美国国家公共电台 NPR--Farmers may be facing more challenges, at one time, than ever before

Farmers may be facing more challenges, at one time, than ever before

Transcript¹

NPR's Leila Fadel speaks with Joel Anderson, executive director of the Snake River Farmers Association, about the upheaval² in the world of farming.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Costs of fertilizer, seeds, fuel and farming equipment have all risen. Shipping³ delays have plagued the supply chain, migrant agricultural workers have been delayed at the U.S. border, and a shortage of irrigation water is an imminent⁴ concern.

JOEL ANDERSON: This is actually an interesting year and set of circumstances. Farmers are always subject to the vicissitudes⁵ of nature, and the risk is always inherent to what they do. But U.S. farmers and ranchers this year and - currently are facing more threats and challenges all at once than perhaps ever before.

FADEL: To talk about this, we are joined by Joel Anderson, the executive director of the Snake River Farmers Association, a nonprofit organization of agricultural producers. Good morning, Joel.

ANDERSON: Good morning, Leila.

FADEL: So have you seen this kind of volatility⁶ before, the issue of water shortages and drought in the Mountain West and beyond? What's the water outlook for this growing cycle in places like Idaho?

ANDERSON: The Idaho governor approved an emergency drought declaration for 34 of Idaho's 44 counties, essentially⁷ signaling that there's, across the state, going to be a substantial shortage of water. Even a wet April and an increase to the snowpack in the mountains around hasn't necessarily relieved the problem.

FADEL: So does this suggest any type of long-term shift in the commodities market for farmers nationwide?

ANDERSON: It's tough to know because it's such - we're on the microscale, but it's such a macro problem...

FADEL: Yeah.

ANDERSON: ...And issue. I think the water shortages are - they come and go. I would say that the biggest challenges - and what we're hearing from our producers - the biggest challenges are, big-picture, the labor⁸ shortage and concern in agriculture and the availability of parts, the disruption to the supply chain. So those three factors - water, which is beyond their control; labor, which is beyond their control; and the shipping problems, also beyond their control - those three factors that farmers cannot adapt to and cannot change their practices to accommodate, those are the biggest challenges.

FADEL: What policy changes would you want to see so that small farmers can weather this storm?

ANDERSON: One of the biggest challenges we face is our immigration laws. There are so many challenges facing farmers trying to find a lawful⁹ workforce¹⁰ and have enough workers. That's a big nut to crack, and it's one that people have tried to address for decades. The quickest-affecting impact is modifying the H-2A visa program, creating a sustainable workforce. And Congress has made efforts to try to address it, but they've never gotten across the finish line.

FADEL: Is there any silver lining¹¹ here?

ANDERSON: The silver lining for now, this year, wherever there's a challenge, there's generally an opportunity. And farmers are normally just the right amount of stubborn and ornery to make it through the hard times. Commodity prices are good, and if they can weather the other challenges, then they just might make it through.

FADEL: Joel Anderson is the executive director of the Snake River Farmers Association. Thank you for joining me.

ANDERSON: Thanks, Leila.

1 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。

2 upheaval   

n.胀起，(地壳)的隆起；剧变，动乱

参考例句：

• It was faced with the greatest social upheaval since World War Ⅱ.它面临第二次世界大战以来最大的社会动乱。
• The country has been thrown into an upheaval.这个国家已经陷入动乱之中。

3 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

4 imminent   

adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的

参考例句：

• The black clounds show that a storm is imminent.乌云预示暴风雨即将来临。
• The country is in imminent danger.国难当头。

5 vicissitudes   

n.变迁，世事变化；变迁兴衰( vicissitude的名词复数 )；盛衰兴废

参考例句：

• He experienced several great social vicissitudes in his life. 他一生中经历了几次大的社会变迁。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A man used to vicissitudes is not easily dejected. 饱经沧桑，不易沮丧。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 volatility   

n.挥发性，挥发度，轻快，（性格）反复无常

参考例句：

• That was one reason why volatility was so low last year.这也是去年波动性如此低的原因之一。
• Yet because volatility remained low for so long,disaster myopia prevailed.然而，由于相当长的时间里波动性小，灾难短视就获胜了。

7 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

8 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

9 lawful   

adj.法律许可的，守法的，合法的

参考例句：

• It is not lawful to park in front of a hydrant.在消火栓前停车是不合法的。
• We don't recognised him to be the lawful heir.我们不承认他为合法继承人。

10 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

11 lining   

n.衬里，衬料

参考例句：

• The lining of my coat is torn.我的外套衬里破了。
• Moss makes an attractive lining to wire baskets.用苔藓垫在铁丝篮里很漂亮。