Except those thousands upon thousands upon thousands of Indians that committed suicide because of how Bt Cotton, the plant that isn't a plant now, but an actual "herbicide," ruined their crops, their soil and their lives, totally indebting those who continue to work the land. And when Monsanto says "it's not true," of course you can believe them, with their heinous "lifetime" corporate record.
@@denovo62 LOL what a bunch of Leftist buIIshlt. The "study" even says that BT Cotton is neither a sufficient or necessary cause of the small uptick in sulcldes. Furthermore, it says that BT cotton has been effective overall, so if you think it's better to reduce the wellbeing of 2 billion people because a couple thousand farmers couldn't handle the stress, you are out of your mind. And BT cotton doesn't ruin the soil or lives. It's not just Monsanto, it's your own silly study. As always, you found a correlation and you made it causation despite there being virtually no evidence. You're a typical Leftist clown.
Well not only did he make it possible for more evil and disgusting humans to survive but actually boosted the need for ARITIFICIAL fertilizers. Sure there would be a faction of well fed idiots who would cheer if there was a horrible famine as lot it didn't affect them personally.
@@TheWolfsnack Yeah, sorta like the English response to the Irish potato famine, after a half hearted response including rejecting international aid they just threw up their hands and concluded it was "natures way of dealing with it all" .
@@bhatkat But that isn't really Borlaug's fault. All tools and methods invented by humanity have been abused or are being abused by shitty people, that doesn't mean, however, that we shouldn't use them or blame their inventors or discoverers. At best Borlaug was naive about human behavior, if anyone should be blamed it's the greedy folk who abused his work for monetary gain, not him.
My Indian grandfather who is nearly 90, always tells me his story of the family farm. Food was really a prized commodity when he was growing up and the most charitable people gave food to the poor. Hunger was a REAL issue. Later when HYV seeds were introduced, the yield multiplied. Everyone rejoiced that year. Green Revolution is a blessing and those who so vehemently oppose it should rather put the effort into finding a better solution.
Yeah, nobody wants to use excess fertilizer, which is simply money wasted. Technologies like remote sensing and automated fertilizing equipment allow careful tailoring of the amounts of fertilizer used so that almost none is wasted.
@@lostbutfreesoul If we can't blame him for the abuse of others, then why you call him "a bit naive"? He invented a great thing, and that's it. Bless his soul.
Norman Borlaug is a true hero. And he’d be the last guy to say so. Few people in the history of the world have had the impact he had. Literally, he changed the world.
@@maxb2021 same, it is. I live/farm south of decorah Iowa, next town west of Cresco Iowa where Norman went to HS. It's really is sad his name isn't more know
Making me look at figures I didn’t know about until now...my hats off to you. This channel is a gem in TH-cam that doesn’t disappoint with each entry, 👍
Controversial? Really? He’s arguably the greatest human being ever. Nobody in history has even come close to the amount of lives he saved. His contribution to mankind was simply unparalleled. He should be a household name. Everyone on this planet should know who he was and the profound impact he had on countless lives across the world. He is a hero. The greatest human being ever to have lived.
The green revolution in india and pakistan has farmers in debt ,committing suicide and the water poisoned while crops fail despite repeated applications of chemical fertilisers herbicides and insecticides . It seems to green revolution has begun to backfire
@@bobjary9382 What's happening in India has nothing to do with Norman Borlaug. That is a situation that others have tried to apply his techniques and/or to *say they are* as part of a grift. Ignoring the mass success everywhere else, focus in on Mexico. Without Borlaug's contribution of creating a breed of wheat that would grow there, Mexico would be food dependent. The 3 billion population boom in the last forty or so years? That's Norman Borlaug.
@Bob Jary Norman bourlogue was a god sent angel for India and Pakistan Buring British Raj millions died due to famine In 1943 3 million died in Bengal due to famine After development of high yealding varities of Norman no incidance of fammine has occured in india during last 50 years U hardly know a thing about India and should not profesise
@raahinyapratapsingh1629 Perhaps I know little about many things but I do know about the famine in Bengal ( 3M is a low estimate ? ) and Churchills rotten attitude to the indian population . In my mind, Churchills part in starving those in NE India was no better than Stalins murder of millions of Ukrainians for their grain through starvation . The green revolution brought many benefits but use of fertiluzer and now its co opting by Bayer Monsanto etc has brought debt suicide and pollution of the land and water and threatens stavation once again. I have been visiting and travelling in India since 1985 and probably know much less than many who have lived their their whole lives, but what is happening environmentally and to the health of the people isnt encouraging .
Simon, Shell, Daven your hard work has kept me sane during my divorce and I want to thank you, whole heartedly. You have all made this less painful and I love you all to pieces. The multiple channels Simon hosts give me educational, humorous content I can consume while I work that keeps my mind away from painful things. Thank you for all the work you all do. I hope someday you all enter positions of power, the entire world will be better off.
Wow. Just when I think you've taught me more than I can mentally digest, you bring another platter of tasty knowledge to my table! Thank you Simon! You have me continuously remarking -'I had no idea...!'
Simon is a trans-dimensional being who knows everyone's requests and thoughts, how do you think he knows all these peoples lives in so much detail and all that world history? Not to mention Danny is chained to a computer desk forced to write scripts in Simon's basement
No joke, a big part of why I found this video so fascinating as to watch it several times was due to the fact I have a small connection to Bourlag and his work! I grew up in Bourlag’s home state and have met members of his family due to having sang at the World Food Prize Award Ceremony, (that is held in his honor every year in the state capital), several times when I was young. They were fairly kind to me in what short amount of time we spent together! Despite what a complicated man he was, I do appreciate how his legacy has helped reward people who are genuinely attempting to make this world a better place. I fully acknowledge that his efforts solved some problems only to lead to other, bigger ones- food and water shortages, etc.- but I believe he truly meant well, and I know that as an Iowan, we’re proud to call him one of us. Thanks for the lovely and honest tribute, Simon.
Any critic of this great man needs to take a hard look at themselves. His work is estimated to have saved a billion lives and 99% of people don’t even know his name. He’s a hero. End of discussion
informative. In Zimbabwe I have seen the long term results of this fertilizer revolution. I have also seen the results of a new natural farming revolution that cares for the land- long term. I can say that borland's solution was a stop gap, valuable that did indeed save millions of lives and I am grateful about that. I am also grateful to the new breed of farmer, the natural farmer that focuses on building soil fertility through increasing organic content in the soil, ie using last year's crop residues as organic fertilizer. Through this i increased the water in my well from 1/2 meter to 3 meters, and trebled the fertility of my soils at the same time.
I think we can be grateful for the fact he saved so many people, more people than even the worst of despots have murdered, without bitching about how he didn't find the perfect method for all agriculture going forward now until the end of time in the process. For comparison, imagine bitching at the field medic who applied a tourniquet to stop bleeding andsave your life, because he didn't instead, using techniques they didn't know and materials they didn't have, carefully apply tubing and ring clamps/glue, and reconnect all your arteries and veins together in the field, (something that would never have stopped the bleeding in time, even if it was possible) Just because someone used a temporary fix to save you, doesn't mean they didn't save you!
The chief cause of the dust bowl was a boom market for wheat, causing extra planting under contract from city folk. When the market contracted, backers just abandoned the fields. No cover crops were planted, letting uncovered soil billow in the dry conditions.
I thoroughly enjoyed this episode. Educational, balanced and enjoyable - thanks in no small part to Simons delivery. Last century we had Readers Digest. Today, it seems, Biographics, Geographics, TIFO etc are great platforms for learning.
Recently I was captivated by Hieronymus Bosch paintings. And am still at a lost as to what inspired such a unique perspective during his lifetime. Could you please consider doing a video about Hieronymus Bosch? ..
I hate commercials with a burning passion but somehow I don't mind sitting still for them coming from Simon. 2nd - I really like the addition of some music - nice little breaks to give the info a chance to soak in. Great series BTW.
@khy0te Thankfully, Gene modifying is building upon Borlaug's ideas and reducing the need for pestecides and fertilizers. It's astounding the leaps in technology that have occurred in my lifetime regarding food.
10:35 I _think_ that you can get the organic fertilization from planting with a green fertiliser crop as soon as you harvest the cereal. But that needs 1) machinery able to sow and plough-under the green crop 2) water for the green crop 3) time for it to grow between cereal and any other crops. At the time burning-off the wheat stalks and chaff was pretty standard, heavier ploughs to turn under the wheat and green crops are expensive to buy and maintain. No-till machinery is generally a better option, but also generally expensive compared to light ploughs.
Would y'all be willing to loom into your audio? Some of your videos are hella loud and some hella quiet to where I'm constantly adjusting my volume when I choose to watch several of your videos in a row.
I am a recent Environmental Science graduate and I remember learning about Norman Borlaug's theories in my classes. Particularly my course on Sustainable Agriculture. My prof had many good things to say about Borlaug, but he was also critical of many of Borlaug's ideas because of the impact it has on the environment, especially the impact on soil health.
I’m absolutely impressed with this video. It makes want to learn more about this guy. I’ve read about the green revolution of the 1960’s and 70’s before but never knew about this guy. All of the credit was given to the big fertiliser companies in the books and articles I read prior to watching this video. I now have a face and name to go with what I had previously attributed to a few large companies. Thank you for this.
Borlaug is a great example of what happens when the individual is left alone to figure things out. He spent his life fighting the government and establishment uphill for the right to innovate.
Aren’t commercial strains of bananas sterile triploid hybrids of different species propagated through side shoots from the Corm? We humans love messing with genomes 😂
@@cristianverdugogalaz8725 : In the case of the common large yellow Cavendish banana, they're not just _basically_ all clones, only the test varieties are anything _other_ than clones. The majority of bananas on the planet are Stepford Wives.
The problem isn't food production, it's getting the food to where it's needed on time and at low cost. Food is lost or wasted throughout the supply chain from initial agricultural production all the way to final household consumption. Food that never gets eaten also represents a waste of resources, such as land, water, energy, soil, seeds and other inputs used in its production, increasing green gas emissions in vain.
There are several layers in soil (called horizons by soil scientists): so when the topsoil blows away, it's literally the top horizon of soil. The problem here is that different horizons have different properties, and when you lose the top horizon, you lose what is often the most nutrient-rich layer: without it your yield goes down a lot. There's an old chestnut in soil science that the difference between soil, dirt, and dust is all relative - so what was soil to the farmers in the dust bowl became dust for everyone else.
I want to thank this man for the fact that I enjoyed not just one, but 3 whole meals today! 😀 Anyone who says he is anything less than a HERO can kiss my ass! 😠
I attended Texas A&M University home of the Norman Borlaug institute. I also work in agriculture hybrid crop research. This man's work literally created the need for our industry and has changed the life of everyone on the planet.
1:40 - Chapter 1 - Growing up on the farm 4:40 - Chapter 2 - When the world turned to dust 7:05 - Mid roll ads 8:25 - Chapter 3 - Perfecting some oldest crops in the world 16:40 - Chapter 4 - Savior of millions or destroyer of worlds ?
He's a true hero here in a city south of sonora where he started his experiments. One of the more popular boulevard it's under his name. Thats a name that should be remember.
I would love to see your take on some of the more unique and inspiring jazz figures. Such as Sun Ra, Thelonious Monk, Roland Kirk, Ornette Coleman, Fela Kuti.
I would love to see one of these on Jim Henson, Freddie Mercury, or, while I'm not sure there's enough before his badass exit for a full video, Giles Corey (maybe a bonus fact in something about the Salem witch trials? I don't know if you've already done that, man, you have so many videos xD)
There was no controversy, until much later, when revisionists, and many sadly invested in the organic aesthetic, tried to say Borlaug's advances caused populations to keep growing, when all he ever did was keep the living from starving. Regarding the U.S.'s infatuation with chic Organic is better anti-GMO elitist ideas (from celebrities who've never held a shovel) he wrote "While the affluent nations can certainly afford to adopt ultra low-risk positions, and pay more for food produced by the so-called 'organic' methods, the one billion chronically undernourished people of the low income, food-deficit nations cannot." He understood the trade-offs, where billions more acres would have to be turned into farmland (i.e. bulldozing forests), if highly productive modern practices were abandoned. He saw the world's population growth as the deal breaker, for ever ending hunger, and political solutions as the only way to avert catastrophic consequences - and this before we'd grasped the extent of climate change.
It is very hard to level any criticism against Borlaug. The natural fertilization issue should be a solvable problem. Is it possible to process waste from water born critters or sea life?
I first heard of Borlaug many years ago. Now it's impossible to quantify things that might have happened, but it seems likely that he prevented more deaths than any person in human history. The other problems that followed are real, but not as severe as mass starvation. I read somewhere that since the mid-80s there has never been a famine that didn't have some external cause, ie. war or in North Korea's case, political isolation. Also, I have a suggestion for a video - I can't recall his name, but in the late 19th century, an American doctor and his wife both contracted yellow fever and survived. Since you can only get it once, this meant he could serve in the tropics without fear of the disease. His methods reduced the prevalence of yellow fever and other diseases to the point where the Panama Canal could finally be completed.
Wait yo!!?? What's half the video? All I'm seeing is "were trying to deny them these things." It's there something wrong with TH-cam or something they're blocking? Say the images of the success of Norman Borlaug's approach to modern agriculture
This is a great TH-cam educational tutorial of a large array of topics. You guys should consider doing a biographics on Tony Robbins. It doesn't matter if you think it a bullcrap or if it is helpful. Tony Robbins is Polarizing
He saved hundreds of millions from starvation! That’s amazing! We also need to think about the future of the earths resources though and realize that this was a great plan for the past and still the present. We need to consider our future and equal distribution of resources and not continue to do only the large production of single crops. Gardens are a great way to help
During your speech on your advertising. U say its a new year expand ur knowledge that little bit everyday. I do i watch your vids. Lol they are brilliant x
I think Borlaug's case for being the most important person of the 20th century is stronger than almost anyone else. We got a movie this year about someone who Chris Nolan thought was the most important person in history, but, respectfully, Oppenheimer has nothing on this man.
I would agree with you but nearly everyone in the eastern side of the Great Plains claim to be in the Midwest and the western side of the Great Plains are Nearly all mountains and not plains
It wasn't until the dust reached the desks of the halls of power in the Capital that any action started to take place. When the first thing that you have to do to be able to read your agenda for the day, is to remove the layer of dirt on it, it makes it easier to prioritize your decisions.
Check out Brilliant: brilliant.org/Biographics
So I don’t want to you just want 😘😘😘😘
His high-yield crops may have been high maintenance, but it paved the way for further research. Now, thanks to him, we have drought resistant crops.
I remember my late grandfather talking about the time before Borlaug and that after it. He is regarded one of the national heroes in my country India.
That's interesting and moving. Thanks for it. As he grew up and schooled in the part of the world I am from, Minnesota and Iowa, U.S.A.
Except those thousands upon thousands upon thousands of Indians that committed suicide because of how Bt Cotton, the plant that isn't a plant now, but an actual "herbicide," ruined their crops, their soil and their lives, totally indebting those who continue to work the land. And when Monsanto says "it's not true," of course you can believe them, with their heinous "lifetime" corporate record.
@@denovo62 LOL what a bunch of Leftist buIIshlt. The "study" even says that BT Cotton is neither a sufficient or necessary cause of the small uptick in sulcldes. Furthermore, it says that BT cotton has been effective overall, so if you think it's better to reduce the wellbeing of 2 billion people because a couple thousand farmers couldn't handle the stress, you are out of your mind. And BT cotton doesn't ruin the soil or lives.
It's not just Monsanto, it's your own silly study.
As always, you found a correlation and you made it causation despite there being virtually no evidence. You're a typical Leftist clown.
No he isn't, he is why farmers are offing themselves there
@@karozans You don't need a fucking study, you ask the farmers themselves
“Food is the moral right of all who are born into this world” Norman Borlaug
This is a total propaganda piece.
@@denovo62 how?
@@denovo62 if you don't think the words of trump, China, Russia, Britain, or wherever you live aren't propaganda then you really dont know what it is.
Stopped famine. Got hated for it. Figures.
Well not only did he make it possible for more evil and disgusting humans to survive but actually boosted the need for ARITIFICIAL fertilizers. Sure there would be a faction of well fed idiots who would cheer if there was a horrible famine as lot it didn't affect them personally.
....interfering with "god's plan" no doubt....
@@TheWolfsnack Yeah, sorta like the English response to the Irish potato famine, after a half hearted response including rejecting international aid they just threw up their hands and concluded it was "natures way of dealing with it all" .
Only the snowflakes would turn him into something evil.
@@bhatkat But that isn't really Borlaug's fault. All tools and methods invented by humanity have been abused or are being abused by shitty people, that doesn't mean, however, that we shouldn't use them or blame their inventors or discoverers. At best Borlaug was naive about human behavior, if anyone should be blamed it's the greedy folk who abused his work for monetary gain, not him.
Damn, this guys is a bloody genius.
*He definitely deserves more respect! Thanks for the video Simon!*
Who better to solve a food crisis than an experienced career farmer! 😀
My Indian grandfather who is nearly 90, always tells me his story of the family farm. Food was really a prized commodity when he was growing up and the most charitable people gave food to the poor. Hunger was a REAL issue. Later when HYV seeds were introduced, the yield multiplied. Everyone rejoiced that year. Green Revolution is a blessing and those who so vehemently oppose it should rather put the effort into finding a better solution.
A midwestern farmer, a former US President, and a Japanese war criminal walk into a bar...
And they enjoy a drink and chat cos none of them are jerks
and they _surprisingly_ work to make the world a better place
Wow, I'm so stoked you did Borlaug, what a hero! Thanks, Simon and team!
I just had a bowl of corn flakes
Borlaug is a hero, flat out.
Yeah, nobody wants to use excess fertilizer, which is simply money wasted. Technologies like remote sensing and automated fertilizing equipment allow careful tailoring of the amounts of fertilizer used so that almost none is wasted.
Agreed.
He was a little naive to human behavior, do not blame him for the abuse of others.
@@lostbutfreesoul If we can't blame him for the abuse of others, then why you call him "a bit naive"? He invented a great thing, and that's it. Bless his soul.
Norman Borlaug is a true hero. And he’d be the last guy to say so. Few people in the history of the world have had the impact he had. Literally, he changed the world.
Let's not increase just one part of the carrying capacity of the planet again. Once was enough.
It is a true crime that most have never heard of the man, I was fortunate to having grown up in Iowa
I doubt he would be happy with how it was implemented.
@@maxb2021 same, it is. I live/farm south of decorah Iowa, next town west of Cresco Iowa where Norman went to HS. It's really is sad his name isn't more know
@@solgato5186 Why do you hate humans so much?
Biographic...on sasakawa....when?
just asking, the guy sounds amazing (to know more about)
I had the honor of meeting Dr. Borlaug. He sent me an autographed copy of his essays.
Okay, I'm jealous.
Making me look at figures I didn’t know about until now...my hats off to you. This channel is a gem in TH-cam that doesn’t disappoint with each entry, 👍
Like Dave & Hiskey?
P m W Daven doesn’t work on this channel
Controversial? Really? He’s arguably the greatest human being ever. Nobody in history has even come close to the amount of lives he saved. His contribution to mankind was simply unparalleled. He should be a household name. Everyone on this planet should know who he was and the profound impact he had on countless lives across the world. He is a hero. The greatest human being ever to have lived.
The green revolution in india and pakistan has farmers in debt ,committing suicide and the water poisoned while crops fail despite repeated applications of chemical fertilisers herbicides and insecticides .
It seems to green revolution has begun to backfire
@@bobjary9382 What's happening in India has nothing to do with Norman Borlaug. That is a situation that others have tried to apply his techniques and/or to *say they are* as part of a grift.
Ignoring the mass success everywhere else, focus in on Mexico. Without Borlaug's contribution of creating a breed of wheat that would grow there, Mexico would be food dependent.
The 3 billion population boom in the last forty or so years? That's Norman Borlaug.
@@davidrox4591 You say that like its a good thing
@Bob Jary
Norman bourlogue was a god sent angel for India and Pakistan
Buring British Raj millions died due to famine
In 1943 3 million died in Bengal due to famine
After development of high yealding varities of Norman no incidance of fammine has occured in india during last 50 years
U hardly know a thing about India and should not profesise
@raahinyapratapsingh1629
Perhaps I know little about many things but I do know about the famine in Bengal ( 3M is a low estimate ? ) and Churchills rotten attitude to the indian population .
In my mind, Churchills part in starving those in NE India was no better than Stalins murder of millions of Ukrainians for their grain through starvation .
The green revolution brought many benefits but use of fertiluzer and now its co opting by Bayer Monsanto etc has brought debt suicide and pollution of the land and water and threatens stavation once again.
I have been visiting and travelling in India since 1985 and probably know much less than many who have lived their their whole lives, but what is happening environmentally and to the health of the people isnt encouraging .
Simon, Shell, Daven your hard work has kept me sane during my divorce and I want to thank you, whole heartedly. You have all made this less painful and I love you all to pieces. The multiple channels Simon hosts give me educational, humorous content I can consume while I work that keeps my mind away from painful things. Thank you for all the work you all do. I hope someday you all enter positions of power, the entire world will be better off.
💜
David Hart Daven doesn’t work on this channel
This man is the only reason humanity hasn't been damned for all its evils yet, for there has been 1 good human in all the bunch.
There are a few others, we can only hope one day to produce many more.
@@lostbutfreesoul On his level though? I don't think so.
I thought that was Jesus?
@@speedy01247 Even if Jesus did exist, even if everything said about him by Christianity, still doesn't come close :P
@@speedy01247 Jesus being God fed 5000 people, Borlaug being just human fed 1 billion.
Can Simon do a biography of himself at 1 million subscribers?
This would be awesome.
Yessssss
He has said he will not
@@jeesusmeesuss5247 Why? Source?
Jan Settler idk personally I like the humility involved in not doing one of them about himself
Wow. Just when I think you've taught me more than I can mentally digest, you bring another platter of tasty knowledge to my table! Thank you Simon! You have me continuously remarking -'I had no idea...!'
Food related entry and a food centric comment. Kudos sir!😁
@@theresaivy7274 😉
I was just thinking the other day about how this was one of the people I wanted to see done!
Odd, I was thinking about this fellow the other day too. First heard about him on a Penn and Teller video.
Simon is a trans-dimensional being who knows everyone's requests and thoughts, how do you think he knows all these peoples lives in so much detail and all that world history? Not to mention Danny is chained to a computer desk forced to write scripts in Simon's basement
Great subject, polished as usual.
No joke, a big part of why I found this video so fascinating as to watch it several times was due to the fact I have a small connection to Bourlag and his work! I grew up in Bourlag’s home state and have met members of his family due to having sang at the World Food Prize Award Ceremony, (that is held in his honor every year in the state capital), several times when I was young. They were fairly kind to me in what short amount of time we spent together! Despite what a complicated man he was, I do appreciate how his legacy has helped reward people who are genuinely attempting to make this world a better place.
I fully acknowledge that his efforts solved some problems only to lead to other, bigger ones- food and water shortages, etc.- but I believe he truly meant well, and I know that as an Iowan, we’re proud to call him one of us. Thanks for the lovely and honest tribute, Simon.
A video about William Vogt would be perfect as a follow up to borlaug, perfect if you want to understand why Borlaugh was hated
Any critic of this great man needs to take a hard look at themselves. His work is estimated to have saved a billion lives and 99% of people don’t even know his name. He’s a hero. End of discussion
His critics are basically fools who haven't done anything worthwhile in their life
informative. In Zimbabwe I have seen the long term results of this fertilizer revolution. I have also seen the results of a new natural farming revolution that cares for the land- long term. I can say that borland's solution was a stop gap, valuable that did indeed save millions of lives and I am grateful about that. I am also grateful to the new breed of farmer, the natural farmer that focuses on building soil fertility through increasing organic content in the soil, ie using last year's crop residues as organic fertilizer. Through this i increased the water in my well from 1/2 meter to 3 meters, and trebled the fertility of my soils at the same time.
I think we can be grateful for the fact he saved so many people, more people than even the worst of despots have murdered, without bitching about how he didn't find the perfect method for all agriculture going forward now until the end of time in the process.
For comparison, imagine bitching at the field medic who applied a tourniquet to stop bleeding andsave your life, because he didn't instead, using techniques they didn't know and materials they didn't have, carefully apply tubing and ring clamps/glue, and reconnect all your arteries and veins together in the field, (something that would never have stopped the bleeding in time, even if it was possible) Just because someone used a temporary fix to save you, doesn't mean they didn't save you!
Well said
He was one of the most important people of the last century only a handfull have heard of. Saving a billion people is quite an achievement.
I absolutely love these videos! It would be great if you could provide us with sources 😄 I often use these to start off with an essay
The greatest man.
The chief cause of the dust bowl was a boom market for wheat, causing extra planting under contract from city folk. When the market contracted, backers just abandoned the fields. No cover crops were planted, letting uncovered soil billow in the dry conditions.
I thoroughly enjoyed this episode. Educational, balanced and enjoyable - thanks in no small part to Simons delivery.
Last century we had Readers Digest. Today, it seems, Biographics, Geographics, TIFO etc are great platforms for learning.
Recently I was captivated by Hieronymus Bosch paintings. And am still at a lost as to what inspired such a unique perspective during his lifetime. Could you please consider doing a video about Hieronymus Bosch?
..
Awesome video! I wish you mentioned the names of the varieties of wheat.
I hate commercials with a burning passion but somehow I don't mind sitting still for them coming from Simon.
2nd - I really like the addition of some music - nice little breaks to give the info a chance to soak in.
Great series BTW.
This is great... You guys finally did it... Been hoping for months that Biographics would make a video of Norman Borlaug! Thanks a million!
It is not up for debate if you accept scientific evidence.
@khy0te Thankfully, Gene modifying is building upon Borlaug's ideas and reducing the need for pestecides and fertilizers. It's astounding the leaps in technology that have occurred in my lifetime regarding food.
"not up for debate" is the antithesis to science.
@@jonathangarzon2798 exactlyy
@@jonathangarzon2798 *coughgravitycough* Facts aren't up for debate. Pretending *everything* is up for debate is 100% pseudoscience.
"Borlaug is not a household name" ~ Simon
"FLY YOU FOOLS!" ~ Gandalf The Grey
As a fellow Iowan thanks for doing this one
And I the same, ancestors were affected by the Dust Bowl and in fact why they moved to Iowa so long ago
I want to suggest making a video on Julie d'Aubigny she seems like she had a very interesting life.
@Cara Marais that's why I want an biographies video xD
Please do more videos on these people than military men
People like Norman Borlaug are humanities greatest & most clear-cut mortal heroes!
The quality and impartiality of BioGraphics videos are only improving. Astounding work.
Easily one of my favorite videos, thank you for introducing me to such an interesting person!
10:35 I _think_ that you can get the organic fertilization from planting with a green fertiliser crop as soon as you harvest the cereal. But that needs 1) machinery able to sow and plough-under the green crop 2) water for the green crop 3) time for it to grow between cereal and any other crops. At the time burning-off the wheat stalks and chaff was pretty standard, heavier ploughs to turn under the wheat and green crops are expensive to buy and maintain. No-till machinery is generally a better option, but also generally expensive compared to light ploughs.
Would y'all be willing to loom into your audio? Some of your videos are hella loud and some hella quiet to where I'm constantly adjusting my volume when I choose to watch several of your videos in a row.
I am a recent Environmental Science graduate and I remember learning about Norman Borlaug's theories in my classes. Particularly my course on Sustainable Agriculture. My prof had many good things to say about Borlaug, but he was also critical of many of Borlaug's ideas because of the impact it has on the environment, especially the impact on soil health.
Is it not true that you could bring fertilizer and water to a desert and grow enough food to feed the world?
@Tortall2012
Didn't ur professor told that humans are hazardous for the planet
Great episode bud. Thank you. Sincerely small town family farmer.
We need a video about *Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim*
Great videos as always, keep it up :)
*yes*
What's controversial about saving a billion lives over his life work? What EVIL people that tried to undermine him!!!!
The hardest working man on youtube
I’m absolutely impressed with this video. It makes want to learn more about this guy. I’ve read about the green revolution of the 1960’s and 70’s before but never knew about this guy. All of the credit was given to the big fertiliser companies in the books and articles I read prior to watching this video. I now have a face and name to go with what I had previously attributed to a few large companies. Thank you for this.
finally!!!! been waiting for this video since the channel started! he's my hero! thank you for finally covering him!
Thank you Simon and time. I love this video.
Borlaug is a great example of what happens when the individual is left alone to figure things out. He spent his life fighting the government and establishment uphill for the right to innovate.
I still cannot understand about how Borlaug is controversial at all.
Same.😔
Keep up the great work Simon.
everything is GMO even your dog
eat wild grass
Not Bananas. Kirk Cameron told me God made those.
@@EclecticBuddha no thoes specially are GMOs, in fact so much so they're all basicly clones too
Aren’t commercial strains of bananas sterile triploid hybrids of different species propagated through side shoots from the Corm? We humans love messing with genomes 😂
@@cristianverdugogalaz8725 : In the case of the common large yellow Cavendish banana, they're not just _basically_ all clones, only the test varieties are anything _other_ than clones. The majority of bananas on the planet are Stepford Wives.
The problem isn't food production, it's getting the food to where it's needed on time and at low cost. Food is lost or wasted throughout the supply chain from initial agricultural production all the way to final household consumption. Food that never gets eaten also represents a waste of resources, such as land, water, energy, soil, seeds and other inputs used in its production, increasing green gas emissions in vain.
WORLD'S GREATEST HERO!!! Period.
There is no 'debate' to be had unless you're stupid or evil - Norman Borlaug is one of the greatest human beings who ever lived.
This is the best video I have seen so far! Wow....
Sun Yet-Sen would be a good man for the channel
When you say the top soil blew away, where did it go, or is that the dust?
There are several layers in soil (called horizons by soil scientists): so when the topsoil blows away, it's literally the top horizon of soil. The problem here is that different horizons have different properties, and when you lose the top horizon, you lose what is often the most nutrient-rich layer: without it your yield goes down a lot. There's an old chestnut in soil science that the difference between soil, dirt, and dust is all relative - so what was soil to the farmers in the dust bowl became dust for everyone else.
Yep, that's the dust.
@@theresaivy7274 : And as for where it went, all over the place, including both Iowa, and human lungs.
Thank you
I want to thank this man for the fact that I enjoyed not just one, but 3 whole meals today! 😀 Anyone who says he is anything less than a HERO can kiss my ass! 😠
Fucking Amen dude! Dude saved 1 Billion people! I hate that people (who will never feel starvation) try to drag him through the mud.
Josh Glover I could not agree more.
I attended Texas A&M University home of the Norman Borlaug institute. I also work in agriculture hybrid crop research. This man's work literally created the need for our industry and has changed the life of everyone on the planet.
This is an exceptional overview of Norman Borlaug. Thank you for your objective, informative approach.
1:40 - Chapter 1 - Growing up on the farm
4:40 - Chapter 2 - When the world turned to dust
7:05 - Mid roll ads
8:25 - Chapter 3 - Perfecting some oldest crops in the world
16:40 - Chapter 4 - Savior of millions or destroyer of worlds ?
When I first saw the notification I was like "eh who again? Seems like a boring episode" Man I'm not disappointed watching this video.
great vid
Borlaug was born in my hometown of Protivin, just about 10 miles away from Cresco. Heard stories of him since I was a little girl.
This was interesting. I find myself learning about people I didn't even know about! I love it! Is Cardinal Richelieu on your list??
20:30 he knew it wasn’t perfect. Fight was never and will never be over
Another great video thanks
Please do one about Frederick II and his crusade!
Awesome story and great story telling cheers good sir!
Brilliant Simon
Please do a biography on the Right Livelihood Award or the alternative Nobel Prize. Thank you
He's a true hero here in a city south of sonora where he started his experiments. One of the more popular boulevard it's under his name. Thats a name that should be remember.
I would love to see your take on some of the more unique and inspiring jazz figures. Such as Sun Ra, Thelonious Monk, Roland Kirk, Ornette Coleman, Fela Kuti.
Thanks Team didn't know an ounce of this
I would love to see one of these on Jim Henson, Freddie Mercury, or, while I'm not sure there's enough before his badass exit for a full video, Giles Corey (maybe a bonus fact in something about the Salem witch trials? I don't know if you've already done that, man, you have so many videos xD)
There was no controversy, until much later, when revisionists, and many sadly invested in the organic aesthetic, tried to say Borlaug's advances caused populations to keep growing, when all he ever did was keep the living from starving. Regarding the U.S.'s infatuation with chic Organic is better anti-GMO elitist ideas (from celebrities who've never held a shovel) he wrote "While the affluent nations can certainly afford to adopt ultra low-risk positions, and pay more for food produced by the so-called 'organic' methods, the one billion chronically undernourished people of the low income, food-deficit nations cannot." He understood the trade-offs, where billions more acres would have to be turned into farmland (i.e. bulldozing forests), if highly productive modern practices were abandoned. He saw the world's population growth as the deal breaker, for ever ending hunger, and political solutions as the only way to avert catastrophic consequences - and this before we'd grasped the extent of climate change.
Any chance you could do one on Shostakovich? Super interesting person.
It is very hard to level any criticism against Borlaug.
The natural fertilization issue should be a solvable problem. Is it possible to process waste from water born critters or sea life?
Absolutely. You can even use the wastewater from raising fish to irrigate and fertilize crops.
I first heard of Borlaug many years ago. Now it's impossible to quantify things that might have happened, but it seems likely that he prevented more deaths than any person in human history. The other problems that followed are real, but not as severe as mass starvation. I read somewhere that since the mid-80s there has never been a famine that didn't have some external cause, ie. war or in North Korea's case, political isolation.
Also, I have a suggestion for a video - I can't recall his name, but in the late 19th century, an American doctor and his wife both contracted yellow fever and survived. Since you can only get it once, this meant he could serve in the tropics without fear of the disease. His methods reduced the prevalence of yellow fever and other diseases to the point where the Panama Canal could finally be completed.
The best way to judge a person's success is to count the number of lives they have saved.
They're implying the soil is more important than the people it feeds.
Ridiculous.
This is why you don't argue with fools!
Wait yo!!?? What's half the video? All I'm seeing is "were trying to deny them these things." It's there something wrong with TH-cam or something they're blocking? Say the images of the success of Norman Borlaug's approach to modern agriculture
You guys should make one about Der Metzgermeister
International harvest cycles...
I learned something new. Thanks.
This is a great TH-cam educational tutorial of a large array of topics. You guys should consider doing a biographics on Tony Robbins. It doesn't matter if you think it a bullcrap or if it is helpful. Tony Robbins is Polarizing
Why the school does not even teach about him, he is an inspiration, a man vs. the world.
He saved hundreds of millions from starvation! That’s amazing! We also need to think about the future of the earths resources though and realize that this was a great plan for the past and still the present. We need to consider our future and equal distribution of resources and not continue to do only the large production of single crops. Gardens are a great way to help
I'd love to see another pirate on the show
id kill to see one of these about johnny cash
During your speech on your advertising. U say its a new year expand ur knowledge that little bit everyday. I do i watch your vids. Lol they are brilliant x
Would you be doing a bio on the Margaret Thatcher?
why not...she killed a lot of people too!
Simon is slowly turning into Walter White.
I think Borlaug's case for being the most important person of the 20th century is stronger than almost anyone else. We got a movie this year about someone who Chris Nolan thought was the most important person in history, but, respectfully, Oppenheimer has nothing on this man.
Dust Bowl was in a section of the Great Plains. The Great Plains are much west of the Midwest.
I would agree with you but nearly everyone in the eastern side of the Great Plains claim to be in the Midwest and the western side of the Great Plains are Nearly all mountains and not plains
It wasn't until the dust reached the desks of the halls of power in the Capital that any action started to take place. When the first thing that you have to do to be able to read your agenda for the day, is to remove the layer of dirt on it, it makes it easier to prioritize your decisions.
I also had this same thought, but I was afraid of sounding pedantic.
No child should go hungry because of politics.