RED HOOK, N.Y. — It was harvest time, and several farm hands were hunched over a bed of sweet potatoes under the midday sun, elbow deep in soil for $10 an hour. But they were not typical laborers.
纽约州雷德胡克——现在是收获的季节，在正午阳光的照耀下，几个农场工人弯着腰在红薯地里劳作，手上沾满了泥土，他们每小时的薪酬只有10美元。不过他们并不是普通的农民。
Jeff Arnold, 28, who has learned how to expertly maneuver a tractor, graduated from Colorado State University. Abe Bobman, 24, who studied sociology at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, was clearing vines alongside Nate Krauss-Malett, 25, who went to Skidmore College.
28岁的杰夫·阿诺德(Jeff Arnold) 毕业于科罗拉多州立大学(Colorado State University)，他已经学会熟练驾驶拖拉机。24岁的阿贝·包博曼(Abe Bobman) 正在农田里清理藤蔓，他曾在康涅狄格州卫斯理安大学(Wesleyan University)学习社会学，旁边是25岁的内特·克劳斯-马莱特(Nate Krauss-Malett)，他曾就读于斯基德莫尔学院(Skidmore College)。
Mr. Krauss-Malett said he became interested in farming after working in a restaurant and seeing how much food was wasted. Mr. Bobman had the same realization working in the produce section at a grocery store before college.
克劳斯-马莱特说，他过去在餐馆工作，看到许多食物被人们浪费，于是对农业产生浓厚的兴趣。包博曼也有同样的感受，他上大学前在杂货店的农产品区工作。
They had been in the fields here at Hearty Roots Community Farm in the Hudson Valley since 7 a.m. They all said they could not imagine doing any other job.
在哈德逊谷的哈特鲁茨社区农场，他们从早上7点开始下田干活。他们都表示，自己从来没有想过做其他工作。
“Farming appeals to me, and probably to other people, because it’s simple and straightforward work outdoors with literal fruits from your labor,” Mr. Bobman said. “It doesn’t feel like you’re a part of an oppressive institution.”
包博曼说，“做农活儿对我很有吸引力，可能对其他人来说也是如此，因为这是简单直接的户外工作，你可以通过劳动收获果实。这不会让你感觉自己属于一家让人备感压抑的机构。”
For decades, the number of farmers has been shrinking as a share of the population, and agriculture has often been seen as a backbreaking profession with little prestige. But the last Agricultural Census in 2007 showed a 4 percent increase in the number of farms, the first increase since 1920, and some college graduates are joining in the return to the land.
过去几十年来，美国农民占总人口的比例逐渐减少，务农通常被看做不体面的辛苦工作。但是2007年最新的美国农业普查结果显示，农场的数量增加了4%，1920年以来首次出现增长，有些大学毕业生也加入了回归农田的行列。
Jordan Schmidt, a crew manager here at Hearty Roots, studied environmental science at Wesleyan. Ms. Schmidt, 27, did not have so much as a garden growing up, but in college, she said, she worked at a student-run farm and fell in love with agriculture. So she gave up on research science and moved onto a farm in Pennsylvania after graduating. This is her third season at Hearty Roots.
乔丹·施密特(Jordan Schmidt)是哈特鲁茨农场的人事经理，她曾在卫斯理安大学主修环境科学。27岁的施密特说，打小除了养花，她没怎么做过农活，但是在大学期间，她在一家学生经营的农场工作，对农业产生了热爱。她在毕业后放弃科学研究，前往宾夕法尼亚州的一家农场工作。这是她在哈特鲁茨农场工作的第三个收获季节。
Hearty Roots, about 100 miles north of New York City, spans 70 acres with a clear view of the Catskill Mountains to the west. At the height of the harvest this year, the farm produced 8,000 pounds of vegetables a week — including peppers, beets and kale — and employed 10 workers. None of them came from farming backgrounds and most had heard about the job through word of mouth.
哈特鲁茨农场位于纽约市以北约100英里，占地面积70英亩，能够清楚地看到西边的卡茨基尔山。在今年收获季节的高峰期，这家雇用了10名工人的农场每周生产8000磅蔬菜——包括辣椒、甜菜和羽衣甘蓝。这些工人都没有务农的背景，大多数人是通过别人介绍而得知了这份工作。
Ms. Schmidt recalled that her first time working on a farm, she loaded thousands of onions into a greenhouse to dry out, which was supposed to improve their flavor. But the roof was left uncovered, and when she returned the next day, many of the onions had been spoiled by the sun.
施密特回忆了她第一次在农场工作的经历，她把几千头洋葱搬进温室干燥，这原本是为了改善洋葱的口味。但是温室的顶篷没有盖上，她第二天回去看的时候发现很多洋葱都被太阳晒坏了。