A few things to consider here. One is that not every field is a nice soft soil like you might think of in your garden - there are clays and sands and different compositions, some of which are susceptible and others aren't. Another is that not every farm still does plowing, and especially not deep plowing, and even that won't totally break up compaction especially farms that have to plow when it's still wet.
Also, even on farms that do plow, there are still a lot of operations that happen after plowing. There can still be tillage and fertilizing and top-dressing etc etc etc that happen after initial soil prep.
freefrogs t1_ja9ib55 wrote
Reply to comment by rtfcandlearntherules in ELI5: Why does farming equipment require such low horsepower compared to your average car? by thetravelingsong
A few things to consider here. One is that not every field is a nice soft soil like you might think of in your garden - there are clays and sands and different compositions, some of which are susceptible and others aren't. Another is that not every farm still does plowing, and especially not deep plowing, and even that won't totally break up compaction especially farms that have to plow when it's still wet.
Also, even on farms that do plow, there are still a lot of operations that happen after plowing. There can still be tillage and fertilizing and top-dressing etc etc etc that happen after initial soil prep.