows and computerized milking raised prices of milk" reeks of anti-industrial Luddite garbage.
You should read about who the luddites actually were. They were not opposed to technology, but to poor wages, low quality goods, and workers being replaced. Capitalists destroyed their reputation with propoganda.
What actually raises the price of milk is the farmer uses his profits to buy up other local dairy farms consolidating their position in the market. They then sign exclusivity deals with both grocers and further milk processors (who are also consolidating) to prevent competing in the market, driving their competitors to either sell for cheap or go out of business. https://theconversation.com/americas-dairy-farms-are-disappearing-down-95-since-the-1970s-milk-price-rules-are-one-reason-why-237439#:~:text=Across%20the%20country%2C%20the%20dairy,per%20farm%20%E2%80%93%20has%20been%20rising.
Because "farm Inc" has a massive horde of wealth, they can stamp out competition by either buying them out, cutting them out, or driving them out of business with prices a small farmer can't handle. After that, they get to set and raise prices at will with the now smaller pool of big name "farm Inc".
This literally happens every time a market is poorly regulated and businesses allowed to grow too big. It's the natural end state of capitalism.
End state? That'a just stage two. The end state is when we all are sworn to our individual masters on penalty of death/disemploymeant, or when we've had enough and do something different