News

Dr. Derek Barchenger, Senior Scientist and Head of the Global Pepper Breeding Program at the World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg), will present the 2026 Borlaug Memorial Lecture at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Barchenger was recognized with the Norman E. Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application in 2025 for advancing pepper breeding to enhance nutrition, productivity and climate adaptability for hundreds of thousands of smallholder farmers worldwide.

The 2026 Borlaug Memorial Lecture Planning Committee is excited to announce that Dr. Prabin Bajgain has been selected as this year's Emerging Leader in Plant Sciences (ELIPS). Dr Bajgain is a 2014 graduate with a PhD in Plant Breeding and Genetics and a faculty member at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. 

The 2026 Norman Borlaug Memorial Lecture will be held on Monday, October 19 at 3:30 pm. The keynote speaker and recipient of the 2026 Emerging Leader in Plant Science will be announced soon.

Since 2004, the governor has proclaimed one day a year to be Norman E. Borlaug Day in the state. This year, Governor of Minnesota Tim Walz declared October 16 Norman E. Borlaug Day, so we honor his legacy today and in the years going forward.

The 2025 Borlaug Memorial Lecture Planning Committee is excited to announce that Dr. Amy Jacobson, has been selected as this year's Emerging Leader in Plant Sciences (ELIPS). Dr Jacobson is a 2014 graduate with a PhD in Plant Breeding and Genetics and is currently a corn breeder at Corteva Agriscience.