The Spokesman Speaks: Ag Insights for Your Farm and Family
Sep 14, 2026 · 44 min · 11 segments
Welcome to Episode 225 of The Spokesman Speaks podcast. In this episode, we explore the 40-year legacy of the World Food Prize with World Food Prize Foundation CEO Tom Vilsack. We also sit down with…
Tom VilsackGuestChad HartGuest
Andrew WheelerHost
Bob Leon
What is the World Food Prize and how did it come to be? Its roots actually are in Iowa, right?
Well, the original World Food Prize was an effort by the Continental Food Company to brand itself by awarding a prize for a couple of years, then that Continental Food Company was purchased by Kraft.
It was then that, uh, Dr. Norman Borlaug stepped in and believed, as a Nobel Peace Prize winner himself, that there really ought to be an award that is the equivalent of a Nobel Prize in the food and agriculture space because currently there's no Nobel Prize in food and agriculture, which is amazing to me.
So Dr. Borlaug took it upon himself to essentially say to the world, "Food and agriculture and those who produce our food are worthy of elevation.
I think the first award that Dr. Borlaug was involved in was in New York City, and he had, you know, obviously star power.
Only seven people in the country's history have obtained all three of those awards, so he's an extraordinary individual.
And because of that, his stature basically allowed the award to have a, a level of elevation or respect that you might not have had with the Continental Food Company.
At, at one point early in the process, uh, the decision was made that the World Food Prize needed a home.
It needed to have a permanent location that, where staff that would be involved in coordinating the awarding of the award and designating the laureates and celebrating the laureates.
It's then that John Ruan from Iowa, Ruan Trucking and the Ruan Business Enterprise, came in and said, "Well, it really needs to be in Iowa." Given the history and legacy of hunger fighters in the state of Iowa, starting with Norman Borlaug and including Henry Wallace and Herbert Hoover and people-
... of that ilk, that it really should be in a place that is the most productive farm country in the world.
So would you mind sharing the overall mission of the World Food Prize and its focus on its efforts?
First and foremost, it's important for us to inspire action and to acknowledge excellence in the area of individuals and entities that are committed to reducing and ultimately eliminating food insecurity around the world.
Dr. Borlaug's vision was that there ought to be a world where no one goes hungry.
That we ought to be able to produce enough and be able to get food to all people who are in need.
What is the World Food Prize and how did it come to be? Its roots actually are in Iowa, right?
Well, the original World Food Prize was an effort by the Continental Food Company to brand itself by awarding a prize for a couple of years, then that Continental Food Company was purchased by Kraft.
It was then that, uh, Dr. Norman Borlaug stepped in and believed, as a Nobel Peace Prize winner himself, that there really ought to be an award that is the equivalent of a Nobel Prize in the food and agriculture space because currently there's no Nobel Prize in food and agriculture, which is amazing to me.
So Dr. Borlaug took it upon himself to essentially say to the world, "Food and agriculture and those who produce our food are worthy of elevation.
I think the first award that Dr. Borlaug was involved in was in New York City, and he had, you know, obviously star power.
Only seven people in the country's history have obtained all three of those awards, so he's an extraordinary individual.
And because of that, his stature basically allowed the award to have a, a level of elevation or respect that you might not have had with the Continental Food Company.
At, at one point early in the process, uh, the decision was made that the World Food Prize needed a home.
It needed to have a permanent location that, where staff that would be involved in coordinating the awarding of the award and designating the laureates and celebrating the laureates.
It's then that John Ruan from Iowa, Ruan Trucking and the Ruan Business Enterprise, came in and said, "Well, it really needs to be in Iowa." Given the history and legacy of hunger fighters in the state of Iowa, starting with Norman Borlaug and including Henry Wallace and Herbert Hoover and people-
... of that ilk, that it really should be in a place that is the most productive farm country in the world.
So would you mind sharing the overall mission of the World Food Prize and its focus on its efforts?
First and foremost, it's important for us to inspire action and to acknowledge excellence in the area of individuals and entities that are committed to reducing and ultimately eliminating food insecurity around the world.
Dr. Borlaug's vision was that there ought to be a world where no one goes hungry.
That we ought to be able to produce enough and be able to get food to all people who are in need.
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