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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.”
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1 livestock | |
n.家畜,牲畜 | |
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2 draught | |
n.拉,牵引,拖;一网(饮,吸,阵);顿服药量,通风;v.起草,设计 | |
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3 watt | |
n.瓦,瓦特 | |
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4 spike | |
n.长钉,钉鞋;v.以大钉钉牢,使...失效 | |
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5 buck | |
n.雄鹿,雄兔;v.马离地跳跃 | |
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6 prospect | |
n.前景,前途;景色,视野 | |
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