The pandemic has created some uncertainty about the future of farm shows

The pandemic has created some uncertainty¹ about the future of farm shows

Transcript²

Small town farm shows are reacting differently to COVID-19 restrictions³. Some canceled, some went virtual and some are carrying on as usual.

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

The pandemic has created uncertainty about many things - of course, you know this - but we want to take a closer look at another one of its effects on parts of rural America because there's a bit of uneasiness surrounding annual farm shows. That's where farmers head to convention centers and exhibition halls to check out the latest technology and connect with fellow producers. Jonathan Ahl of St. Louis Public Radio reports on the future of this staple⁴ in agricultural life.

JONATHAN AHL, BYLINE⁵: Dozens of farmers and their families are walking among the giant combines, tractors and other farm equipment that can cost up to a half a million dollars each. This is the scene at the Ag Expo in Sedalia, Mo. Local corn and soybean farmer Bill Taylor loves it. He says it's a low-pressure way to check out a lot of different things.

BILL TAYLOR: If you want to talk to a guy, you can. If you want to walk by, you can. And that's what we like about - there's a little bit of everything here. I mean, we got anything from siding to gutters⁶ to tractor tires, fertilizer buggies, livestock⁷ equipment.

AHL: Like most farm shows, this one was canceled last year over COVID concerns. This year, it's back in full force. But some farm shows across the country canceled again, and others just went online. Danny Young is a rural banker who loans to farmers and is on the planning commission of Sedalia's farm show.

DANNY YOUNG: A lot of farmers - they're hands-on kind of people. They don't really want to sit in front of a computer or something and do it virtually. They want to get out of the house. They want to go to town. They want to touch the machinery⁸. They want to talk to the people. And it's not a real virtual clientele.

AHL: But many in the ag business think virtual connections might be the future and the in-person farm show doesn't have much life left.

JIM MANDES: We were well on this path, and just COVID kind of proved the point to a lot of people.

AHL: Jim Mandes is a sales manager with Krone, maker⁹ of machines for hay production like mowers and balers. He says with consolidations every year, there are fewer farmers to sell to, and most are tech savvy¹⁰ enough to research big purchases on their own.

MANDES: They know more about what they're buying than they did 20 years ago, 10 years ago, three years ago. The relevance¹¹ of a trade show - physically¹² seeing machines and talking to reps - is not what it once was.

AHL: While businesses may be looking for more bang for their buck¹³ at farm shows, the towns that host them say the money is only part of the narrative¹⁴. They say the shows are just as much about community, identity and a full embrace of the farming lifestyle.

JOCK HEDBLADE: There's a morale¹⁵ element to it, too.

AHL: Jock Hedblade heads the Macomb Area Convention and Visitors Bureau in west central Illinois. Macomb canceled its Ag Mech Show for the second year in a row because of COVID. Hedblade says not having the town be the focus of regional farm life is more than just a financial hit of not selling hotel rooms and meals to visitors. And while he's confident the Ag Mech Show will return to Macomb next year, he's not sure every show will survive.

HEDBLADE: Some of these towns won't be able to recoup these types of shows. I think that's because it loses a little momentum¹⁶, that, you know, sometimes these are volunteers that put these together, and it's hard to keep people involved and their interest in these things.

AHL: But the doom¹⁷ and gloom about the future of farm shows doesn't play in Sedalia. Despite the show coming on the heels of a major snowstorm in central Missouri, organizers say attendance was strong. And Danny Young says the demand from farmers is still there.

YOUNG: We visited with several of them yesterday and kind of asked them the same question. And they said they hope that we continue having the farm show because they enjoy getting out and getting to see the machinery, seeing people that are in the same business they are in. They act like they want to see them continue, so we plan to keep having them.

AHL: And Young says farmers are used to riding out tough times, and he hopes that the pandemic's hold on their beloved farm shows presents only a temporary setback¹⁸.

For NPR News, I'm Jonathan Ahl.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARIEL POSEN'S "BEGIN AGAIN")

1 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

4 staple   

n.主要产物，常用品，主要要素，原料，订书钉，钩环；adj.主要的，重要的；vt.分类

参考例句：

• Tea is the staple crop here.本地产品以茶叶为大宗。
• Potatoes are the staple of their diet.土豆是他们的主要食品。

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 gutters   

（路边）排水沟( gutter的名词复数 )； 阴沟； （屋顶的）天沟； 贫贱的境地

参考例句：

• Gutters lead the water into the ditch. 排水沟把水排到这条水沟里。
• They were born, they grew up in the gutters. 他们生了下来，以后就在街头长大。

7 livestock   

n.家畜，牲畜

参考例句：

• Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
• The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。

8 machinery   

n.(总称)机械，机器；机构

参考例句：

• Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗？
• Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。

9 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

10 savvy   

v.知道，了解；n.理解能力，机智，悟性；adj.有见识的，懂实际知识的，通情达理的

参考例句：

• She was a pretty savvy woman.她是个见过世面的漂亮女人。
• Where's your savvy?你的常识到哪里去了？

11 relevance   

n.中肯，适当，关联，相关性

参考例句：

• Politicians' private lives have no relevance to their public roles.政治家的私生活与他们的公众角色不相关。
• Her ideas have lost all relevance to the modern world.她的想法与现代社会完全脱节。

12 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

13 buck   

n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃

参考例句：

• The boy bent curiously to the skeleton of the buck.这个男孩好奇地弯下身去看鹿的骸骨。
• The female deer attracts the buck with high-pitched sounds.雌鹿以尖声吸引雄鹿。

14 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

15 morale   

n.道德准则，士气，斗志

参考例句：

• The morale of the enemy troops is sinking lower every day.敌军的士气日益低落。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

16 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

17 doom   

n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定

参考例句：

• The report on our economic situation is full of doom and gloom.这份关于我们经济状况的报告充满了令人绝望和沮丧的调子。
• The dictator met his doom after ten years of rule.独裁者统治了十年终于完蛋了。

18 setback   

n.退步，挫折，挫败

参考例句：

• Since that time there has never been any setback in his career.从那时起他在事业上一直没有遇到周折。
• She views every minor setback as a disaster.她把每个较小的挫折都看成重大灾难。