American Album

Read this now: The heart of the heartland, the exact geographic middle of the continental United States, is owned by a middle-aged Kansas man named Randall Warner. He exports wheat, beef and soon his second grown son to the city. He stands in his boots in his field and wonders what's become of his way of life.

"I drive through the city and I wonder what all those people do for a living," says Mr. Warner, a sturdy, square-faced man. "I see that, and it makes me sad that my children see it too and think that there is something better there for them."