This year marks 40 years since Dr. Norman Borlaug founded the World Food Prize.
The World Food Prize Foundation has spent four decades honoring the scientists, farmers and policy innovators who feed our planet. On this episode of River to River, host Ben Kieffer is joined by former Iowa Governor and two-time U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. Vilsack now leads the World Food Prize Foundation. We talk about what the World Food Prize’s 40th anniversary means for communities across the state and why global food security starts with places like Iowa. We also talk about the New World screwworm, the dismantling of USAID and more.
As a part of the 40th anniversary, the foundation has been travelling the state to celebrate the people, places and stories that make Iowa one of a kind. Additional campaign stops throughout 2026 will highlight Iowa communities and legacies that reflect the state’s role in fighting global food insecurity.
Guest:
- Tom Vilsack, CEO of the World Food Prize, former Iowa governor and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture
