America Needs Farmers

By Matt Woolfolk

Those of you that know me at all have figured out by now that the cattle business and following college football are the closest things I have to hobbies. I found an interesting story this week that intertwines the two and I thought it would be neat to share.

The University of Iowa Hawkeyes are known for their traditional black and yellow uniforms. In an era of football where teams seem to change their uniforms for every game, Iowa is always easy to identify on television. On their helmet, just above the Hawkeye logo, is a small yellow sticker with the letters “ANF”.  The story behind the sticker is fascinating. It traces back to 1985, when then Iowa head Coach Hayden Fry decided to show support to the fans who were so supportive of his winning Hawkeye squads. Here’s an excerpt on the origin of the ANF sticker:

“Hayden Fry, the head football coach at the University of Iowa at that time, knew the Farm Crisis touched many of his players and most of the fans. He was rebuilding the Hawkeye football legacy and wanted to show the nation that the strength of his team could also be measured in their character; he put a small decal on the player’s helmets – ANF – America Needs Farmers.

Before the Farm Crisis hit in 1985, Iowa was home to 121,000 family farms. Nearly 20,000 went under by the time it ended. Never one to accept defeat, Fry quietly went to work on another game plan to raise awareness of farmers who were struggling. He developed a simple but powerful message to support Iowa farmers; a message that would be delivered on a national stage by his winning team.”

To this day, you can still find the ANF sticker on the Iowa helmet. I really enjoyed finding this story of an influential non-agriculture figure, in a farming state showing support for those who were struggling to make ends meet while producing the food and fiber this country needed. Many schools across the country have large portions of their fan bases that are proud alumni involved in agriculture. It would be cool to see similar signs of support across the college football landscape!

Today, the Iowa Farm Bureau and Hawkeye athletics have partnered to turn the simple ANF sticker into a program to raise awareness for agriculture and its importance. If you want to learn more about the program, the website for America Needs Farmers is www.programs.iowafarmbureau.com/anf. I don’t know about you, but the next time I see the Iowa Hawkeyes playing on television, I’m going to take the time to watch and support them, as they show support for our industry.