VOA慢速英语:Americans Leaving Secure Job and Turning to Farming

The United States is one of the world's leading agricultural powers, but few Americans are farmers. One recent study showed just two percent of the population do the job in agriculture. Yet, small farms seem to be appearing in many areas to meet a growing demand for locally produced food. The people operating these farms often have little or no experience in farming.
美国是世界上主要的农业国之一，但只有少数美国人是农民。最近的一项研究显示，美国只有2%的人口从事农业工作。然而，小农场似乎开始出现在许多地方，以满足人们对当地产食物日益增长的需求。经营这些小农场的人往往很少甚至没有农场经营经验。

Mark Mills once worked as a pastry chef. He decided to leave his secure job and turn to farming. He says his decision was based on two things - a strong interest in agriculture and his ignorance about what it takes to be a farmer.
Mark Mills曾经是一位糕点厨师。他决定辞去他安稳的工作，转而去耕种。他说他的决定基于两点：对农业的强烈兴趣，和对作为农民需要做什么的无知。

Mark Mills was a history major in college, all he knows about producing food comes from growing plants in his home garden and 26 years of working in restaurants.
Mark Mills在大学时主修历史学，他对食物生产的所有知识来自于在自家花园种植植物，以及26年的餐厅工作经历。

So why did he become a farmer?
那么，为什么他要成为一个农民呢？

"Well, it's beautiful. Why wouldn't you want to come to work here? I'm my own boss. But really, it's my love of food," Mills said.
Mills说，“嗯，它很美好。为什么你会不想来这工作呢？我是自己的老板。但说真的，这是因为我对食物的热爱。”

In recent years, many Americans have developed a taste for fresh locally grown foods and vegetables. The number of farmers' markets has increased over 50 percent in the past ten years.
近年来，许多美国人爱上了当地种植的食物和蔬菜。农贸市场数量在过去十年增加了50%以上。

Federal, state and local governments believe now is the time to create jobs and new businesses. Mark Mills was one of four people accepted in the New Farmer Pilot Project in Montgomery County, Maryland.
联邦、州和当地政府认为现在是创造就业和新业务的时机。Mark Mills是马里兰州蒙哥马利郡进入新农试点项目的四个人之一。

Sarah Miller works with the local Department of Economic Development. She says the program has worked better than many people expected.
Sarah Miller就职于当地的经济发展部门。她说，该项目的进展比许多人预想的要好。

"Boy, we didn't even know how many we would get. We thought maybe one or two would be great, but I don't think that we expected four," Miller said.
Miller称，“我们甚至不知道能找到几个人（进入新农试点项目），我们认为也许有一两个人就很了不起了，但我没想到有四个人。”

The project provides the new farmers with specialised business training, like marketing and business planning.
该项目为这些新农民提供专业的商业培训，如市场营销和业务规划。

"They provided the connection with the landowner, so I could actually have the land to farm on, which is key. Then, certainly, they provided the financing for the deer fence and the irrigation, some basic things to get going," Mills said.
Mills称，“他们能联系上土地所有者，这样我就能获得可耕种的土地，这是关键。然后，他们提供融资用于围栏和灌溉这些基础设施让我们起步。”

The program links the new farmer with an experienced one. For Mark Mills, that person is Woody Woodroof, he works at the Red Wiggler Farm in Maryland.
该项目将新农民与经验丰富的农民联系起来。对于Mark Mills说，这个人是Woody Woodroof，他就职于马里兰州的Red Wiggler农场。

"The big thing to work with him on now is season extension, helping him to do the things that will allow him to harvest crops deeper into the fall and early winter," Woodroof said.
Woodroof称，“现在和他一起工作最重要的事情是延长可种植的季节，即帮助他做一些事，让他能够在深秋和初冬收获庄稼。”

Mr Mills' first year in farming was successful. He produced about 450 kilograms of turnips, 90 kilograms of carrots, and 130 kilograms of green leafy vegetables.
Mills先生在农场经营上的第一年是成功的。他生产了大约450公斤萝卜，90公斤胡萝卜以及130公斤绿叶蔬菜。

The hardest part was not growing the crops, he says. The problem has been selling them. Mr Mills says, his farm probably lost more money than it earned.
他说，最难的部分不是种植庄稼，问题在于出售它们。Mills先生称，他的农场可能赔多赚少。

Luckily, his wife has a non-farm job, and can provide financial support, at least for now. Experts say many new farmers need to support themselves with another source of income.
幸运的是他妻子有一份非农工作，至少现在可以给他提供资金支持。专家们说，许多新农民需要通过其它收入来源来养活自己。