Farmers and football- two words Iowa prides itself for.

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The two will be coming together on Saturday at Kinnick Stadium as the Iowa Hawkeyes take on the University of Michigan at 11 am.

During the 1985 Rose Bowl, the Iowa Hawkeyes showed their support for those affected by the 1980s Farm Crisis with a gold ANF decal. Today, you can still see the ANF- or America Needs Farmers- decal displayed proudly on the players’ helmets.

The Farm Crisis claimed 20,000 farms from Iowa, ending generations of farm legacies for many families. Hayden Fry, who was the head coach of the Hawkeyes at the time, saw the impact the crisis was having on his players and the fans. He put the ANF symbol on the team’s helmet to help bring attention to what was going on in the country.

Before Saturday’s game, fans will have the opportunity to visit the ANF Legends Tent in Krause Family Plaza to play tailgating games with farmers for the chance to win ANF/Hawkeye prizes.

While at the tent, fans will also have the opportunity to get autographs from the newest ANF Wall of Honoree and former NFL star and Iowa great, Tony Moeaki.

Orange Bowl - Iowa v Georgia Tech
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While Moeaki himself didn’t grow up in agriculture, his roots run deep in the industry. Moeaki’s grandfather was a farmer in Tonga raising livestock, fish, and grain. Through farming, his family was able to feed themselves, and the community, and generate savings that allowed his family to eventually move to the United States.

Moeaki is the tenth recipient of the ANF Wall of Honor.

Previous ANF Wall of Honor recipients includes Casey Wiegman (2012), Jared DeVries (2013), Bruce Nelson (2014), Robert Gallery (2015), Dallas Clark (2016), Chad Greenway (2017), Aaron Kampman (2018), Matt Kroul (2019) and Marshal Yanda (2021).

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