Borlaug statue dedicated at ceremony in Washington, DC

Governor Branstad with the Borlaug statue in Washington

DES MOINES – Governor Terry Branstad traveled to Washington, DC this week to commemorate the installation of a Norman Borlaug statue at the U.S. Capitol.

Borlaug was born 100 years ago Tuesday on a farm outside Cresco, Iowa. He led the development of improved crops that are credited with saving the lives of a billion people or more and is known as the father of the Green Revolution. He won a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and was a key figure in the fight against world hunger.

To celebrate Borlaug’s work and impact on global hunger during the 100-year anniversary of his birth, the State of Iowa has commissioned a 7-ft. bronze statue of Dr. Borlaug to be displayed in the National Statuary Hall Collection. The statue depicts Borlaug conducting research in a wheat field.

According to the USDA, Borlaug spent 20 years working with wheat producers in Mexico, where he eventually developed high-yield, disease-resistant wheat varieties and a double-season production system that defied conventional wisdom of the time. As a result, Mexico produced six times more wheat than before and went from an importer nation to a wheat exporter in 1963.

Brasntad said Tuesday at a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., that “We’re pleased to honor him today with the installation of the Borlaug statue at the U.S. Capitol.”

Dr. Borlaug is one of only three Americans ever to receive the trifecta of humanitarian awards. He joins Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Elie Wiesel in winning the Nobel Peace Prize, the Congressional Gold Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He is the only American to hold that trifecta of honors and also the National Medal of Science.