Barn again 传统保护：谷仓

APRIL 18th was a perfect Sunday on the Dull family farm in Thorntown, Indiana. Children played near a lilac tree. Teenagers, wearing their “Future Farmers of America” jackets, ate potato salad at picnic tables. The star of the afternoon, however, was a gleaming barn, painted red with white trim. Over the past few days volunteers had worked hard to restore it, and were celebrating.

4月18日，周日，晴，印第安那州的索恩镇，道尔家庭农场，美好的一天。小孩们在一棵丁香树附近玩耍。大孩们坐在野餐桌旁吃着土豆沙拉，身上穿着“美国未来农民协会”的外套。然而，这个下午的主角却是一座红漆白边、闪着亮光的谷仓。经过志愿者几天来的辛勤劳动，谷仓现已修葺一新，然后就是此刻的庆祝。

Nothing typifies America’s pastoral ideal like a big old barn. More than 200 years after Thomas Jefferson exalted the yeoman farmer, barns remain symbols of hard work, community and reverence for the land. These days food packaging is adorned with barns. The cover of “The Real America”, by Glenn Beck of Fox News, shows that unique patriot beside an old barn. This does not mean that barns themselves are faring particularly well. Thorntown’s bucolic bliss was thanks to a corporate sponsor, Campbell Soup. But such efforts are not enough.

没有什么比古老的大谷仓更能有资格代表美国人心目中的田园生活了。在托马斯·杰弗逊大赞自耕农200多年之后，谷仓依然象征着辛勤劳作、乡村社群和对于土地的敬畏。现在的食物包装上都拿谷仓作为装饰。福克斯电视台新闻主播格伦·贝克的《真实的美国》的封面上能看到一个老谷仓和它旁边这位独一无二的爱国者。但这并不意味着谷仓现在的日子过得特别好。索恩镇的田园快乐要感谢康宝浓汤的企业赞助，但光靠这种努力是不够的。

America’s old barns suited an old model of farming. Animals lived on the ground floor; the upper level stored hay and grain. But in the 20th century farms grew in size and fell in number, from 6.5m in 1920 to 2.2m in 2007. Grain farmers replaced working animals with combines and planters, which demanded different homes, usually wide metal sheds. Livestock farmers preferred long buildings, where animals could be easily packed in and fattened up.

美国的这些老谷仓适合的是一种旧的耕种模式。牲畜住在谷仓地面，上面一层存放干草和谷物。但进入20世纪，农场面积增大，总数却减少了，从1920年的650万个减至2007年的220万个。种植谷物的农民舍弃了役畜，取而代之的是联合收割机和播种机，它们需要的是不一样的家——通常是宽敞的金属棚。饲养禽畜的农民喜欢长条形的房子，很容易把动物装进去，而且动物住在里面增肥很轻松。

Preservationists in Iowa reckon they are losing 1,000 barns each year. The 2007 agriculture census was the first to track old barns; the next one is not until 2012. But farm country is filled with bleak evidence. Barns lean wildly or collapse inwards, slouchy silhouettes beside neat rows of corn.

爱荷华的保护主义者估计他们每年会失去1000个谷仓。2007年的农业普查是第一次对古老的谷仓进行追踪调查；下一次普查要等到2012年。但是普查中看到的却净是不容乐观的景象。谷仓或是严重倾斜，或是向内塌陷。一排排整齐利落玉米旁边是谷仓那懒散的身影。

A few people are trying to save these relics. After the 1980s farm crisis, the National Trust for Historic Preservation formed “Barn Again!” to offer awards and advice on everything from tilting barns to preservation tax credits. A few states, such as Washington and Vermont, give out small grants; Iowa offers a 25% tax credit. But money is scarce. In 2002 Congress authorised grants for old barns, then never provided the cash.更多信息请访问：http://www.24en.com/

一些人正在试图挽救这些古迹。1980年代的农业危机过后，保护历史古迹的国民托管组织建立了名为“谷仓回来！”的项目，提供奖励和全方位的建议，从倾斜的谷仓到保护过程中税费上的优惠。一些州——比如华盛顿州和佛蒙特州——给出了少量的补助金；爱荷华州提供了25%的税费减免。但是钱仍是不够的。2002年，国会批准了给老谷仓的政府补助，但是钱一直没有到位。

The main task is to put old barns to new use. The Dulls’ barn is part of a Christmas-tree farm. Most promising are sustainable farms, which can use barns for their small, diversified operations. For many farms, however, barns may go the way of the horse. The county with by far the most barns is Lancaster, Pennsylvania: Amish country.

现在的主要任务是给老谷仓派上新用场。道尔的谷仓就是圣诞树农场的一部分。最为看好的是可持续农场，可以利用谷仓来进行它们小型且多样化的实践。然而，对于很多农场来说，谷仓可能会消失。到目前为止，拥有最多谷仓的镇是宾夕法尼亚的兰卡斯特：阿米什人聚居的地方。