“The Core”: Scenario of the future by Philip Kramer

“It’s early morning June 12, 2030. It is my 49th birthday, which means I have one more year before I have been on this great Earth for half a century. I am on the farm were I grew up south of Algona. The day should be a good one, as it is in the low 50s this morning and the high is projected to be in the mid-70s with a slight south breeze and sunny skies.

“As I finish my breakfast of oatmeal, bananas, and O.J., I think about what needs to be done on the farm. Feed the gestating sows and rotate boars as well as do some heat checking. Check the farrowing sows and process new litters, look over the feeder pigs and market hogs, grind feed and add binding if it is needed.

“Now for what to do after chores is where it gets tricky. Should I cut the brome grass pasture, or should I move some pigs to different buildings and clean some hog pens? I guess I better check the forecast on my cell phone to see what they are projecting for precipitation.

“You know, it’s interesting when I look back at the last 20 years. My life hasn’t changed much. My family and I moved a couple of times before we were able to get back to the home farm, but things are still basically the same. Agriculture and livestock are still the backbone of my family and of me. Family and together-ness are still the core of our being. When you look at it that way, every day is a good day.”