And these combined to make farming an increasingly difficult life, especially for small family farms.
In New York, a new organization called "Farm Hands" is trying to help struggling farms in the region by linking city dwellers with farmers.
在紐約,一個名為Farm Hands的新組織正努力通過把城市居民與農(nóng)民聯(lián)系起來的方式,幫助該地區(qū)陷入困境的農(nóng)場改善狀況。
As John Kailish reports, the scheme seems to benefit both.
Last week, two actors, a housewife, a tour guider, a dog walker and an unemployed social worker, all from the New York metropolitan area,
spent a day working on Hall Gibson's fruit and vegetable farm located in the Upstate New York town of Brewster.
The group listened attentively as Gibson gave the lengthy orientation talk complete with aerial photographs of his 125-acre farm.
"This area was called part of the New York milk shed.
One of the big incentives to producing milk in this area was the founding of the Borden plant."
After the orientation talk the group walked to a five-acre field that was lined with rows of tomatoes and turnips, egg plants and cabbage.
Gibson gave some brief picking instructions to two women who were going to harvest cherry tomatoes.
“如果它們像這樣裂開,就把它們?nèi)拥艋蛘叱缘簟!薄昂玫摹!?/div>
The transplanted urbanites picked six bushels of tomatoes and sixty pints of raspberries over the course of several hours.
短短幾個小時,這些來到這里的都市人摘了六蒲式耳西紅柿和六十品脫覆盆子。
The farmhands were perfect strangers when they left Manhattan, but out in the field in Putnam County,
這些農(nóng)場工人,當(dāng)他們離開曼哈頓時還完全是陌生人,但在帕特南縣,
they had no trouble striking up conversations that included such heady topics as romance in television.
他們彼此暢談,甚至還談到了浪漫偶像劇這樣令人興奮的話題。
Laura Moore, a housewife and part-time teacher from Brooklyn, has made four trips to area farms with her daughter Jessie.
勞拉·穆爾是一名來自布魯克林的家庭主婦,也是一名兼職教師,這樣的活動,她已經(jīng)和女兒參加了四次。
She was picking yellow low acid tomatoes as she explained why she enjoys the Farm Hands program.
她一邊采摘黃色低酸西紅柿,一邊解釋為什么她喜歡Farm Hands這個項目。
"It's therapeutic, mentally, physically, and it's exhilarating.
“它是一個有療愈作用的,精神的,身體的,令人振奮的項目。
This is my way of getting out, escaping the city life for a while.
這是我走出去,逃離城市生活的一段閑暇。
I love the city.
我愛城市。
But in the fresh air, you get a feeling that you are really living."
但在新鮮空氣中,你會感覺到你真的活著。”
In addition to the one-day farm outings, Farm Hands also places individuals on farms for periods ranging from a week to several months.
除了為期一天的農(nóng)場郊游外,F(xiàn)arm Hands還可讓城市人住在農(nóng)場,居住時間從一個星期到幾個月不等。
In exchange for their labor, participants get a minimum wage, room and board, or produce to take back with them to the city.
作為勞動回報,參與者可得到等于政府規(guī)定最低工資的收入、獲得住宿,或?qū)⑥r(nóng)作物帶回到城里。
In its first year of operation, Farm Hands has placed twenty people on farms for a period of two months or longer.
在第一年的運作中,F(xiàn)arm Hands項目共將20人帶到農(nóng)場,勞動時間至少為期兩個月。
More than two hundred people have gone on the one-day work intensives or the field trips that are often more play than work.
二百多人進行了為期一天的集約勞作或田間考察,而這經(jīng)常是種玩耍而非工作。
Hall Gibson has had four long term farm-hands this summer.
霍爾·吉普森今年夏天雇了四個農(nóng)場長工。
At the moment, he's benefiting from the hard work of a twenty--eight--year--old New york City painter named Debby Fisher.
目前,一個28歲來自紐約,名叫黛比·費雪的畫家正幫他打理農(nóng)場。
Because Gibson's farm is organic, weeds are a major problem.
由于吉普森的農(nóng)場是有機農(nóng)場,清除雜草是個大問題。
Farmer Gibson says that when Debby Fisher clears weeds from the fields, she works like a demon.
吉普森說,黛比·費雪在田里清除雜草時,簡直就像個惡魔。
"She's been just driven to rescue crops and she's rescued a number of crops.
“她只是為了拯救莊稼,而她的確已經(jīng)做到了。
My bok choy crop -- the best I've ever had---was rescued by her. Debby is a gem."
我最好的白菜作物,就是她幫我拯救的。黛比簡直就是塊寶。”
The Farm Hands progarm was founded by twenty-seven-year-ole Wendy Dubid, and enthusiastic advocate of linking farms and cities.
Farm Hands項目由27歲的溫迪·杜比成立,這個項目極富激情,提倡將農(nóng)場與城市的聯(lián)系。
In an interview at a farmers' market in New York city,
在紐約市農(nóng)貿(mào)市場的一次采訪中,
Dubid said Farm Hands may mean cheap labors for farmers, but she maintains the program his a broader impact.
杜比說,對于農(nóng)民而言,F(xiàn)arm Hands可能意味著廉價勞動力,但她認為這項計劃有著更廣泛的影響。
"It's not just the labor that helps those farmers; It's the appreciative consumers.
對農(nóng)民有所幫助的不僅僅是勞動力,還有心存感激的消費者。
They suddenly realize after an hour of picking raspberries and scratching their own arms on the bramble,
他們花了一個小時采摘樹莓,然后用手抓著它們,突然意識到了這一點,
they understand the farm reality and the value of food,
他們了解農(nóng)場的現(xiàn)實情況以及食物的價值,
and may become valuable consumers and customers for those farmers."
可能成為極富價值的消費者以及那些農(nóng)民的顧客。”
Dubid says there was only one Farm Hand placement that did not work out this year,
杜比說,今年只有一處Farm Hand的部署工作沒有落實,
a fifteen-year-old football player who antagonized his host family in Upstate New York.
一名紐約州北部的15歲足球運動員,它對寄宿家庭心存敵意。
Farmhands are currently working in New York, Connecticut and New Jersey.
目前在康涅狄格州和新澤西州,F(xiàn)arm Hands項目都在有序開展。
Plans are already under way to expand the Farm Hands program to Maryland, Pennsylvania, massachusetts and Vermont.
目前,已經(jīng)計劃將農(nóng)業(yè)計劃推廣到馬里蘭州、賓夕法尼亞州、麻薩諸塞州和佛蒙特州。