[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 131 (Wednesday, September 16, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S9441]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 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

  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:

                              S. Res. 272

       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.

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