[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 139 (Wednesday, September 30, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H10101-H10105]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING DR. NORMAN E. BORLAUG

  Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 739) honoring the life and achievements of Dr. 
Norman E. Borlaug for his many contributions to alleviating world 
hunger.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 739

       Whereas the United States honors Norman E. Borlaug as an 
     Iowan, humanitarian, and father of the ``Green Revolution'';
       Whereas Dr. Borlaug was born on March 25, 1914, and grew up 
     on a family farm outside Cresco, Iowa;

[[Page H10102]]

       Whereas Dr. Borlaug attended the University of Minnesota, 
     where he received B.A. and Ph.D. degrees and was also a star 
     NCAA wrestler;
       Whereas, for over 20 years, Dr. Borlaug was a member of the 
     faculty of Texas A&M University;
       Whereas Dr. Borlaug spent 20 years working in the poorest 
     areas of rural Mexico where he made his breakthrough 
     achievement in developing a strain of wheat that could 
     exponentially increase yields while actively resisting 
     disease;
       Whereas Dr. Borlaug's ``green revolution'' uplifted 
     hundreds of thousands of the rural poor in Mexico and saved 
     hundreds of millions from famine and outright starvation in 
     India and Pakistan;
       Whereas Dr. Borlaug's approach to wheat production next 
     spread throughout the Middle East, and soon his approach was 
     adapted to rice growing, increasing the number of lives Dr. 
     Borlaug has been credited to saving to more than a billion 
     people;
       Whereas in 1970, Dr. Borlaug received the Nobel Peace 
     Prize, the only person working in agriculture to ever be so 
     honored, and since then he has received numerous honors and 
     awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the 
     Public Service Medal, the National Academy of Sciences' 
     highest honor, the Rotary International Award for World 
     Understanding and Peace, and the Congressional Gold Medal;
       Whereas, up until his death on September 12, 2009, Dr. 
     Borlaug continued to work to alleviate poverty and 
     malnutrition throughout the world;
       Whereas Dr. Borlaug created the World Food Prize in 1986, 
     which is the ``Nobel Prize for Food and Agriculture'' and 
     which has honored Laureates from Bangladesh, India, China, 
     Mexico, Denmark, Sierra Leone, Switzerland, the United 
     Kingdom, and the United States;
       Whereas the headquarters of the World Food Prize is located 
     in Des Moines, Iowa; and
       Whereas Dr. Borlaug's humanitarian works have made him an 
     American hero who will never be forgotten: Now, therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives honors the life 
     and achievements of Dr. Norman E. Borlaug for his many 
     contributions to alleviating world hunger.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Berman) and the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-
Lehtinen) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include 
extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 3 minutes.
  Mr. Speaker, on September 12, 2009, the world mourned the passing of 
a great humanitarian. Dr. Norman Borlaug, a world renowned plant 
scientist, dedicated his life to ending global hunger and improving the 
world's food supply. Known as the Father of the Green Revolution, 
Doctor Borlaug saved more than a billion lives through his pioneering 
research and scientific innovation. In fact, he has been credited with 
saving more lives than any other person in history.
  During his 20 years working in the poorest areas of rural Mexico, he 
developed a strain of ``miracle wheat'' that drastically increased crop 
yields and moved the country to food self-sufficiency.
  In recognition of his tireless efforts, Dr. Borlaug has received more 
than 150 international honors. In 1970 he was awarded the Nobel Peace 
Prize and in 1977 the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Two years ago he 
was presented with the Congressional Gold Medal, America's highest 
civilian honor. In his Nobel acceptance lecture, Dr. Borlaug stated, 
``The first essential component of social justice is adequate food for 
all mankind.''
  Regrettably, we remain far from achieving this ideal. While, in 
theory, farmers produce enough food to feed every person on the planet, 
more people are hungry today than ever before. According to new 
estimates by the United Nations, over a billion people will go hungry 
every day in 2009, almost one-sixth of humanity.
  We should take this opportunity not only to honor the extraordinary 
contributions of a true American hero, but to recommit ourselves to the 
goal of eradicating hunger.
  I want to recognize and congratulate the sponsor of this resolution, 
my good friend from Iowa, Mr. Boswell, for introducing the resolution 
honoring Dr. Borlaug.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, we gather today to honor the life and the 
accomplishments of Dr. Norman E. Borlaug, a pioneer in the field of the 
fight against world hunger. The world suffered a great loss with the 
recent passing of Dr. Borlaug, whose achievements in the field of 
agriculture have helped to feed millions of hungry people around the 
world. He passed from this world bearing the title of Father of the 
Green Revolution, his breakthrough advancement in wheat production and 
wheat adaptation having proven vital to those in need.
  In rural areas around world, Dr. Borlaug's tireless efforts increased 
wheat output, helping to feed millions of starving people. Dr. Borlaug 
spent almost 30 years collaborating with scientists to alleviate world 
hunger through wheat development. In 1944 he accepted an appointment to 
the Cooperative Wheat Research and Production Program in Mexico, and it 
was there that he developed high-yielding, disease-resistant wheat, 
otherwise known as miracle wheat, opening the Green Revolution in 
global agriculture.
  In 1970, Dr. Borlaug was awarded the distinguished Nobel Peace Prize 
for his work, the only person in the field of agriculture to be 
bestowed with such an honor.

                              {time}  1315

  He was later awarded such distinctions as the Presidential Medal of 
Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal.
  Dr. Borlaug's work was essential to those in need. He never wavered 
in this fight to fight world hunger, and he continued his efforts until 
his recent death. It is estimated that Dr. Borlaug's work helped to 
save over 1 billion people from starvation, but nevertheless, he warned 
that what he had helped to achieve was only a ``temporary success in 
man's war against hunger and deprivation,'' and he leaves behind a 
world in which many people still struggle to find enough to eat.
  Mr. Speaker, challenges remain before us, but we can indeed be proud 
of the humanitarian work that Dr. Borlaug, an American patriot, 
demonstrated to the world. Today his Green Revolution stands as a 
singular success story for our efforts to assist those in dire need of 
our help around the world.
  I am pleased to support this important resolution which honors the 
life of a true American hero, Dr. Norman Borlaug, whose incredible 
achievements in the fight against hunger should never be forgotten.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 4 minutes to the 
sponsor of the resolution, the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Boswell).
  (Mr. BOSWELL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. BOSWELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution. On a 
personal basis, Dr. Borlaug was one of the most unusual people I met in 
my life. He was so impressive in so many ways.
  On September 12, we lost one of the greatest humanitarians and 
scientists of our century. Dr. Borlaug has been credited to have saved 
more than 1 billion lives through his breakthrough work in agriculture. 
He was a truly remarkable man.
  He was born on a small farm outside of Cresco, Iowa. After earning 
his Ph.D from the University of Minnesota, he joined a research project 
in Mexico in 1944. Through this work he developed what was called 
``miracle wheat'' that tripled grain output and helped move Mexico to 
agriculture self-sufficiency. He then shared this new breed of wheat 
with Pakistan and India and helped those nations to avert the mass 
famine and starvations that had appeared imminent.
  In a recent article in the Washington Post on Dr. Borlaug, it was 
stated that ``in India, Mexico and other nations susceptible to hunger 
and famine, he was known as one of the great Americans of modern 
times.''
  Not only was he a great scientist, he was a world renowned 
humanitarian. Dr. Borlaug was one of only five people in history to win 
the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the 
Congressional Gold Medal. He is in the company of Nelson

[[Page H10103]]

Mandela, Elie Wiesel, Mother Theresa, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 
He was also named by Time magazine in 1999 as one of the 100 most 
influential minds of the 20th century.
  After Dr. Borlaug won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970, the only time in 
its history the award was given for achievements in agricultural 
science, he set out to create an award dedicated for significant 
breakthroughs in food and agriculture. In 1986, Dr. Borlaug founded the 
World Food Prize to recognize lifesaving achievements that increased 
the quality, quantity or availability of food in the world. Then in 
1990, the prize was moved to my district in Des Moines, Iowa. Now in 
its 23rd year, the award has recognized individuals from around the 
world and has continued to promote global world security.
  I mourn the loss of a great Iowan and American, yet I am also 
reminded of many wonderful memories. He was truly a great person who 
has had, and will continue to have, a profound impact on all of us. His 
contributions in the field of agriculture and his commitment to the 
human condition have fed so many around the world.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in honoring this true 
American hero and father of the Green Revolution with a ``yes'' vote on 
H. Res. 739.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I am so pleased to yield 3 minutes to 
the distinguished gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Latham), a member of the 
Committee on Appropriations and the ranking member on the Subcommittee 
on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development.
  Mr. LATHAM. I thank the gentlewoman from Florida for yielding me this 
time for an opportunity to remember a great American, a great Iowan, 
Dr. Norman Borlaug, and I am very pleased that the whole Iowa 
delegation has come together and written a letter to the Iowa State 
legislature and the Governor to ask that a statue of Dr. Borlaug be 
placed, representing Iowa, right here in our Capitol. I appreciate the 
cooperation of everyone.
  Dr. Borlaug devoted his life to a historic campaign to save the lives 
of the world's neediest people using agricultural science for the 
feeding of those individuals. His innovative leadership in plant 
breeding and agricultural production gave birth to the Green 
Revolution, and he was credited with saving over a billion--that's with 
a ``B''--a billion lives from starvation and the generations onward. It 
will be several billion as time goes on.
  I think it's interesting that even in his final days at the age of 
95, Dr. Borlaug pressed on with his mission to work for the good of all 
mankind. His accomplishments and his memory will live on continuing to 
improve the lives of countless people around the world for generations 
to come.
  It was a great honor for me personally to call Dr. Borlaug a friend. 
I admired him for his vision and all of his accomplishments, but his 
modesty was every bit as extraordinary. He once described his work as 
``a temporary success in man's war against hunger and deprivation.'' 
Dr. Norman Borlaug proved that one person can save a billion lives with 
a powerful vision and a pair of hardworking hands. He will very, very 
much be missed.
  I think a very fitting thing that happened here with Congress was to 
give Dr. Borlaug the Congressional Gold Medal. I was very proud to have 
worked together with my colleagues from Iowa to make that achievement. 
And I think the remembering of his last words is so fitting for the 
life of achievement that he had and how he believed in basic science 
and having it actually relate to production agriculture. He was 
visiting with another scientist that he had taught on his deathbed. The 
scientist was telling about a new technology he had. Norman Borlaug, if 
I may try to quote what he said, he said, ``Get it to the farmers. Get 
it to the people who can actually make use of this technology to feed 
more people to make it actually utilized in agriculture today for the 
feeding to stamp out this horrible thing we call starvation around the 
world.''
  Once again, I thank the gentlewoman from Florida for this chance and 
this opportunity to recognize once again a great American, Dr. Norman 
Borlaug.
  Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Braley).
  Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding.
  I think most Iowans are modest by nature, and that certainly was 
Norman Borlaug. But there is no reason for modesty today.
  The chairman mentioned in his opening remarks that Norman Borlaug was 
responsible for saving more lives than any other human being in 
history. Think about that. Why is it that not every school child in 
America knows who Norman Borlaug was? Why is it that we live in a 
culture that celebrates celebrity more than achievement?
  The reason we are introducing this bill today is to give proper 
recognition to one of the greatest Americans who ever lived. That's the 
truth. That's why we were so honored to have the opportunity to honor 
Norman Borlaug with a Congressional Gold Medal after his other many 
important achievements. Those of us from the Iowa delegation had a 
wonderful dinner with him the night before and heard that amazing story 
about the time when another famous Iowa plant scientist, who happened 
to be Vice President of the United States, Henry Wallace, flew back to 
Des Moines and drove in his Plymouth automobile to Mexico City to 
attend the inauguration of the Mexican President. He stopped in Mexico 
to talk to his friend, Norman Borlaug; and together these two brilliant 
Americans who happened to be born in Iowa talked about charting a 
future for a plant revolution that changed the face of hunger in the 
world.
  Our challenge is to build on his legacy and to continue his fight 
against global hunger, global poverty, and to give people around the 
world the same sense of hope that he brought to his work every day of 
his life. I am proud to call him someone that we are very honored to 
honor with this bill and ask for its support and passage.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield 3 minutes to the 
gentleman from Iowa (Mr. King), a member of the Agriculture, Small 
Business, and Judiciary Committees.
  Mr. KING of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlelady from Florida 
for yielding.
  This is one of these privileges in serving in the United States 
Congress to come to the floor and join together as a State delegation, 
our entire Iowa delegation, to celebrate a life so well lived as that 
of Dr. Norman Borlaug. I believe all of us knew him in some capacity or 
another, and we certainly watched his career.
  I want to say this about Dr. Borlaug. First, he did go to school at 
the University of Minnesota, and for my Minnesota friends, I can't even 
imagine what it would have been like if he would have had a full Iowa 
education. That's part of the banter that goes back and forth across 
the State lines.
  He was also an NCAA wrestler, which is something that goes along with 
I can't imagine if he had actually wrestled for the Hawkeyes and what 
that might have been. However, where are the Aggies today? They've got 
some bragging rights, too. Minnesotans have bragging rights, Aggies 
have bragging rights. Dr. Borlaug was on the faculty of Texas A&M for 
20 years. They all deserve credit for helping shape the life of Norman 
Borlaug: his birth and his upbringing in Iowa, his education in 
Minnesota, his faculty involvement at Texas A&M, and his global reach 
upon starting the Green Revolution; and, as a couple of Members have 
said, saved the lives of a billion people, a billion people with a 
``B.''
  Dr. Norman Borlaug swept aside the fears of the Malthusians and 
proved that this planet will produce a lot more food than was 
previously imagined, and that was before we got to this point of some 
of the genetic tools that we have within the laboratory today.
  So, Mr. Speaker, I want to say that you cannot overemphasize the 
impact of Dr. Norman Borlaug's life. He is a treasure, and his life and 
his commitment is a treasure for the entire United States, for all of 
us. I join Mr. Latham, and I believe the Iowa delegation, in calling 
upon the State legislature and the Governor of Iowa to request that his 
statue be placed in the United States Capitol where it most rightfully 
belongs, and it would stand there in good stead with any other statue 
from any other State and the entire United States of America, a life 
well lived; and

[[Page H10104]]

we are here celebrating that life of Dr. Norman Borlaug.
  Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Edwards).
  Mr. EDWARDS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, one of the greatest privileges of 
my life was to have met Dr. Norman Borlaug several years ago because of 
his position as a distinguished professor at Texas A&M University, my 
alma mater in my congressional district. It is also an honor for me 
today to rise in honor of Dr. Borlaug whose actions helped save the 
lives of a billion people and helped prevent untold conflicts across 
the globe.
  To me, he is an inspiration. To others, he was a husband, father, 
grandfather, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Congressional Gold Medal 
recipient. I believe it could be argued that he was America's greatest 
ambassador to the world. Most of us hope to make some difference for 
our communities. Dr. Borlaug made our world a better place.
  Growing up on an Iowa farm, Dr. Borlaug went from cultivating fields 
to consulting global leaders all with the laudable, noble goal of 
feeding the hungry. Dr. Borlaug once said, ``Peace cannot be built on 
empty stomachs.''
  For his accomplishments, he was rightfully awarded the Nobel Peace 
Price in 1970 for the way in which he used agricultural productivity to 
help create stability and prevent conflict. In 1984, as has been 
mentioned, Dr. Borlaug joined my alma mater, Texas A&M, as a 
distinguished professor of international agriculture. His work at the 
university and around the world is recognized and continued on by those 
at the Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture whose 
employees are currently working in conflict areas such as Iraq and 
Afghanistan to provide assistance and food to those in need.
  Despite his unrivaled achievements, Dr. Borlaug maintained a genuine 
sense of humility. He is truly an American hero whose dedication to 
agriculture positively changed the landscape of our world.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve my time.
  Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to a member 
of the Foreign Affairs Committee, the gentlelady from Texas (Ms. Sheila 
Jackson-Lee).
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. I thank the distinguished chairman and the 
ranking member and the proponent of this legislation, my good friend.
  I rise in support of this recognition of Dr. Norman E. Borlaug for 
his many contributions, raising the bar, if you will, on the horrific 
impact of hunger in this world.

                              {time}  1330

  He engaged in groundbreaking scientific research and personal 
compassion to help save over a billion people from starvation across 
the world.
  As a member of the Board of Directors of the Congressional Hunger 
Center, I am deeply saddened by his loss. But he deserves countless 
accolades--and none of these accolades do full justice to the greatness 
of his achievements in alleviating hunger.
  Dr. Borlaug's work was extremely important to efforts of my former 
colleague Congressman Mickey Leland, who represented my district until 
his untimely death, trying to alleviate the hunger in Ethiopia on the 
basis of the continuing drought. Both Dr. Borlaug and Congressman 
Leland dedicated their lives to fighting hunger around the world.
  For 20 years, Dr. Borlaug was a distinguished professor of 
International Agriculture at Texas A&M University. I believe he had the 
thesis, Teach a Person To Fish Versus Giving a Person a Fish and It 
Will Allow Them To Eat Forever.
  This particular university is located in my good friend Congressman 
Edwards' district, but it is well respected throughout the State and 
the Nation. It was the home of Dr. Borlaug's Institute for 
International Agriculture, which develops and promotes science-based 
solutions to international challenges to agricultural and food 
production.
  Although Dr. Borlaug was honored throughout his career, I'm proud 
that he continued to research agricultural techniques to alleviate 
global hunger until his passing.
  He will forever be known as the ``Father of the Green Revolution.'' I 
believe that his work had to do with ending drought and finding out 
ways of intervention so that countries that suffered from this weather 
condition could still have the ability to grow crops.
  The Green Revolution developed new strains of crops that could 
withstand environmental threats like the drought. He is, of course, a 
significant and respected individual who fought with all of his heart 
starvation around the world.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 739, which honors the 
life and achievements of Dr. Norman E. Borlaug for his many 
contributions to alleviating world hunger. I support this resolution 
because Dr. Borlaug's ground-breaking scientific research and personal 
compassion helped to save over a billion people from starvation across 
the world.
  As a Member of the Board of Directors for the Congressional Hunger 
Center, I am deeply saddened by the loss of Dr. Borlaug. His countless 
accolades do not do full justice to the greatness of his achievements 
in alleviating hunger. Dr. Borlaug's work was extremely important to 
the efforts of former Congressman Mickey Leland, who represented my 
district until his untimely death in 1989. Both Dr. Borlaug and 
Congressman Leland dedicated their lives to fighting hunger around the 
world. Without these great Americans more than a billion people around 
the world would have died from starvation or suffered from 
malnutrition.
  For 20 years, Dr. Borlaug was a Distinguished Professor of 
International Agriculture at Texas A&M University, located close to my 
district. Texas A&M is home to the Norman Borlaug Institute for 
International Agriculture, which develops and promotes science-based 
solutions to international challenges to agricultural and food 
production. Although Dr. Borlaug was honored throughout his career, I 
am proud that he continued to research agricultural techniques to 
alleviate global hunger until his passing. After he had gained 
international fame for his work he built upon his work to create the 
World Food Prize, known as the ``Nobel Prize for Food and 
Agriculture.''
  Dr. Norman E. Borlaug will forever be known as the ``Father of the 
Green Revolution'' for his work developing new strains of crops that 
could withstand environmental threats. He developed a new strain of 
wheat that resisted disease while increasing productivity in the 
poorest areas of rural Mexico. The significant impact of his work in 
Mexico was noted around the world and his agricultural developments 
spread to South Asia where his wheat strain helped to feed millions in 
India and Pakistan. Dr. Borlaug's techniques were adopted in the Middle 
East and adapted to rice production. As Speaker of the House Nancy 
Pelosi said in 2007, ``No person, before or since, has done more to 
answer the call to help liberate the world from hunger.''
  In 1970, Dr. Borlaug's significant achievement in agriculture was 
honored by the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1977 he was bestowed the 
Presidential Medal of Freedom and in 2006, he was awarded the 
Congressional Gold Medal. Dr. Borlaug has been honored in the places 
where his work had the greatest impact. The Government of India awarded 
Dr. Borlaug its second highest civilian honor. He has an agricultural 
research building named after him in Bolivia and a street named after 
him in Ciudad Obregon in the Mexican State of Sonora. Academic 
institutions and agricultural research centers in Iowa, Minnesota, and 
Texas bear his name as a tribute to his work combating hunger.
  Mr. LOEBSACK. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to honor Dr. 
Norman Borlaug, a great Iowan, who passed away on September 12. I want 
to thank Congressman Boswell for introducing this resolution.
  Dr. Borlaug was born and raised in Iowa but his work is well-known 
throughout the world. Most notably, Dr. Borlaug developed wheat 
varieties that were disease resistant and also adapted to various 
growing environments with increasing yields.
  These developments helped feed over a billion impoverished people in 
Mexico, India, and Pakistan, in addition to Asia, South America, Africa 
and the Middle East.
  For this, Dr. Borlaug was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, and has also 
received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold 
Medal. Dr. Borlaug also created the World Food Prize, sometimes called 
the Nobel Prize for food and agriculture.
  Dr. Borlaug's life and work allowed millions of the world's hungry to 
know a better and more secure life.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Berman) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 739.

[[Page H10105]]

  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________