Remarks by Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman on Henry A. Wallace Lecture and Dedication of the Wallace Room Release No.0385.99 Remarks As Prepared for Delivery by Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman on Henry A. Wallace Lecture and Dedication of the Wallace Room Washington, September 29, 1999 "Thank you very much, Jim. It's a pleasure to welcome all of you to the United States Department of Agriculture. I especially want to acknowledge the members of Secretary Wallace's family who are here today, including his daughter Jean Wallace Douglas. A special welcome to Representative Eva Clayton of North Carolina. And also to two of Henry Wallace's biographers: John Hyde and former Senator John Culver. "This is another in the Department's series of Millennium events, designed to address the issues and questions that will drive agricultural policy in the next century. Today, we'll be talking about agriculture and technology and the important contribution made by Henry A. Wallace in that regard. "As far back as the 18th century, with the introduction of the cradle and the scythe, technology has been one of the keys to producing what is the world's safest, most abundant and most affordable food supply. "The 20th century has been one of staggering innovation -- ground- breaking genetic research, mechanical harvesters, animal vaccines and waste management technologies, to cite just a few examples. "More technological change awaits us in the century about to begin. And for agriculture to prosper, we will need to be that much more focused on science and research, and we will have to make public and private investments accordingly. "Now, it's my pleasure to introduce our keynote speaker, who will explore these issues in more detail. Senator McGovern is not only one of this century's most distinguished public servants; he is one of our greatest humanitarians as well. In addition to his service in the House and Senate, he was a distinguished World War II fighter pilot, a professor at his alma mater of Dakota Wesleyan University, and Director of President Kennedy's "Food for Peace" program. "As a senator, his commitment to the American farm and to hunger and malnutrition issues was second-to-none. It was Senator McGovern, Senator Hubert Humphrey and my fellow Kansan Senator Robert Dole who worked together, in a bipartisan spirit, to build that critical link -- that natural symbiotic relationship -- between our farm programs and our anti-hunger programs. In so doing, they created a coalition that endures to this day. "Of course, when it came to running for President of the United States...well let's just say that Senators Humphrey, McGovern and Dole didn't have quite the same success. "Senator McGovern continues to be actively involved in public affairs, and his passion about hunger issues continues to burn. Last year, he accepted President Clinton's nomination to be our Ambassador to the Food and Agriculture Organization, whose leadership will be critical as we craft multilateral solutions to the plague of hunger and famine. "I couldn't help notice the irony, though. George McGovern, who once said: "The longer the title, the less important the job" now serves as the United States Representative to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. "Ladies and gentlemen, Senator George McGovern... {Senator George McGovern speaks} "Thank you, Senator McGovern, for coming here to share your thoughts. Thank you, Jim Stonebrink and Jean Wallace Douglas, for participating in our discussion. I also want to single out the other members of Henry Wallace's family who are here today: grandsons Bruce and Scott Wallace, along with Scott's wife Christy; Helen Devroy and her son Nicholas Devroy; and Robert and Susan Fleming. "I think Henry Wallace would have enjoyed this dialogue. And no doubt, he would have participated to the fullest. "And as we confront this farm crisis, I have wondered what Henry Wallace might say to us, what insight he would have, what counsel he would offer. I only hope that he can serve as an inspiration, as we all try to ensure the viability and profitability of the family farm in the new millennium. "Nearly every challenge we face is one that he envisioned. Practically everything we do and care about at USDA is an outgrowth of something first begun or first imagined by Henry Wallace. "Long before sustainability was a buzzword, he understood that agricultural productivity had to be balanced by a responsibility to the land. "On his watch, USDA began the food stamps and school lunch programs, which remain the centerpiece of our nutritional safety net. "He also created the Rural Electrification Administration, whose work continues on at the Department in our Rural Utilities Service. "Wallace understood that farmers would need off-farm income opportunities if they were to remain on the land. And much of our rural economic development work is guided by that belief. "He was also a civil rights pioneer. In 1943 that's more than a decade before Brown v. Board of Education and a full generation before the Voting Rights Act -- Vice President Henry Wallace had the courage to speak out against segregation and racial injustice after a riot in Detroit had killed more than 50 African-Americans. As we pursue our goal of making USDA the federal government's civil rights leader, again we can look to Henry Wallace for guidance and inspiration. "Of course, Wallace embraced science, perhaps above all. And he did more than talk the talk. His own experiments with hybrid corn helped usher in a revolution in agriculture and were important precursors to further innovations in plant genetics. "Even as Wallace championed science and technology, he also understood their pitfalls. He understood that increased efficiency could render farmers increasingly obsolete. "He understood the dangers of agricultural consolidation, the trend toward fewer and larger farm operations. And sure enough, that trend has accelerated in the last half-century, with vertically integrated entities gaining more and more control over agricultural inputs, production, processing and marketing. "When I look at some of our recent successes at USDA, I can't help but think that they would have made Wallace proud. He would have applauded our focus on farmers markets and our food recovery and anti-hunger efforts. I thought of him as we shipped more humanitarian food around the world in 1999 than in any other year over the last quarter century. As an internationalist, I think Wallace would have been pleased with our leadership in the World Trade Organization. "I am proud to call myself one of Henry Wallace's successors. And I hope that I can leave even a fraction of the legacy that he has. "It gives me great pleasure today to announce that the room next door to us -- now rather blandly known as Room 108A will be renamed the Henry A. Wallace Room, in honor of the 11th Secretary of Agriculture. Here's to hoping that his genius is with us every time we set foot in that room...and in everything we do at the Department of Agriculture. "Thank you very much." #