美国农业部拯救小型农场(Can Billions in New Subsidies Keep Family Farms in Business?)

随着农场的平均面积不断增加，自1981年以来，全国已经失去了54.4万个农场。

双语精读

Can Billions in New Subsidies Keep Family Farms in Business?

数十亿美元的新补贴能让家庭农场继续经营吗？

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has a line about the state of small-scale agriculture in America these days. It's drawn from the National Agricultural Statistic Service, which shows that as the average size of farms has risen, the nation had lost 544,000 of them since 1981.

美国农业部长汤姆·维尔萨克谈到美国小规模农业的现状时说了一句话。这句话的依据来自国家农业统计机构，该机构表明，随着农场的平均面积不断增加，自1981年以来，全国已经失去了54.4万个农场。

"That's every farm today that exists in North Dakota and South Dakota, added to those in Wisconsin and Minnesota, added to those in Nebraska and Colorado, added to those in Oklahoma and Missouri," Mister Vilsack told a conference in Washington this spring. "Are we as a country okay with it?"

"这相当于今天存在于北达科他州和南达科他州的所有农场，加上威斯康星州和明尼苏达州的农场，加上内布拉斯加州和科罗拉多州的农场，再加上俄克拉荷马州和密苏里州的农场数量。"维尔萨克今年春天在华盛顿的一次会议上说，"我们作为一个国家，能接受这种情况吗？"

Even though the United States continues to produce more food on fewer acres, Mr Vilsack worries that the loss of small farmers has weakened rural economies, and he wants to stop the bleeding.

虽然美国继续在更少的土地上生产更多的粮食，但维尔萨克担心小农户的流失削弱了农村经济，他希望阻止这种流失。

Unlike his last turn in the same job, under former President Barack Obama, this time his department is able to spend billions of dollars in subsidies and incentives passed under three major laws since 2021 -- including the biggest investment in conservation programs in US history.

与他在前总统奥巴马政府中担任同一职务时不同，这一次他的部门能够投入数十亿美元用于补贴和激励措施，自2021年以来通过的三项主要法律许可了这些措施，其中包括美国历史上对环境保护项目的最大投入。

The plan in a nutshell: multiply and improve revenue streams to bolster farm balance sheets.

该计划的要点是：增加并改善收入来源，以增强农场的资产负债表。

Rather than just selling crops and livestock, farms of the future could also sell carbon credits, waste products, and renewable energy. "Instead of the farm getting one check, they potentially could get four checks," Mr Vilsack said in an interview.

未来的农场不仅可以销售农作物和牲畜，还可以销售碳信用额度、废品和可再生能源。"农场不是只收到一张支票，他们有可能会收到四张支票。"维尔萨克在接受采访时说。

He is also helping schools, hospitals, and other institutions to buy food grown locally, and investors to build meatpacking plants and other processing facilities to free farmers from powerful middlemen.

他还在帮助学校、医院和其他机构购买当地种植的食物，并帮助投资者建造肉类加工厂和其他加工厂，使农民摆脱强势的中间商。

But it's far from clear whether new policies and a cash infusion will be enough to counteract the forces that have pushed farmers off the land for decades, especially since much of the money is aimed at reducing carbon emissions and so will also go toward large farming operations because they are the biggest polluters.

但是，目前还远不清楚新政策和现金注入是否足以抵消几十年来将农民赶出土地的力量，尤其是因为大部分资金旨在减少碳排放，因此也将流向大型农业企业，因为它们是最大的污染者。

The number of farms has been declining since the 1930s in large part because of migration from rural areas to cities and greater mechanization of agriculture, which allowed operators to cultivate larger tracts with fewer people.

自20世纪30年代以来，农场数量一直在下降，很大程度上是因为人口从农村地区迁移到城市，以及农业机械化程度提高，这使得经营者可以用更少的人耕种更大的土地。

Over time the federal government abandoned a policy of managing production to support prices, prompting growers to become more export-oriented, while local distribution networks atrophied.

渐渐地，联邦政府放弃了管理生产以支撑价格的政策，从而促使种植者越来越多地出口农作物，而当地的分销网络就萎缩了。

The last half decade has been more disruptive than most. First came a trade war against China under former President Donald J. Trump, which drew retaliatory tariffs that cut into US exports of farm products like soybeans and pork.

过去五年的破坏性比大多数时期都要大。首先是前总统唐纳德·特朗普对中国发动的贸易战，这引发了报复性关税，使美国大豆和猪肉等农产品的出口受挫。

Then came the pandemic, which scrambled supply chains and sapped farm labor, leaving crops to rot in the fields.

接着是疫情打乱了供应链，削弱了农业劳动力，导致庄稼在地里腐烂。

词汇预习

investment [高考]
美[ɪnˈvestmənt] | 英[ɪnˈvestmənt]
n. 投资；投资额；投入
scale [高考]
美[skeɪl] | 英[skeɪl]
n. 等级，规模；刻度；音阶；量程；天枰 v. 攀登；到达…顶点；去鳞
renewable [高考]
美[rɪˈnuːəbl] | 英[rɪˈnjuːəbl]
adj. 可更新的；可再生的
distribution [高考]
美[ˌdɪstrɪˈbjuːʃn] | 英[ˌdɪstrɪˈbjuːʃn]
n. 分发；分销，配送；（电影在各院线的）发行，上映；分配，分布
revenue [高考]
美[ˈrevənuː] | 英[ˈrevənjuː]
n. 税收；收入；税务局
migration [高考]
美[maɪˈɡreɪʃn] | 英[maɪˈɡreɪʃn]
n. 移民；移往；移动
cultivate [高考]
美[ˈkʌltɪveɪt] | 英[ˈkʌltɪveɪt]
v. 耕作，种植; 培养（品质等）; 结交（朋友）
decade [高考]
美[ˈdekeɪd] | 英[ˈdekeɪd]
n. 十年，十年间，十年期（尤指一个年代)
loss [高考]
美[lɔːs] | 英[lɒs]
n. 遗失；丧失；损失；失败；失落；死亡
agriculture [高考]
美[ˈæɡrɪkʌltʃər] | 英[ˈæɡrɪkʌltʃə(r)]
n. 农业；农学；农艺
former [高考]
美[ˈfɔːrmər] | 英[ˈfɔːmə(r)]
adj. 前者的；前任的；以前的 n. 创造者；[英]学校某一年级的学生
cash [高考]
美[kæʃ] | 英[kæʃ]
n. 现金 vt. 付现款；兑现 adj. 现金的
conservation [高考]
美[ˌkɑːnsərˈveɪʃn] | 英[ˌkɒnsəˈveɪʃn]
n. 保存；保护；守恒；节约
export [高考]
美[ɪkˈspɔːrt , ˈekspɔːrt] | 英[ɪkˈspɔːt , ˈekspɔːt]
n. 输出，出口；出口商品 v. 输出物资，输出，出口 adj.输出的
federal [高考]
美[ˈfedərəl] | 英[ˈfedərəl]
adj. 联邦制的；联邦政府的；同盟的 n. 联邦主义者；同盟盟友
multiply [高考]
美[ˈmʌltɪplaɪ] | 英[ˈmʌltɪplaɪ]
vt. 乘；增加 vi. 做乘法；繁衍 adv. 多样地；多重地
rot [高考]
美[rɑːt] | 英[rɒt]
n. 腐烂；腐蚀；败坏；胡话 v. 腐烂；使 ... 枯朽；消瘦
turn in [高考]
美[tɜːrn ɪn] | 英[tɜːn ɪn]
上缴；拐入；交还；告发；上床就寝
disruptive [四级]
美[dɪsˈrʌptɪv] | 英[dɪsˈrʌptɪv]
adj. 分裂的；破坏性的；制造混乱的
potentially [四级]
美[pə'tenʃəli] | 英[pə'tenʃəli]
adv. 潜在地
locally [四级]
美[ˈlokəlɪ] | 英['ləʊkəlɪ]
adv. 在本地；地方性地；局部地
cut into [四级]
美[kʌt ˈɪntu] | 英[kʌt ˈɪntuː]
插进来；参加(谈话)；打断(别人的话)；减少
farming [四级]
美[ˈfɑːrmɪŋ] | 英[ˈfɑːmɪŋ]
n. 农业；农耕；养殖；（租税等的）包收
small-scale [六级]
美[ˈsmɔlˈskel] | 英[ˈsmɔ:lˈskeɪl]
adj. 小比例的；小规模的
okay [六级]
美['oʊ'keɪ] | 英['əʊ'keɪ]
adj. 好的，可以的[非正式] n. 认可，同意 v. 赞成或同意; 批准 int. 好，行
livestock [六级]
美[ˈlaɪvstɑːk] | 英[ˈlaɪvstɒk]
n. 家畜；牲畜
bolster [六级]
美[ˈboʊlstər] | 英[ˈbəʊlstə(r)]
n. 长枕；靠垫 vt. 支持；鼓励
facilities [专四]
美[fə'sɪlɪtɪz] | 英[fə'sɪlɪtɪz]
n. 设施；设备；工具
economies [专四]
美[ɪ'kɒnəmɪz] | 英[iˈkɔnəmiz]
节约；经济（名词economy的复数形式）
grown [专八]
美[groʊn] | 英[grəʊn]
adj. 长大的；成年的；长满某物的
Mister [专八]
美['mɪstɚ] | 英[ˈmistə]
n. 先生 v. 称…先生
counteract [专八]
美[ˌkaʊntərˈækt] | 英[ˌkaʊntərˈækt]
v. 抵制；清除；中和；对抗

重点讲解

Can Billions in New Subsidies Keep Family Farms in Business?

数十亿美元的新补贴能让家庭农场继续经营吗？

draw v.

1. 得出；推断出

【例】to draw a conclusion from the report

从报告中得出一个结论

to draw some lessons from the failure

从失败中得出经验教训

2. 吸引；引起

【例】to draw attention 引起关注

to draw criticism 引来批评

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has a line about the state of small-scale agriculture in America these days. It's drawn from the National Agricultural Statistic Service, which shows that as the average size of farms has risen, the nation had lost 544,000 of them since 1981.

美国农业部长汤姆·维尔萨克谈到美国小规模农业的现状时说了一句话。这句话的依据来自国家农业统计机构，该机构表明，随着农场的平均面积不断增加，自1981年以来，全国已经失去了54.4万个农场。

draw v.

1. 得出；推断出

【例】to draw a conclusion from the report

从报告中得出一个结论

to draw some lessons from the failure

从失败中得出经验教训

2. 吸引；引起

【例】to draw attention 引起关注

to draw criticism 引来批评

"这相当于今天存在于北达科他州和南达科他州的所有农场，加上威斯康星州和明尼苏达州的农场，加上内布拉斯加州和科罗拉多州的农场，再加上俄克拉荷马州和密苏里州的农场数量。"维尔萨克今年春天在华盛顿的一次会议上说，"我们作为一个国家，能接受这种情况吗？"

draw v.

1. 得出；推断出

【例】to draw a conclusion from the report

从报告中得出一个结论

to draw some lessons from the failure

从失败中得出经验教训

2. 吸引；引起

【例】to draw attention 引起关注

to draw criticism 引来批评

Even though the United States continues to produce more food on fewer acres, Mr Vilsack worries that the loss of small farmers has weakened rural economies, and he wants to stop the bleeding.

虽然美国继续在更少的土地上生产更多的粮食，但维尔萨克担心小农户的流失削弱了农村经济，他希望阻止这种流失。

bleed v. 流血；使失血

【例】to bleed to death 因失血过多而死

【搭配】bleed sb dry 榨干某人的钱财

conservation n.

1. （对自然环境的）保护

【例】wildlife conservation 野生动物保护

environmental conservation 保护环境

【近义词】preservation n. 保护；维护

2. 节约

【例】conservation of water/energy 节约用水/能源

与他在前总统奥巴马政府中担任同一职务时不同，这一次他的部门能够投入数十亿美元用于补贴和激励措施，自2021年以来通过的三项主要法律许可了这些措施，其中包括美国历史上对环境保护项目的最大投入。

bleed v. 流血；使失血

【例】to bleed to death 因失血过多而死

【搭配】bleed sb dry 榨干某人的钱财

conservation n.

1. （对自然环境的）保护

【例】wildlife conservation 野生动物保护

environmental conservation 保护环境

【近义词】preservation n. 保护；维护

2. 节约

【例】conservation of water/energy 节约用水/能源

The plan in a nutshell: multiply and improve revenue streams to bolster farm balance sheets.

该计划的要点是：增加并改善收入来源，以增强农场的资产负债表。

multiply v. 乘；增加

【例】Fear multiplies the difficulties of life.

恐惧会使生活变得更加困难。

【近义词】increase v. 增加

【拓展】multiple adj. 数量多的；种类多的

bolster v. 改善；加强

【例】to bolster the economy 促进经济发展

to bolster one’s spirits 鼓舞某人的情绪

【近义词】boost v. 增长；增强

【例】to boost one’s confidence 加强某人的信心

credit n. 账户可用余额

【例】Sorry, you don't have enough credit to make this call.

对不起，您的话费余额不足，无法拨打电话。

credit of the bank account 银行账户存款

Rather than just selling crops and livestock, farms of the future could also sell carbon credits, waste products, and renewable energy. "Instead of the farm getting one check, they potentially could get four checks," Mr Vilsack said in an interview.

未来的农场不仅可以销售农作物和牲畜，还可以销售碳信用额度、废品和可再生能源。"农场不是只收到一张支票，他们有可能会收到四张支票。"维尔萨克在接受采访时说。

multiply v. 乘；增加

【例】Fear multiplies the difficulties of life.

恐惧会使生活变得更加困难。

【近义词】increase v. 增加

【拓展】multiple adj. 数量多的；种类多的

bolster v. 改善；加强

【例】to bolster the economy 促进经济发展

to bolster one’s spirits 鼓舞某人的情绪

【近义词】boost v. 增长；增强

【例】to boost one’s confidence 加强某人的信心

credit n. 账户可用余额

【例】Sorry, you don't have enough credit to make this call.

对不起，您的话费余额不足，无法拨打电话。

credit of the bank account 银行账户存款

He is also helping schools, hospitals, and other institutions to buy food grown locally, and investors to build meatpacking plants and other processing facilities to free farmers from powerful middlemen.

他还在帮助学校、医院和其他机构购买当地种植的食物，并帮助投资者建造肉类加工厂和其他加工厂，使农民摆脱强势的中间商。

facility n.

1. 设备；设施

【例】sports facilities 体育设施

2. 有特定用途的场所

【例】a waste energy facility 垃圾发电厂

counteract v. 抵抗；抵消

【例】to counteract the side effects 抵抗副作用

to counteract stress 抵挡压力

【近义词】counterbalance v. 起平衡作用；抵消

【例】The extra income can counterbalance the losses.

额外收入可以抵消损失。

But it's far from clear whether new policies and a cash infusion will be enough to counteract the forces that have pushed farmers off the land for decades, especially since much of the money is aimed at reducing carbon emissions and so will also go toward large farming operations because they are the biggest polluters.

但是，目前还远不清楚新政策和现金注入是否足以抵消几十年来将农民赶出土地的力量，尤其是因为大部分资金旨在减少碳排放，因此也将流向大型农业企业，因为它们是最大的污染者。

facility n.

1. 设备；设施

【例】sports facilities 体育设施

2. 有特定用途的场所

【例】a waste energy facility 垃圾发电厂

counteract v. 抵抗；抵消

【例】to counteract the side effects 抵抗副作用

to counteract stress 抵挡压力

【近义词】counterbalance v. 起平衡作用；抵消

【例】The extra income can counterbalance the losses.

额外收入可以抵消损失。

自20世纪30年代以来，农场数量一直在下降，很大程度上是因为人口从农村地区迁移到城市，以及农业机械化程度提高，这使得经营者可以用更少的人耕种更大的土地。

cultivate v.

1. 耕作；种植

【例】to cultivate the field 耕田

to cultivate vegetables 种植蔬菜

2. 培养；逐渐形成

【例】to cultivate a sense of humor

培养幽默感

【拓展】culture n./v. 文化/培养细胞

tract n. 大片的土地

【例】vast tracts of forest 大片大片的森林

【近义词】stretch n. 大片土地

distribution n. 分销；经销

【例】marketing, sales and distribution

营销、销售和分销

Over time the federal government abandoned a policy of managing production to support prices, prompting growers to become more export-oriented, while local distribution networks atrophied.

渐渐地，联邦政府放弃了管理生产以支撑价格的政策，从而促使种植者越来越多地出口农作物，而当地的分销网络就萎缩了。

cultivate v.

1. 耕作；种植

【例】to cultivate the field 耕田

to cultivate vegetables 种植蔬菜

2. 培养；逐渐形成

【例】to cultivate a sense of humor

培养幽默感

【拓展】culture n./v. 文化/培养细胞

tract n. 大片的土地

【例】vast tracts of forest 大片大片的森林

【近义词】stretch n. 大片土地

distribution n. 分销；经销

【例】marketing, sales and distribution

营销、销售和分销

The last half decade has been more disruptive than most. First came a trade war against China under former President Donald J. Trump, which drew retaliatory tariffs that cut into US exports of farm products like soybeans and pork.

过去五年的破坏性比大多数时期都要大。首先是前总统唐纳德·特朗普对中国发动的贸易战，这引发了报复性关税，使美国大豆和猪肉等农产品的出口受挫。

disruptive adj. 扰乱的；破坏性的

【例】a disruptive student 爱捣蛋的学生

His appearance at the meeting was disruptive.

他一出场，会议便开不下去了。

【拓展】disrupt v. 扰乱；使无法顺利进行

disturb v. 打扰；使不安

destroy v. 摧毁；破坏

cut into 减少；占用

【例】The newly built houses in front cut into the value of his house.

屋前新建的那些房屋降低了他的住房的价值。

This plan of yours cuts into our schedule rather badly.

你的这个计划要占去我们日程表里不少时间。

sap v. 使虚弱；削弱

【例】to sap one’s confidence 削弱某人的信心

The hot sun sapped our energy.

火辣辣的太阳烤得我们没有力气。

【近义词】weaken v. 使虚弱

Then came the pandemic, which scrambled supply chains and sapped farm labor, leaving crops to rot in the fields.

接着是疫情打乱了供应链，削弱了农业劳动力，导致庄稼在地里腐烂。

disruptive adj. 扰乱的；破坏性的

【例】a disruptive student 爱捣蛋的学生

His appearance at the meeting was disruptive.

他一出场，会议便开不下去了。

【拓展】disrupt v. 扰乱；使无法顺利进行

disturb v. 打扰；使不安

destroy v. 摧毁；破坏

cut into 减少；占用

【例】The newly built houses in front cut into the value of his house.

屋前新建的那些房屋降低了他的住房的价值。

This plan of yours cuts into our schedule rather badly.

你的这个计划要占去我们日程表里不少时间。

sap v. 使虚弱；削弱

【例】to sap one’s confidence 削弱某人的信心

The hot sun sapped our energy.

火辣辣的太阳烤得我们没有力气。

【近义词】weaken v. 使虚弱

课后练习

What concern does Tom Vilsack express about the small-scale agriculture in America?
A. The reduction in the average size of farms across the nation.
B. The increasing number of farms in states like North Dakota.
C. The declining of agricultural productivity in many states.
D. The significant loss of small farms across the country.
What is Vilsack planning to do to support small farms?
A. Help small farms expand to make agriculture more efficient.
B. Create more sources of income and enhance their profitability.
C. Giving generous checks and facilitate financing for small farms.
D. Focus on conservation programs to improve the ecosystem.
The author holds doubt about _____.
A. whether small farms will benefit from the financial support
B. the impact of mechanization on small farms in the long term
C. whether large farming operations can reduce their pollution levels
D. the necessity of reducing carbon emissions in the agricultural sector
What are the major reasons for the decline in the number of farms?
A. The trade war and shrinking demand from China.
B. The pandemic and a labor shortage in small farms.
C. Urbanization and technological advancements in farming.
D. The low prices and collapse of local distribution networks.