2018年CRI Fearing trade war, US farmers worry about uncertain pork market

 

U.S. farmers are suggesting they're worried about their future amid the trade frictions² between China and the United States, particularly in the American pork sector³.

China is the third largest importer of American pork.

However, there are concerns the current U.S.-China trade frictions will deeply affect the pork market.

Many farmers in Illinois, a major pork producing state, are now said to be considering whether or not to raise pigs, as the price of pork has been on the decline⁴ since the trade skirmish first started.

Steve Warrick is one of more than 2-thousand pork producers in the state.

"When we to go buy pigs, we're going to look at the cost of buying them. We're going to look at what they are going to possibly be doing in the next five and a half months, which is the length it will take to finish them. So if there's no money in it, why would you raise pigs? "

Warrick has been earning around 40-thousand dollars a year by raising 400 pigs, but is now concerned that pork prices may continue to fall if the U.S. loses the Chinese pork market.

Warrick admits he's in a difficult position, because if he doesn't raise pigs, he knows his income will also suffer.

"Then we have to make electricity, we have to pay gas. We have quite a little bit of a bill to pay. I can't say I can reach up in the air and pull 40,000 dollars out of my pocket. I can't do that. It's going to be a tough decision and we're going to have to take a pencil and paper and look at it and say, can we do it? "

Warrick says the trade friction¹ launched by the Trump⁵ administration with China is deeply hurting Americans who rely on export markets.

"The smaller guys such as us, ourselves, we need the exporting market in order to stay in business. We would be the first ones hurt, very much so."

Warrick says there is a unified⁶ hope among many farmers like himself that the two sides can resolve the trade disputes through negotiations⁷ as soon as possible, saying their livelihoods⁸ are at stake.

Valued at 6.5 billion dollars, over a quarter of American-produced pork products were exported in 2017.

And nearly one-sixth of those exports made their way to China.

Pork prices continue to fall on the Chicago Board of Trade.

Chris Robinson is a trader in Chicago.

"The problem is we have a lot of supply and I think people are finally waking up to the fact that, if there is a problem, the demand might not be there. I just think that watching it happen is upsetting. The lowest prices we've had in 14 months. So could they go lower? Yes."

1 friction   

n.摩擦，摩擦力

参考例句：

• When Joan returned to work,the friction between them increased.琼回来工作后，他们之间的摩擦加剧了。
• Friction acts on moving bodies and brings them to a stop.摩擦力作用于运动着的物体，并使其停止。

2 frictions   

n.摩擦( friction的名词复数 )；摩擦力；冲突；不和

参考例句：

• Family frictions can interfere with a child's schoolwork. 家庭中的争吵会影响孩子的学业。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• As far as we are concerned, these frictions are not of our own making [have been imposed on us]. 就我们来说，这种摩擦是被动式的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

4 decline   

n.衰微，跌落，下降；vt.使降低，婉谢；vi.下降，衰落，偏斜

参考例句：

• I must decline to show favour to any of the candidates.我必须拒绝偏袒任何一位候选人。
• The birthrate is on the decline.出生率在下降。

5 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

6 unified   

(unify 的过去式和过去分词)； 统一的； 统一标准的； 一元化的

参考例句：

• The teacher unified the answer of her pupil with hers. 老师核对了学生的答案。
• The First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221 B.C. 秦始皇于公元前221年统一中国。

7 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

8 livelihoods   

生计，谋生之道( livelihood的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• First came the earliest individualistic pioneers who depended on hunting and fishing for their livelihoods. 走在最前面的是早期的个人主义先驱者，他们靠狩猎捕鱼为生。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• With little influence over policies, their traditional livelihoods are threatened. 因为马赛族人对政策的影响力太小，他们的传统生计受到了威胁。