[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 23 (Monday, March 7, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: March 7, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
               SIEHL PRIZE FOR EXCELLENCE IN AGRICULTURE

 Mr. DURENBERGER. Mr. President, it is my privilege today to 
pay tribute to three heroes of Minnesota and American agriculture who 
are recipients today of the Siehl Prize of Excellence in Agriculture.
  The awards ceremony is highlighted by the attendance of Nobel Peace 
Prize Laureate Norman Borlaug, University of Minnesota president Nils 
Hasselmo, and former Governor Elmer L. Andersen.
  Mr. President, I want to take a special moment first to speak of 
Eldon Siehl, a businessman and philanthropist who love farming. Before 
he died in 1982 he directed that a portion of his estate be given to 
the University of Minnesota Foundation to establish a prize to be 
awarded to individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to 
agriculture and the alleviation of world hunger. Bert Enestvedt, Al 
Bloomquist, and Bill Larson are the first recipients of the award.
  Bert Enestvedt is a good friend of Minnesota farmers, whose 1,500-
acre farm supplies them with certified high-quality seed, including 
hybrid seed corn, soybeans, wheat, and oats. The Enestvedt farm makes 
more than 60 percent of its sales to area farmers. The farm, founded in 
1990 on the site where Bert's grandfather homesteaded in 1867, led the 
effort to increase use of new crop varieties, many of them produced by 
the University of Minnesota Experiment Station. The farm stands as the 
oldest family-owned and operated seed corn company in the State. The 
Enestvedts are also a Century Farm Family.
  Bert graduated from the University of Minnesota, Morris, where he 
studies agriculture. He is an organizer of the Minnesota Soybean 
Growers Association, he was its director for 25 years. He also served 
for 11 years as director of the Minnesota Crop Improvement Association 
and for 10 years as director of the Minnesota Seed Producers and 
Promotion Association. Through his work with the latter organization, 
Enestvedt championed the use of publicly developed crop varieties. In 
addition, he was instrumental in getting a bill passed to allow blue 
directional signs pointing the way to rural Minnesota businesses that 
serve the public.
  Among his honors are the Mr. Crop Improvement Award for Webb 
Publishing; an honorary life member award from the American Soybean 
Association; and the 50-Year Award from the Minnesota State Fair. In 
1991, the University of Minnesota Agriculture Experiment Station 
released a soybean variety named ``Bert'' in his honor.
  William E. Larson is known for his work in reducing soil erosion, 
particularly his championing of the techniques of conservation tillage. 
Conventional plowing turns over 6 to 10 inches of soil, but 
conservation tillage loosens the soil without inverting it. Also, 
conservation tillage allows crop residue to be left on the surface. On 
sloping land, such methods can reduce soil erosion by more than 50 
percent. In recent years, Larson has been concerned with national 
databases and means for assessing soil quality. His work on developing 
measures of soil quality and degradation are helping in the worldwide 
fight to preserve soil. His work has influenced national policies in 
the use of crop residue to enhance soil conservation. A leading 
scientist has said, ``The conservation tillage systems we see today 
stem from the early work of Bill Larson.''
  Bill has held several leadership positions in the USDA, and was 
professor and head of the University of Minnesota's soil science 
department from 1982 until his retirement in 1989.
  Bill is a fellow of the American Society of Agronomy [ASA], the 
American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Soil 
Conservation Society America and the Soil Science Society of America 
[SSA]. He is past president of the ASA--1985--and the SSSA--1980. In 
1975 he received the Superior Service Award in Science and Technology 
from the USDA.
  Al Bloomquist can be credited with saving the sugarbeet industry in 
Minnesota's Red River Valley and helping Minnesota achieve the status 
as the largest producer of sugar in the United States.
  Bloomquist's career in the sugarbeet industry began in 1955 when he 
was hired as a regional manager for Western Beet Sugar Producers. He 
became executive secretary of the Red River Valley Sugar Beet Growers 
Association in 1961 when the industry was thriving. By 1972, however, 
the American Crystal Sugar Co. was reducing sugar beet acres in 
northwestern Minnesota and wasn't maintaining its four processing 
factories. It would have eventually left the area had it not been for 
Al's proposal to have the valley's growers buy the company and run it 
as a cooperative.
  Within the next 3 years, sales doubled, acreage more than doubled, a 
fifth processing factory was built and another factory was doubled in 
size. Today, American Crystal Sugar is the primary economic force in 
the valley, accounting for 11,000 jobs and an economic impact of about 
$1 billion annually. Al was the company's president from 1990 to 1992.
  Among his honor, Al received the Dyer Memorial Award in 1977 as the 
``Sugar Man of the Year'' for significant and meritorious service--the 
highest honor the sugar industry can bestow.
  Mr. President, I would also like to note that these men and their 
families are active participants in increasing the quality of life in 
the communities where they live.
  Mr. President, Al Bloomquist, Bill Larson, and Bert Enestvedt deserve 
the heartiest of congratulations and the sincere thanks of all 
Americans.

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