One man farming 3,000 acres of American farms in high-tech everywhere (Photos)
First arrived in Washington, an official of the Foreign Correspondents' Center told reporters, "Washington does not represent the United States, if there is no visit to the countryside, for journalists stationed in the United States is not considered to be a true understanding of the United States". A few days ago, with the help of the American Farmers Association, the reporter went to a farm in Riverdale, North Dakota, and the owner of the Greggs ate with the living with the labor, and really experienced a modern American rural life.
U.S. farmers live not worse than city people
North Dakota is located in the northern United States, bordering Canada, agriculture is the most important industry, flaxseed, wheat, barley, sunflower seeds and other 11 kinds of crop production ranked first in the United States, agricultural output in the state economy accounted for as much as 25% of the share (about four times the U.S. average), farmers accounted for the number of state employment 24 percent (the U.S. average is less than 2 percent). Riverdale is a typical agricultural area, with endless farms and tall grain storage tanks as far as the eye can see along the way, and since it's springtime, there are no crops growing in the fields, exposing the blackened earth.
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The reporter followed the road map, followed the sign on 109th Avenue, and finally arrived at Greg's house under the guidance of a local farmer. Unlike what one might expect, Greg's "home" is not a farmhouse, but an ordinary two-story residence that looks no different from most private homes in American towns and cities.
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American families pay a lot of attention to the decor of their kitchens and dining rooms, and Greg's is no exception. Kitchenware is neatly arranged in closets, the operating table is tidy and bright, and the refrigerator, dishwasher, induction cooktop, oven and microwave are all available. Most intriguing is the electric garbage disposal, a machine that compacts and disposes of large amounts of household waste.
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The dining room of Greg's house is spacious and bright, with a view of the woods and fields outside, when dozens of deer suddenly burst into the reporter's sight, frolicking and jumping around in groups. Greg said, "That's a wild herd of deer, we're used to it."
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Gregg's house has a strong pastoral color of decorative paintings hanging in each room. Greg's office, which is connected to the living room, contains a full complement of modern office equipment, including a computer with Internet access via a satellite connection, in addition to a print-and-fax all-in-one machine.
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1 person farming 3,000 acres of land
The Greggs' farm and ranch, together, is about 3,000 acres (1 acre is about 6 city acres), and the farm's main crops are soybeans, wheat, corn and buckwheat. Mr. and Mrs. Gregg*** own 185 cows and eight bulls, all of which are beef cattle.
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On the ranch, many of the cows were taking a leisurely "walk", each wearing an orange plastic card in each ear. Greg said, "This is the cattle's identity card, which has information such as the date of birth, kinship and number of the cattle, all of which can be seen at a glance through the computer."
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Gregg said the total value of his entire home, including farms, ranches, houses, livestock, farm equipment and more, is about $1.2 million. In order to take care of this 1.2 million U.S. dollars of family property, he is usually busy, need to play many kinds of roles at the same time: farmers, managers, accountants, mechanics, welders, carpenters, veterinarians, chemists, agronomists, teachers (to help show how to show how to be a farmer), marketers, investors, restaurateurs (the Greg family cooperated with other people to open an upscale restaurant in Washington, specializing in North Dakota's local cuisine), electricians, and more. Greg simply doesn't have time for vacations.
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Greg's warehouse is stacked with a dizzying array of agricultural machinery, I had heard that the United States has a high degree of agricultural mechanization, and it seems to be true to its name. Combine harvesters, four-wheel drive tractors, wind drills, farm track trailers, hay balers, planters, the total value of this agricultural machinery is about 220,000 U.S. dollars.
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Many of the larger farm machines are "second hand", bought by Greg from other farmers, while most of the smaller ones are original, and many have been imported from China. Greg treasures his "secret weapon," a large tractor with a GPS system installed.
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The autopilot and satellite positioning system, which he bought for $7,500 in the spring, allows the tractor to be controlled by a computer, eliminating the need for manual labor and providing high quality plowing. Greg is considered a latecomer when it comes to using GPS global positioning systems.
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In fact, 20 percent of U.S. farms have begun to use helicopters for tillage management, and many medium-sized U.S. farms and nearly all large farms have installed GPS positioning systems.
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Each of these dazzling pieces of farm machinery serves a specific purpose, and it is they that have freed Greg from heavy physical labor.
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Gregg told me that American agriculture is market-oriented, and farmers make production and sales decisions independently based on market information. The degree of informationization of American agriculture has been higher than that of industry, and surfing the Internet and reading newspapers have become part of American farmers' lives. Leaving the accurate, timely, authoritative market information, U.S. agriculture will be at a loss.
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Two major concerns of U.S. farmers
American farmers have no special worries? Mr. and Mrs. Gregg answered "yes" in unison. They are most worried about two things: First, most young Americans do not want to be farmers, the countryside is facing the dilemma of no successor; Second, the threat of factory farming to traditional family farming is getting bigger and bigger.
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The rural population in the United States was already a very low percentage of the total population, but more and more rural youths are going to the city to make a living, and the agricultural population has been declining. The North Dakota Farmers Association has even made "increasing the farm population" a top priority. The older generation of farmers is so attached to agriculture that if I won a big lottery, I'd give all the money to charity and go back to the farm and continue to be a farmer," Greg said.
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When farmers don't earn much and there is a lack of recreation in the countryside,young people like to pursue excitement so they don't want to stay in the countryside." Greg put the ownership of 10 cows into his son's name, every busy farming season, Greg will call his son, "Come back soon, here are still your 10 cows!" In this way, Greg hopes to keep his son in town connected to the farm.
American farm: one man plows 3,000 acres
American farm: one man plows 3,000 acres
American farm: one man plows 3,000 acres
American farm: one man plows 3,000 acres
American farm: one man plows 3,000 acres
American Farms: one man plows three thousand acres