The Changing Landscape of U.S. Farm Production

美国农场生产的变化

From VOA Learning English, this is the Agriculture Report.

这里是美国之音慢速英语农业报道节目。

Demand for meat, milk and eggs is growing around the world. To meet that demand, the way these products are produced is changing. The change is from small farms to large industrial operations. This has already happened in the United States.

全球对肉类、牛奶和鸡蛋的需求不断增长。为了满足这一需求，这类产品的生产方式正在发生变化。从小型农场到大型产业化农村都经历了这种变化。这一切都已经在美国发生。

But not everyone is happy with the change. As a result, there is also a growing demand for products growing locally on small farms.

但并非所有人都喜欢这种变化。因此，公众对本地小农场生产的产品的需求也在不断增长。

In Clinton, North Carolina, some old buildings are all that remain from the days when James Lame raised hogs next to his home. He saw that small farmers were having trouble competing with companies that own large farms.

在卡罗莱纳州的克林顿县，一些老建筑是当年詹姆斯·拉梅（James Lame）在自家附近养猪时所剩下的唯一的东西。他亲眼看到小农户在和拥有大农场的公司的竞争中遇到麻烦。

"They had better consistency, better pork quality, better genetics. So after college, in '98, I decided to try and modernize."

“他们（指拥有大农场的公司）有更好的持续性，更好的猪肉质量，更好的遗传学。所以98年大学毕业后，我决定尝试一下(农场)现代化。”

He stopped raising hogs in small building and built two industrial-sized hog barns, each of them holds 1,500 hogs. Nearly all pigs are raised this way in the United States now.

他停止在小房子里养猪并建成了两幢工业化规模的猪舍。每个猪舍能容下1500头生猪。现在美国几乎所有的猪都是这样喂养的。

The government says the efficiency of large-scale production in a controlled environment has helped reduce the price of a pork chop by nearly 20 percent since 1998.

美国政府表示，在可控环境下大规模生产的效率已经使得1998年以来的猪排价格降低了近20%。

These efficient and intensive production methods are being used around the world, many experts say that is a good thing as the demand for meat grows. But livestock expert Carolyn Opio points out that the land, water and feed required to produce it are limited.

这些高效、集约化生产方式被应用于世界各地。许多专家表示，由于对肉类需求的增长，这是件好事。但畜牧专家卡罗琳·奥比奥（Carolyn Opio）指出，生产所需的土地、水和饲料是有限的。

"If we are to produce within the constraints that we are facing today, efficiency, I think, is key."

她说，“如果我们在当今面临的限制条件下生产，我认为效率是关键。”

Mrs Opio is with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, but the results of the efficiency are not always necessarily good. The waste from thousands of confined animals can pollute waterways, and produce greenhouse gases.

奥比奥女士就职于联合国粮食和农业组织。但效率导致的结果并不一定好。圈养动物产生的废物会污染水道并产生温室气体。

And some health experts are concerned about the antibiotics and other chemicals being put in the animal's feed. Others criticize the conditions in which the animals are kept.

而一些卫生专家关心的是动物饲料中投放的抗生素和其它化学物质。其他人则批评动物的喂养条件。

So today a growing number of people are like Kevin Summers in Amissville, Virginia, are returning to small-scale farming.

所以今天越来越多人都像弗吉尼亚州阿米斯维尔（Amissville）的凯文·萨默斯（Kevin Summers）一样，正回归到小规模养殖。

"In order to feed the world, I think this is a better way, It's a cleaner way. It's a more humane way."

他说，“为了养活世界，我认为这是更好的办法。它更清洁更人性化。”

More Americans today say they want to know where their food comes from, some might like the way Kevin Summers raises his hogs.

如今越来越多美国人表示，他们想要知道食物来源，一些人可能会喜欢萨默斯养猪的方式。

"I can see the entire process unfold before my eyes and know that they had a good life and were healthy and happy."

他说，“我可以看到整个流程展现在我眼前，并知道它们生活不错，过得健康快乐。”

The hogs eat damaged apples and old pumpkins, this reduces food waste, but this kind of farming also means higher prices. Even so, Kevin Summers as he believes it would still be possible to meet global demand this way.

这些猪吃烂苹果和老南瓜，这可以减少粮食浪费，但这类养殖也意味着价格更高。即使如此，萨默斯仍然相信这样做仍然能做到满足全球需求。

"It would just involve people making the choice to buy this kind of food and say that, 'I care about something other than just the cost.'"

他说，“这只是个选择问题，买这类食品的人们会说，'我关心的是费用以外的一些东西。'”