[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 272 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 272

 Commemorating Dr. Norman Borlaug, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, 
Congressional Gold Medal, Presidential Medal of Freedom, and founder of 
                         the World Food Prize.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 16, 2009

Mr. Harkin (for himself, Mr. Grassley, Mrs. Lincoln, Mr. Chambliss, Mr. 
Lugar, Mr. Leahy, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Brown, Mr. Conrad, Mr. 
   Franken, Mrs. Hutchison, Mr. Baucus, Mr. Casey, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. 
Bennet, Mr. Johanns, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Nelson of Nebraska, Mr. Cochran, 
 and Mr. Thune) submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
                   to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Commemorating Dr. Norman Borlaug, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, 
Congressional Gold Medal, Presidential Medal of Freedom, and founder of 
                         the World Food Prize.

Whereas Dr. Norman E. Borlaug was born on March 25, 1914, of Norwegian parents 
        on a farm in Cresco, Iowa, and was educated in a 1-room school house 
        throughout grades 1 through 8;
Whereas Dr. Borlaug attended the University of Minnesota, where he earned a 
        Ph.D. degree in Plant Pathology;
Whereas, beginning in 1944, Dr. Borlaug spent 2 decades in rural Mexico working 
        to assist the poorest farmers through a pioneering Rockefeller 
        Foundation program;
Whereas Dr. Borlaug's research and innovative ``shuttle breeding'' in Mexico 
        enabled him to develop a new approach to agriculture and a new disease-
        resistant variety of wheat with triple the output of grain;
Whereas this breakthrough achievement in plant production enabled Mexico to 
        become self-sufficient in wheat by 1956, and concurrently raised the 
        living standard for thousands of poor Mexican farmers;
Whereas Dr. Borlaug was asked by the United Nations to travel to India and 
        Pakistan in the 1960s, as South-Asia and the Middle East faced an 
        imminent widespread famine, where he eventually helped convince those 2 
        warring governments to adopt his new seeds and new approach to 
        agriculture to address this critical problem;
Whereas Dr. Borlaug brought miracle wheat to India and Pakistan which helped 
        both countries become self-sufficient in wheat production, thus saving 
        hundreds of millions of people from hunger, famine, and death;
Whereas Dr. Borlaug and his team trained young scientists from Algeria, Tunisia, 
        Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Turkey, and Afghanistan in this same new approach 
        to agriculture, which introduced new seeds but also put emphasis on the 
        use of fertilizer and irrigation, thus increasing yields significantly 
        in those countries as well;
Whereas Dr. Borlaug's approach to wheat was adapted by research scientists 
        working in rice, which spread the Green Revolution to Asia, feeding and 
        saving millions of people from hunger and starvation;
Whereas Dr. Borlaug was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 as the ``Father of 
        the Green Revolution'' and is only 1 of 5 people to have ever received 
        the Nobel Peace Prize, Presidential Medal of Freedom, and Congressional 
        Gold Medal;
Whereas Dr. Borlaug headed the Sasakawa Global 2000 program to bring the Green 
        Revolution to 10 countries in Africa, and traveled the world to educate 
        the next generation of scientists on the importance of producing new 
        breakthrough achievements in food production;
Whereas Dr. Borlaug tirelessly promoted the potential that biotechnology offers 
        for feeding the world, while also preserving biodiversity, in the 21st 
        century when the global population is projected to rise to 9,000,000,000 
        people;
Whereas Dr. Borlaug continued his role as an educator as a Distinguished 
        Professor at Texas A&M University, while also working at the 
        International Center for the Improvement of Wheat and Maize in Mexico;
Whereas Dr. Borlaug founded the World Food Prize, called by several world 
        leaders ``The Nobel Prize for Food and Agriculture'', which is awarded 
        in Iowa each October so as to recognize and inspire Nobel-like 
        achievements in increasing the quality, quantity, and availability of 
        food in the world;
Whereas the Senate designated October 16 as World Food Prize Day in America in 
        honor of Dr. Borlaug; and
Whereas it is written of Dr. Borlaug that throughout all of his work he saved 
        1,000,000,000 lives, thus making him widely known as saving more lives 
        than any other person in human history: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That--
            (1) the Senate has received with profound sorrow and deep 
        regret the announcement of the passing of Dr. Norman Borlaug;
            (2) the Senate directs the Secretary of the Senate to 
        transmit an enrolled copy of this resolution to the family of 
        the deceased; and
            (3) when the Senate adjourns today, the Senate stands 
        adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of Dr. 
        Norman Borlaug.
                                 <all>