Talk:Heavy Plow/@comment-203.214.76.246-20150713064907/@comment-218.4.66.18-20161121034256

In a way, yes.

The heavy plow turned agricultural power towards livestock. Men stopped being the source of energy needed to plow and turn fields, and oxen or horses could do the job. This had a massive impact on the demand for burden livestock or strong animals; oxen and horses were suddenly more important and had a use outside of transportation or merely being eaten, for example. Most laborers in the manorial system would not have had horses before the heavy plow because they were seen as transportation related.

I think AoE's justification for 'carry+1 food' is because they imagine that burden livestock are more popular, giving villagers an option to haul items with animals.