一蒲式耳（现在玉米多少钱一斤）

　　一蒲式耳（现在玉米多少钱一斤）
　　自从特朗普政府挑起跟中国的贸易摩擦以来，美国的农民就苦不堪言。
　　因为他们真的很惨……
　　这两天，美媒NPR（美国国家公共电台）播放了一期访谈节目。节目中，一位豆农向主持人大吐苦水，直呼特朗普政府搞的贸易战都快把他们逼上绝路了。
　　(图via WSJ)
　　China was a major buyer of U.S. soybeans until last year when they all but stopped these imports in retaliation for Trump's tariffs. That's been hard on American farmers who have long grown the crop.
　　中国曾是美国大豆的主要买家。直到去年，为反击特朗普增加的关税，中国几乎停止进口美国的大豆。这对长期种植大豆的美国农民来说，日子实在难熬。
　　▲Soybean Farmer Loses From Retaliatory Tariffs With No Bailout Funds In Sight (via NPR)
　　出现在节目里的这位豆农名叫约翰(John Wesley Boyd)，来自佛吉尼亚州。这已经是他第二次上NPR的节目吐槽了
　　在节目中，主持人马丁问他的第一个问题就很高能：
　　MARTIN: Well, the last time we spoke with you, which was in December of last year, you had too many soybeans. You had nobody to buy them. You said your grain elevator was full of soybeans. And you were trying to wait out this 90 day truce called by the U.S. and China to see how the tariffs would shake out. But what's been happening since then?
　　主持人：约翰啊，我们上次和你聊天是在去年12月。你有那么多大豆，但是没有人来买。你说你的谷仓里塞满了大豆。当时你还试着去等中美提出的90天＂休战＂结束，看关税会如何调整。但从那以后，又发生了什么呢？
　　听主持人这么一问，约翰立刻打开了话匣子，大吐苦水……
　　BOYD: Well, basically, the situation has not improved for myself and other American farmers. The price is still around $8 a bushel.
　　好吧，基本上呢，我和其他美国农民的情况都没啥改善。目前大豆的价格仍然是每蒲式耳8美元左右。（注：＂蒲式耳＂是一种农产品计量单位，1蒲式耳大豆约等于27公斤大豆）
　　And President Trump said that all of this stuff would be over in a few months. And this week, he came out with something else with China.
　　特朗普总统曾说这些事儿都会在几个月内结束。结果本周呢，他又去和中国搞了点别的事。
　　And right now, it's difficult for farmers to actually borrow money for farm operating loans. If you try to tell a banker that the going rate is $8 dollars a bushel and you really don't see any relief in sight, it makes it difficult for farmers like myself to borrow farm operating money, to make plans.
　　到了现在，农民们已经很难借到经营农场的贷款了。如果你去和银行说，现在的大豆价格还是每蒲式耳8美元，而且还看不到任何好转的迹象，那我这样的农民就很难借钱去搞农场、制定生产计划了。
　　▲Soybean Farmer Loses From Retaliatory Tariffs With No Bailout Funds In Sight
　　(图via Al Jazeera)
　　大豆价格依然高不起来，收益没有，豆子卖不出去，钱又借不到……
　　那叫一个愁啊！
　　约翰还没有吐槽完，他继续接着郁闷道：
　　BOYD: And, you know, the president says to just wait it out. But I'm not in the position to wait it out. You know, we have to plan a season ahead.
　　而且你知道的咯，总统说要我们静待结果就好了。但是我等不了啊！下次该种什么，我必须提前一个季度去准备啊！
　　And I thought as a farmer that the price would break through by now. But right now, we're at a stalemate with the president. And the price has not improved for myself and other American farmers.
　　作为一个农民，我本来还觉得现在的大豆价格会有所上涨。但现在呢，我们和总统陷入困境了。对于我和其他美国农民来说，（农产品的）价格并没有提高啊！
　　不过……虽然约翰说得的确很惨，但主持人这时也想起了一件事：
　　——＂我听说，特朗普要买你们的豆子，拿去救济穷人？＂
　　这方法听起来……似乎还不错？
　　＂特朗普买豆子＂是有这个说法的：据说，他打算花上150亿美元来买农民的庄稼，买回来的庄稼则拿去搞＂人道主义救援＂。
　　(via upi.com)
　　既给农民挽回点损失，又能拿买回的粮食去做点＂慈善＂，似乎是个一举两得的好方法。
　　在节目里，主持人也特意问约翰：特朗普说要买你们十几亿的粮食，你看到那些钱了吗？(＂Have you seen any of that money?＂)
　　结果约翰呵呵哒：我一毛钱都没看到啊！
　　BOYD: I haven't seen a dime of that money.
　　约翰：我一毛钱都没看到啊！
　　And I've been calling and calling USDA. And they continue to say that the funds are in process, and the funds are going to be sent to me. I have yet to receive these funds.
　　我还一直在打美国农业部的电话，那边也一直说，拨款正在走流程啊走流程，钱会送到我这来的。反正我迄今还没收到钱。
　　And I've reached out to the agriculture secretary, Sonny Perdue, to ask him for a meeting to see why the payments are late to farmers like myself and other small-scale farmers around the country. And that meeting has fell upon deaf ears and blind eyes.
　　我还联系过农业部长桑尼·珀杜，请他开个会来看看为什么像我这样的农民（和全国其他小规模生产的农民）的钱会迟迟不到账。结果呢，那个会也被他们装聋作哑地搪塞过去，视而不见听而不闻。
　　心真的……好累啊……
　　更不用说，特朗普这个＂看上去很美＂的买粮食计划，其实也是各方都不看好。
　　先有前农业部高官直言援助＂困难重重＂：
　　▲前美国农业部部长：特朗普援助农民的新计划会遇到许多阻碍 (via CNBC)
　　接着农民们自己也站出来吐槽：
　　▲特朗普计划买150亿美元的粮食用于人道主义援助，但农民们并不为此开心 (via SCMP)
　　(图via REUTERS/Daniel Acker/File Photo)
　　面对港媒《南华早报》的采访，美国大豆协会的副主席、第四代农民比尔·戈登(Bill Gordon)甚至来了个＂吐槽三连发＂——
　　＂Here’s a handout to make you happy? That doesn’t make us happy. We want our markets back,＂
　　1. ＂这个所谓的‘施舍’能让你开心？得了吧，这一点都没让我们农民开心。我们想把市场要回来！＂
　　＂The markets are so low, we cannot even break even to pay our bills. Farmers are losing their farms every day. The suicide rate among farmers is at an all-time high,＂
　　2.＂市场现在这么惨淡，我们甚至已经入不敷出了。农民们每天都在失去他们的农场，农民的自杀率创历史新高。＂
　　＂It is not up to us to tell the president how to negotiate, but a handout from the government is not how I want to run my business,＂
　　3.＂轮不到我们去告诉总统如何谈判，但是……政府的施舍真不是我们想要的做生意的方式。＂
　　(via SCMP)
　　面对这一系列的幺蛾子，在NPR节目中，约翰也表示，他的心快要＂凉了＂。
　　他甚至说，由于种大豆实在太冒险，根本不知道活不活得下去，他已经打算去种点大麻了……
　　(＂this year, I am changing a little bit. And I'm taking a chance on planting some hemp.＂)
　　说句题外话。当年特朗普竞选时，投他票最多的就是农民。
　　(图via Rmuse)
　　结果到头来，被伤得最深的也是农民。
　　▲爱荷华州的农民因中美贸易摩擦升级而遭殃：＂简直不能更糟了＂(Des Moines Register)
　　(图via AP)
　　上台几年，大搞两败俱伤的贸易摩擦，把国际经济形势弄乱不说，还把自己国家的许多人搞得日子不好过。
　　就这……还想着2020年连任？