While waiting for a new expansion to show up in the store, I start my farmers and cooks. After many years of only sowing 5 fields at a time for safety, I started the new stuff and noticed sowing seemed faster. I went up to 10 and it works. That saves a bit of time, and the savings from grinding add up.
Now, if only the new cooking recipes weren't taking that time away with two kinds of dough and more old mats I have to farm...
Planting was great until T10 (Anorien) and it's the old slow speed, so sad. FYI, I've been planting 15 crops and harvesting with out losing any.
It's been the opposite for me. In the old days, 10 would disappear. I noticed farming the new level was quick so that's what I tried. Too paranoid to go higher :P