VOA标准英语2013--Some Farmers Go Big, Others Stay Small to Meet Global Food Demand

 

Some Farmers Go Big, Others Stay Small to Meet Global Food Demand

CLINTON, NORTH CAROLINA — Cows wander through the rusted¹ remains² of a couple of old huts on James Lamb's farm. They're all that's left from the days when he raised hogs⁴ outside his home in Clinton, North Carolina.

Those huts used to be where the pigs could get out of the elements. But growing up in the 1980s and 90s, Lamb saw that small-scale farmers had a hard time competing with the big companies.

“They had better consistency⁵, better pork quality, better genetics," Lamb said. "So after college, in ’98, I decided⁶ to try and modernize⁷.”

He gave up on his backyard huts and built two industrial-scale hog³ barns, each of which can hold 1,500 animals at a time.

He got started at an awkward time. His first pigs arrived the day before his wedding.

"My wife, she was kind-of upset that I wasn't prioritizing on what was important. But I told her if she just tell me where to show up and I'll take care of the pig stuff," he said. "So, it worked out."

Price drop

Large-scale pork production has worked out for American consumers, too.

These highly efficient systems have helped reduce the price of a pork chop by nearly 20 percent since 1998, according to government figures. Lamb says it's a good value.

“Producing the way I do is a better pork quality for the money,” he said.

Intensive livestock⁸ production methods are gaining favor around the world, and many experts say that’s a good thing. The demand for meat is growing, but the land, water and feed required to produce it are limited.

“If we are to produce within the constraints⁹ that we are facing today, efficiency, I think, is key,” said Carolyn Opio, a livestock expert with the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization.

But efficiency comes with downsides. The waste from thousands of confined animals can pollute waterways and produce greenhouse gases.

Antibiotics¹⁰ and other chemicals in the animals’ diets raise concerns with some health experts. And some feel conditions are inhumane.

Back to basics

So today a growing number of people are returning to small-scale farming.

People like Kevin Summers, who raises a small herd¹² of heritage-breed hogs in Amissville, Virginia. Summers was not raised on a farm.

"I was a city boy," he said. "My cousins all laughed at me for being a city boy and they can't get over the fact that I'm raising pigs and chickens and stuff."

But he's part of a movement that rejects industrial-scale food production.

“In order to feed the world, I think this is a better way," he said. "It’s a cleaner way. It’s a more humane¹¹ way.”

More Americans today want to know where their food comes from. And they like the personal touch that Summers gives his hogs.

“I can see the entire process unfold before my eyes and know that they had a good life and were healthy and happy,” he said.

The hogs feast on bruised¹³ apples and old pumpkins¹⁴ that would otherwise get thrown away, which cuts down on food waste. And, Summers notes, small scale means less pollution.

But it also means higher prices.

Summers says it’s still possible to meet global demand this way. “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.’”

The choice between low-cost and efficient, and expensive but eco-friendly, is one that more and more people around the world are making with the growing demand for meat, milk and eggs. 

1 rusted   

v.（使）生锈( rust的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I can't get these screws out; they've rusted in. 我无法取出这些螺丝，它们都锈住了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• My bike has rusted and needs oil. 我的自行车生锈了，需要上油。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

3 hog   

n.猪；馋嘴贪吃的人；vt.把…占为己有，独占

参考例句：

• He is greedy like a hog.他像猪一样贪婪。
• Drivers who hog the road leave no room for other cars.那些占着路面的驾驶员一点余地都不留给其他车辆。

4 hogs   

n.（尤指喂肥供食用的）猪( hog的名词复数 )；（供食用的）阉公猪；彻底地做某事；自私的或贪婪的人

参考例句：

• 'sounds like -- like hogs grunting. “像——像是猪发出的声音。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险
• I hate the way he hogs down his food. 我讨厌他那副狼吞虎咽的吃相。 来自辞典例句

5 consistency   

n.一贯性，前后一致，稳定性；(液体的)浓度

参考例句：

• Your behaviour lacks consistency.你的行为缺乏一贯性。
• We appreciate the consistency and stability in China and in Chinese politics.我们赞赏中国及其政策的连续性和稳定性。

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

7 modernize   

vt.使现代化，使适应现代的需要

参考例句：

• It was their manifest failure to modernize the country's industries.他们使国家进行工业现代化，明显失败了。
• There is a pressing need to modernise our electoral system.我们的选举制度迫切需要现代化。

8 livestock   

n.家畜，牲畜

参考例句：

• Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
• The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。

9 constraints   

强制( constraint的名词复数 )； 限制； 约束

参考例句：

• Data and constraints can easily be changed to test theories. 信息库中的数据和限制条件可以轻易地改变以检验假设。 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史
• What are the constraints that each of these imply for any design? 这每种产品的要求和约束对于设计意味着什么？ 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

10 antibiotics   

n.（用作复数）抗生素；（用作单数）抗生物质的研究；抗生素，抗菌素( antibiotic的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• the discovery of antibiotics in the 20th century 20世纪抗生素的发现
• The doctor gave me a prescription for antibiotics. 医生给我开了抗生素。

11 humane   

adj.人道的，富有同情心的

参考例句：

• Is it humane to kill animals for food?宰杀牲畜来吃合乎人道吗？
• Their aim is for a more just and humane society.他们的目标是建立一个更加公正、博爱的社会。

12 herd   

n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• He had no opinions of his own but simply follow the herd.他从无主见，只是人云亦云。

13 bruised   

[医]青肿的，瘀紫的

参考例句：

• his bruised and bloodied nose 他沾满血的青肿的鼻子
• She had slipped and badly bruised her face. 她滑了一跤，摔得鼻青脸肿。

14 pumpkins   

n.南瓜( pumpkin的名词复数 )；南瓜的果肉，南瓜囊

参考例句：

• I like white gourds, but not pumpkins. 我喜欢吃冬瓜，但不喜欢吃南瓜。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Then they cut faces in the pumpkins and put lights inside. 然后在南瓜上刻出一张脸，并把瓜挖空。 来自英语晨读30分（高三）