国家地理-2008-09-08 澳洲农业每况愈下

In Australia, it’s not just livestock¹ hit hard by draught², but the next generation of farmers. At 24, Robert Watt³, a farmer from Alectown, a region of Australia, has had seven seasons on the farm, but not one year of profit. He says the draught, plus a sharp spike⁴ in farming costs, has left a generational hole on farms.

“A lot of my mates have gone off farm, off farms and get the quick buck⁵ at the mine. And it's not usually by, by choices. It's...they're forced to, cos, uh, when they make a living, yeah.”

He says most young people have considered selling out, and explains that the prospect⁶ of not earning any money could eventually push him to leave as well.

“The only reason I would leave the land is the finance, the pressure of not being able to get a wage at the end of the week and do what you like with it.”

Robert has joined other young farmers at a meeting in Sydney recently, to work out ways to get more people back on the land. And some say farm finance is the key. Sam Gunn, the chairman of the Young Farmers’ Committee, says that encouraging young people to get the “first farm buyers” grant is important to help them get back into farming.

“And we’re just saying that, you know, people getting back and that encouraging young people back into farming if they get that first farm buyers grant, I really think it would be a step in the right direction to getting people back on the land.”

The farmers who stay on the land face new challenges. They have to manage with less rain, and decide which crops suit the changing conditions. Robert also says there is potential in agriculture to make some money, but external conditions such as the weather are elements that can’t be anticipated and controlled.

“Yeah, there’s definitely potential in agriculture. The, the, the price of the commodity at the moment is quite, quite good. It just depends if, if the weather comes our direction and we can crack a crop and some, some decent seasons for the livestock as well, we could, we can make a bit of money. It’s obviously out of our control.”

 

A spike in: a sudden large increase in the number or rate of something

Leave a hole (on) in: to use a large part of an amount of money, food etc

Get the quick buck: to make some money quickly

By choice: If you do something by choice, you do it because you want to do it and not because you are forced to do it

Work out: to find a solution for

Decent: proper, satisfactory

 

1 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。

2 draught   

n.拉，牵引，拖；一网（饮，吸，阵)；顿服药量，通风；v.起草，设计

参考例句：

• He emptied his glass at one draught.他将杯中物一饮而尽。
• It's a pity the room has no north window and you don't get a draught.可惜这房间没北窗，没有过堂风。

3 watt   

n.瓦，瓦特

参考例句：

• The invention of the engine is creditable to Watt.发动机的发明归功于瓦特。
• The unit of power is watt.功率的单位是瓦特。

4 spike   

n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效

参考例句：

• The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
• They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。

5 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。

6 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。