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2019年CRI US soybean farmers: window is closing for farming business amid trade tensions

时间:2020-03-24 06:31来源:互联网 提供网友:nan   字体: [ ]
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In the wake of new US tariff1 increases on Chinese products, US soybean farmers are calling on the US government to resolve the issue now.

53-year-old John Boyd arrived at his farm to meet with us half an hour later than scheduled.

He said the tariffs2 the Chinese side has put on soybeans has limited his cash flow, saying he now can't afford technicians, forcing him to become the lone3 mechanic on his farm.

"I was late coming over here today because I was making repairs to the tractor which generally I would've sent that tractor off to a shop or experts to fix it. And because of my financial strain, we are here and my own shop on the farm is trying to pass this."

A 4th generation soybean farmer, Boyd owns lands in Baskerville, a small area in southern Virginia bordering North Carolina.

He has 700 acres of land, of which 400 are used for soybean production, which is his main source of profit.

When the US government launched its trade fight with China in March of last year, announcing tariffs on Chinese goods worth hundreds of billions of US dollars, the Chinese government was forced to respond.

This included Chinese tariffs on soybeans and other American goods.

When asked about how his farming business has been since then, Boyd's frustration4 was clear:

"Oh man I am past word. I am part worried, I am part frustrated5. And I am very disappointed in the President's leadership, inability to fix this. The prices of soybeans, when they peaked, were 16.8 dollars (per bushel). And now on the US market here, the prices of soybeans are hovering6 around 8 dollars or less. That's a 50% reduction in income for me. It's been a strain. It's been a financial strain on our farming operation. The imposition of the tariffs have totally changed the income on the farm, and the way that we are doing business. It's also put a strain on the future of the farm if the China avenue isn't open, if that door doesn't get open swiftly here."

Apart from drops in prices and profits, many US soybean farmers are also worried about the long term effect on US soybeans' competitive edge in the international market, i.e. the ability to present reliable products with the help of advanced technology, steady logistics and so on.

Brent Bible is a soybean and corn farmer in Lafayette, Indiana.

He is among a pro-free-trade group in the US calling itself "Tariffs Hurt the Heartland."

"It has made it such – by changing the price as much as the tariffs have – it's made it so uncompetitive that other countries are willing to now take the risk that some of the South American countries have in terms of logistics, safety, and being reliable with being able to present a product for sale. The further time goes on and they are able to continue to do that, then the reliable market that we've always been able to present is eroding7 away."

One of the reasons the US cited when starting trade frictions8 with China a year ago was that the two had disputes in areas such as intellectual property rights. To Boyd, on the one hand, soybeans have been innocently caught in a trade crossfire9; on the other, even if disputes do exist, tariffs are not the right way to address them

"Tariffs should be the last thing to happen. I do not think it's the right approach. A more diplomatic approach could be taken. So I believe good conversation and good leadership could help fix that."

In a recent interview with Chinese media, Davie Stephens, President of the American Soybean Association noted10 it took U.S. farmers more than 40 years to build the soybean market in China, warning that the market will become increasingly difficult to recover as the U.S.-China trade tension drags along.

Boyd noted almost all his soybeans go to China, saying that the prices of soybeans during the first harvest season last October since the tariffs came into effect felt like a "reality slap."

Earlier this month, in the midst of bilateral11 negotiations12, the US government suddenly announced a tariff hike from 10% to 25% on Chinese goods, further escalating13 tensions between the two economies and creating more uncertainties14 in the market. When asked about his plans for this year, since it's planting season now, Boyd replied:

"Well I don't know. I don't know what I am going to do now. And that's a bad position to be in as a farmer. I am not just a farmer, I am good farmer, because I've been farming 35 years. My ability to farm is not what's in question. The question is what the President of the United States is going to do to act swiftly to fix this for American farmers like myself."

To help US farmers affected15 by trade tensions, the US Department of Agriculture announced an ambitious subsidy16 program totaling 12 billion dollars last July.

Boyd is among those who submitted his application immediately, but has yet to receive any money. More importantly, he said, he wants a fair market, not subsidies17.

"I haven't received a dime18 of that. And I have reached out to the Agriculture Department to ask them about the delays. And those requests have fell upon deaf ears. I don't want the aid, I want a fair price for my product."

Boyd, also President of National Black Farmers Association, said he's been hoping to press his concerns with the Trump19 administration by requesting meetings with President Trump and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Purdue, but neither has responded to his requests.

"I've known Sonny Purdue for about 25 years. And I am disappointed that he hasn't had this meeting."

Boyd said he will continue his petition and that he hopes to tell President Trump that US farmers just can't take the tariffs any longer.

"Window is closing. Time is of the essence. And there's an urgency of now, right now, that this needs to be fixed20. We don't have time. And if he (Trump) doesn't (fix this now), there will be thousands of farmers on the auction21 block in the United States. That means they will lose the farm. They merely can't pay the debts with 8 dollars a bushel beans. It's just not feasible."


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 tariff mqwwG     
n.关税,税率;(旅馆、饭店等)价目表,收费表
参考例句:
  • There is a very high tariff on jewelry.宝石类的关税率很高。
  • The government is going to lower the tariff on importing cars.政府打算降低进口汽车的关税。
2 tariffs a7eb9a3f31e3d6290c240675a80156ec     
关税制度; 关税( tariff的名词复数 ); 关税表; (旅馆或饭店等的)收费表; 量刑标准
参考例句:
  • British industry was sheltered from foreign competition by protective tariffs. 保护性关税使英国工业免受国际竞争影响。
  • The new tariffs have put a stranglehold on trade. 新的关税制对开展贸易极为不利。
3 lone Q0cxL     
adj.孤寂的,单独的;唯一的
参考例句:
  • A lone sea gull flew across the sky.一只孤独的海鸥在空中飞过。
  • She could see a lone figure on the deserted beach.她在空旷的海滩上能看到一个孤独的身影。
4 frustration 4hTxj     
n.挫折,失败,失效,落空
参考例句:
  • He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
  • He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。
5 frustrated ksWz5t     
adj.挫败的,失意的,泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 );挫败;使受挫折;令人沮丧
参考例句:
  • It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
  • The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》
6 hovering 99fdb695db3c202536060470c79b067f     
鸟( hover的现在分词 ); 靠近(某事物); (人)徘徊; 犹豫
参考例句:
  • The helicopter was hovering about 100 metres above the pad. 直升机在离发射台一百米的上空盘旋。
  • I'm hovering between the concert and the play tonight. 我犹豫不决今晚是听音乐会还是看戏。
7 eroding c892257232bdd413a7900bdce96d217e     
侵蚀,腐蚀( erode的现在分词 ); 逐渐毁坏,削弱,损害
参考例句:
  • The coast is slowly eroding. 海岸正慢慢地被侵蚀。
  • Another new development is eroding the age-old stereotype of the male warrior. 另一个新现象是,久已形成的男人皆武士的形象正逐渐消失。
8 frictions c3b12b9aeb795425cb3a97ab92bf2232     
n.摩擦( friction的名词复数 );摩擦力;冲突;不和
参考例句:
  • Family frictions can interfere with a child's schoolwork. 家庭中的争吵会影响孩子的学业。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • As far as we are concerned, these frictions are not of our own making [have been imposed on us]. 就我们来说,这种摩擦是被动式的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
9 crossfire 6vSzBL     
n.被卷进争端
参考例句:
  • They say they are caught in the crossfire between the education establishment and the government.他们称自己被卷进了教育机构与政府之间的争端。
  • When two industrial giants clash,small companies can get caught in the crossfire.两大工业企业争斗之下,小公司遭受池鱼之殃。
10 noted 5n4zXc     
adj.著名的,知名的
参考例句:
  • The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
  • Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。
11 bilateral dQGyW     
adj.双方的,两边的,两侧的
参考例句:
  • They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
  • There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题,两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。
12 negotiations af4b5f3e98e178dd3c4bac64b625ecd0     
协商( negotiation的名词复数 ); 谈判; 完成(难事); 通过
参考例句:
  • negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
  • Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。
13 escalating 1b4e810e65548c7656e9ea468e403ca1     
v.(使)逐步升级( escalate的现在分词 );(使)逐步扩大;(使)更高;(使)更大
参考例句:
  • The cost of living is escalating. 生活费用在迅速上涨。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The cost of living is escalating in the country. 这个国家的生活费用在上涨。 来自辞典例句
14 uncertainties 40ee42d4a978cba8d720415c7afff06a     
无把握( uncertainty的名词复数 ); 不确定; 变化不定; 无把握、不确定的事物
参考例句:
  • One of the uncertainties of military duty is that you never know when you might suddenly get posted away. 任军职不稳定的因素之一是你永远不知道什么时候会突然被派往它处。
  • Uncertainties affecting peace and development are on the rise. 影响和平与发展的不确定因素在增加。 来自汉英非文学 - 十六大报告
15 affected TzUzg0     
adj.不自然的,假装的
参考例句:
  • She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
  • His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。
16 subsidy 2U5zo     
n.补助金,津贴
参考例句:
  • The university will receive a subsidy for research in artificial intelligence.那个大学将得到一笔人工智能研究的补助费。
  • The living subsidy for senior expert's family is included in the remuneration.报酬已包含高级专家家人的生活补贴。
17 subsidies 84c7dc8329c19e43d3437248757e572c     
n.补贴,津贴,补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
  • Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》
18 dime SuQxv     
n.(指美国、加拿大的钱币)一角
参考例句:
  • A dime is a tenth of a dollar.一角银币是十分之一美元。
  • The liberty torch is on the back of the dime.自由火炬在一角硬币的反面。
19 trump LU1zK     
n.王牌,法宝;v.打出王牌,吹喇叭
参考例句:
  • He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
  • The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手,作为他的王牌。
20 fixed JsKzzj     
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的
参考例句:
  • Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗?
  • Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定,我们就不应该随意改变。
21 auction 3uVzy     
n.拍卖;拍卖会;vt.拍卖
参考例句:
  • They've put the contents of their house up for auction.他们把房子里的东西全都拿去拍卖了。
  • They bought a new minibus with the proceeds from the auction.他们用拍卖得来的钱买了一辆新面包车。
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