WASHINGTON, March 26, 2014 – In an unusual display of
camaraderie, Democrats, Republicans and government officials joined together yesterday
to honor the legacy of Norman Borlaug, known as the “father of the Green
Revolution,” during the annual celebration of National Ag Day.
The day was marked by a number of events, including the
installation of Borlaug’s statue in the U.S. Capitol in Washington. Borlaug’s discovery
of high-yield, disease resistant “miracle wheat” is credited with saving an
estimated billion people around the world from hunger and starvation. He is the
only American to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, the Congressional Gold Medal,
the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the National Medal of Science. Borlaug,
who died in 2009, would have celebrated his 100th birthday yesterday.
The State of Iowa commissioned the seven-foot bronze statue
now displayed in the National Statuary Hall Collection to honor the geneticist
and plant pathologist born in Cresco, Iowa. In attendance at the dedication were
member of the state’s congressional delegation: Iowa Governor Terry Branstad;
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, a former governor of Iowa; and Kenneth Quinn,
the president of the World Food Prize Foundation who chaired the Borlaug Statue
Committee.
“Norman Borlaug’s work fed the world, and – like all the greats
– so did his character,” said House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, as he opened
the dedication ceremony. “And now, having embodied the finest qualities of his
state, he is called to represent it in the United States Capitol.
In other National Ag Day events, the U.S. Farmers and
Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) hosted a Food Dialogues session with several young
farmers and ranchers, with Agri-Pulse President Sara Wyant as moderator.
Panel participants discussed several issues surrounding the
transition of American agriculture to a younger generation, including the
impact of federal policy.
Will Gilmer, a third generation dairy farmer from Lamar
County, Ala., said he wants simple policy that helps him continue his business,
particularly when it comes to government regulations. “There are so many
different individual aspects of policy that touch our businesses and it can
make it difficult, because as soon as we plan or have an expectation of the
rules of the game, one area may change,” he said.
Seth Pratt, a fifth generation rancher and former national
officer with the Future Farmers of America (FFA) from Blackfoot, Idaho, cautioned
lawmakers in Washington to pay more attention to their constituents. “What
takes for something to pass this city is different than what it takes on the
ground,” he said.
Meanwhile, at USDA’s South Building on the National Mall,
Norman Borlaug’s granddaughter, Julie Borlaug, hosted a symposium focused on
motivating young people to enter the fight against hunger – a cause, she said,
that motivated Dr. Borlaug.
The event included remarks from agricultural students; Julie
Howard, the chief scientist in USAID’s Bureau for Food Security; Monsanto
official and 2013 World Food Prize laureate Robb Fraley, and USDA Deputy
Secretary Krysta Harden
“How do you capture that (Dr. Borlaug’s) energy? How do you
keep it going?” Harden asked. “We want to connect with young people – we want
to connect to the future.”
#30
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