VOA慢速英语:Agriculture Report

From VOA Learning English, this is the Agriculture Report.
来自美国之音慢速英，这里是语农业报道。
Congress has been debating a new farm bill -- a huge five-year plan that includes subsidy programmes for American farmers.
美国国会一直在讨论一份新农业法案，这是一项庞大的包含了美国农民补贴方案的五年计划。

Government payments make up 8% of the income on farmers growing such major crops as maize, wheat, soybeans, cotton and peanuts. That 8% is one of the lowest rates among developed countries. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development says the average among its members is 20%.
对于种植诸如玉米、小麦、大豆、棉花和花生等主要作物的农民来说，政府补贴占了其收入的8%。这个比例在发达国家是最低的。经济合作与发展组织表示，其成员的平均水平是20%。

One reason for the low payments is high global crop prices, the subsidies that pays farmers when the markets are down has not been used much recently. Grain prices are way up, farmers have earned record or near record profits in the past few years. But they still receive about 5 billion dollars per year in what her called direct payments. These payments go to farmers whether crop prices are high or low. Farmers do not even have to grow a crop to get direct payments.
低补贴的原因之一是全球农作物价格高，市场价格低时支付给农民的补贴已经很久没有启用。过去几年间，粮食价格一路攀升，农民们获得了创纪录的利润。但每年仍收到大约50亿美元的“直接补贴”。无论粮价高低，农民都能获得补贴，甚至无需种植作物都能获得直接补贴。

But Congress want to cut 20 to 40 billion dollars from the farm bill. Even the largest farmers group, The American Farm Bureau Federation expects that direct payments will soon end. Mary Kay Thatcher is the chief lobbyist for the group.
但国会希望从农场法案中削减200到400亿美元的补贴，甚至最大的农场主组织美国农场事务联合会都预测直接补贴会很快终结，Mary Kay Thatcher是该组织的首席游说专家。

 "Well, I think politically people feel like it's farmers getting money for doing nothing."
“我认为在政治上，人们觉得农民不干任何事就拿钱。”

But there are proposals to increase subsidies once crop prices go down again. One version would raise the market price below which farmers receive a payment, another version would protect their total income when prices fall.
但也有建议在粮价下跌时增加补贴，一个版本是提高市场价格，而低于这个价格时给农民补贴，另一个版本是在价格下跌时保证其全部收入。

David Orden is an economist with the International Food Policy Institute. He says both versions would anger farmers in other countries, that is because American farmers would receive payments when farmers in other countries are also dealing with falling prices.
David Orden是国际食物政策研究所的经济学家，他说这两个版本都会触怒其他国家的农民，这是因为美国农民会收到补贴，而其他国家的农民却要为价格下跌而头痛。

"Right at the point, it was US expense subsidies, shake their heads and say they are going to US again, protecting its farmers right at the time, and we are feeling the pain."
“在这一点上，他们会看到美国扩大补贴，他们会大摇其头地说：‘美国又在这时候保护农民，而我们在受伤害。’”

But Agricultural Secretary Tom Vilsack tells VOA that the payments would not hurt farmers in other countries.
但农业部长Tom Vilsack告诉美国之音，补贴不会损害其他国家农民的利益。

"I am confident that the work has been done up to this point by the US, the work would be done in the future, and we will not get into a position where we are doing more than what the international community will allow."
“我相信美国在这方面已经做的和将来要做的，不会超出国际社会允许的范围。”

David Orden says that is probably true, under World Trade Organizaiton rules, the United States can spend 19 billion dollars on the kind of subsidies proposed in the new farm bill. Mr Orden says American farmers would have to face an especially bad year to go over that limit.
David Orden说可能会如此，根据世贸组织规定，美国可以在新农场法提出的项目上提供190亿美元的补贴，Orden先生说美国农民可能必须面对最糟的一年。

Negotiators have been working for more than ten years on new WTO rules, that would lower that limit, but Mr Orden says no progress is being made.
协商人员已就降低这一限额的WTO新规则谈判了十余年，但Orden先生表示毫无进展。