Right and wrong Numerous ethical decisions are going to face us in the future, predicts Gary Comstock, associate professor of religious studies and philosophy. Comstock predicts within the next millennium, people will be more willing to let the answers to these questions and others be individual choices rather than issues decided by national policy. Global warming is going to continue into the next millennium, accelerating around 2040 from the human contribution of burning fossil fuels, predicts Gene Takle, professor of geological and atmospheric sciences. Global warming and land-use policies are likely to make future droughts even more severe. A century of fire suppression policies and the subsequent accumulation of timber and brush, combined with the drought, likely will result in massive forest fires begun by lightning strikes.
Family farms Hard work and persistence kept the family farm going through the past century.
Savvy and knowledgeable decision-making will keep it around in the next millennium, says John Lawrence, director of ISU's Iowa Beef Center. Farmers will become much more precise and efficient. They will grow corn genetically engineered for special uses, ranging from corn chips to poultry feed. They will produce livestock tailored for specific markets, such as Asia, Europe or the United States. With its rich soil, Iowa will remain a farming state, he said, though farmers will need to find their niches in the world market and tailor their crops and livestock accordingly.