密歇根新闻广播 21世纪世外桃源般的生活方式

 

It’s an ancient way of life under 21st century economic pressures.

According to the state’s numbers, the food and agriculture industry pumps $101 billion into Michigan’s economy each year. It employs some 923,000 people. That’s nearly a quarter of Michigan’s workforce¹.

So, what does the next generation of farmers think about the future of agriculture in our state?

Mark Mathe runs a small dairy and cattle farm in Ida. He’s also the vice² president and young farmer committee chair of the Monroe County Farm Bureau.

Mathe said a perfect day on the farm means “just sitting on a tractor, heading down the field – just thinking about, you know, working that ground.”

“It’s that connection to the land,” he said, “being able to have that connection. Just knowing that you’re continuing that tradition of your family and your forefathers³, that they did that same thing. And you want to be able to give that next generation that same feeling – take care of the land, take care of the water.”

Listen above to hear Mathe explain what farming looks like in his life, where the challenges lie, and what agricultural jobs are available now – he said between 50,000 and 60,000 jobs go unfilled each year.

1 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。

2 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

3 forefathers   

n.祖先，先人；祖先，祖宗( forefather的名词复数 )；列祖列宗；前人

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left. 它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All of us bristled at the lawyer's speech insulting our forefathers. 听到那个律师在讲演中污蔑我们的祖先，大家都气得怒发冲冠。 来自《简明英汉词典》