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They make an intriguing posse: about 160 "scouts" in jeans and muddy boots,
他們組編了一支有趣的民兵隊伍：約有160位“童軍”，他們穿著工裝褲和泥糊糊的靴子
jumping out of cars with ropes in hand, plunging deep into corn (maize) and soyabean fields across the American Midwest.
手里拿著繩子從車上跳下來，一頭扎進美國中西部的玉米地和大豆地里。
They are not just farmers. They include commodity traders and hedge-fund managers.
他們不僅僅只是農民。他們中有商品交易商和套保基金管理人。
Their quest: to predict this year's harvest by using ropes as a measure and counting, to the last ear of corn and soyabean pod, the yield in a given area.
他們探求的是：用繩子作為測量和計算工具測量所有玉米穗和大豆豆莢，預測今年這片土地的收成。
"We have a really beautiful crop. I think this is going to be a record," says Ted Seifried,
“我們的農作物很豐盛，我認為這次將創造紀錄，”泰德·賽弗里德說道，
a market strategist at Zaner Group, a commodities brokerage in Chicago, during a stop in Nebraska on August 21st.
他是芝加哥一家商品證券行Zaner Group的一名市場策略顧問，8月21日來到內布拉斯加州作短暫停留。
The mud on his boots is a reassuring sign of ample moisture in the soil.
他靴子上的泥濘是土地水分充足的可靠跡象。
But when he gets back into the car with others on the Pro Farmer Midwest Crop Tour,
但當他和谷物評估機構Pro Farmer Midwest Crop Tour的其他人回到車里時，
the talk turns to darker subjects, such as trade tensions, collapsing currencies and what he calls the start of an "economic cold war" between America and China.
話題轉到了更加黑暗的主題，比如貿易緊張、貨幣崩潰以及他口中的中美‘經濟冷戰’的開端。
"While we're driving the 15-25 miles from field to field, we certainly have a lot to talk about.
“我們在田間開了15到25英里，我們當然有很多問題要談。
By and large the American producer thinks the fight with China is just. But it's very much affecting the pocketbook."
總體上來說，美國制造商認為和中國的貿易戰爭是合理的。但這也對他們的經濟來源造成巨大影響。”
From the midwestern farm belt to the commodity markets of Chicago, New York, London and Shanghai,
從中西部的農業區到芝加哥、紐約、倫敦和上海的商品市場，
this is a tricky time to be producing and trading commodities. Americans may relish their stockmarkets soaring.
此時是生產商品和進行商品交易的微妙時刻。美國人或許期盼他們的股票市場高歌猛進。
But a rising dollar, higher American interest rates, sliding emerging-market currencies and fears of a tariff-induced blow to exports to China
但是美元升值、美國利率增加、新興市場貨幣下滑以及對出口中國征收關稅的恐懼
have taken a toll on commodity prices in recent months.
在近幾個月對商品價格造成嚴重影響。
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