Football fans get chance to view trophy, support American Red Cross and win tickets to Nov. 28 matchup between Hawkeyes-Cornhuskers

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (Oct. 24, 2014) – When the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Nebraska Cornhuskers meet in Kinnick Stadium on Nov. 28 for the fourth annual Hy-Vee Heroes Game, there will be more than Big Ten Conference bragging rights at stake.

Along with honoring local heroes and helping raise funds to­ benefit the American Red Cross, the game will determine which team gets to take home the coveted Heroes Trophy, which currently resides in Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City following last year`s 38-17 Iowa victory.

In anticipation of the 2014 rematch, Hy-Vee stores in Iowa and Nebraska are hosting a Heroes Game Replica Trophy Tour from Saturday through Nov. 22. A replica of the Heroes Game Trophy will be on display in 29 different Hy-Vee stores, where customers will have the opportunity to register to win tickets to the game and other prizes. Volunteers with the American Red Cross will assist with transporting the trophy from one stop to the next along the tour route.

"The Iowa-Nebraska football game is a great sports rivalry, and we wanted to give football fans in both states a chance to be part of the excitement," said Darin Hirl, director of event marketing for Hy-Vee. "When the trophy stops in their area, customers can come by to view it, register to win tickets to the game and support the Red Cross, all while supporting their favorite teams."

Again this year, Hy-Vee and the two universities will use the national stage created by the Heroes Game to salute individuals and organizations for acts of heroism in their communities. One citizen-hero from each state will be invited to attend the game as a special guest of the teams, receive on-field recognition and have his or her name inscribed on the game trophy.

Following is the itinerary for the 2014 Heroes Game Replica Trophy Tour:

Oct. 25                  Hy-Vee, 5020 N. 27th St.                            Lincoln, Neb.

Oct. 26                  Hy-Vee, 6001 Village Drive                          Lincoln, Neb.

Oct. 27                  Hy-Vee, 16418 Westside Drive                   Plattsmouth, Neb.

Oct. 28                  Hy-Vee, 8809 W. Center Road                    Omaha, Neb.

Oct. 29                  Hy-Vee, 10808 Fort St.                                Omaha, Neb.

Oct. 30                  Hy-Vee, 747 N. 132nd St.                              Omaha, Neb.

Oct. 31                  Hy-Vee, 2827 Hamilton Blvd.                       Sioux City, Iowa

Nov. 1                   Hy-Vee, 1300 N. Second St.                         Cherokee, Iowa

Nov. 2                   Hy-Vee, 611 10th Ave. N.                             Humboldt, Iowa

Nov. 3                   Hy-Vee, 1111 Eighth St.                                Boone, Iowa

Nov. 4                   Hy-Vee, 2510 SW State St.                           Ankeny, Iowa

Nov. 5                   Hy-Vee, 1005 E. Hickman Road                   Waukee, Iowa

Nov. 6                   Hy-Vee, 1700 Valley West Drive                West Des Moines, Iowa

Nov. 7                   Hy-Vee, 1725 Jordan Creek Parkway       West Des Moines, Iowa

Nov. 8                   Hy-Vee, 510 W. McLane St.                         Osceola, Iowa

Nov. 9                   Hy-Vee, 609 N. 18th St.                                Centerville, Iowa

Nov. 10                 Hy-Vee, 1025 N. Quincy Ave.                      Ottumwa, Iowa

Nov. 11                 Hy-Vee, 1700 E. Washington St.                 Mount Pleasant, Iowa

Nov. 12                 Hy-Vee, 528 Highway 1 S.                             Washington, Iowa

Nov. 13                 Hy-Vee, 2400 Second Ave.                           Muscatine, Iowa

Nov. 14                 Hy-Vee, 3019 Rockingham Road                Davenport, Iowa

Nov. 15                 Hy-Vee, 1823 E. Kimberly Road                  Davenport, Iowa

Nov. 16                 Hy-Vee, 2395 NW Arterial                       Dubuque, Iowa

Nov. 17                 Hy-Vee, 3600 Business Hwy 151 E.            Marion, Iowa

Nov. 18                 Hy-Vee, 3235 Oakland Road NE                 Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Nov. 19                 Hy-Vee, 1201 N. Dodge St.                           Iowa City, Iowa

Nov. 20                 Hy-Vee, 1914 Eighth St.                            Coralville, Iowa

Nov. 21                 Hy-Vee, 812 S. First Ave.                           Iowa City, Iowa

Nov. 22                 Hy-Vee, 1720 Waterfront Drive                 Iowa City, Iowa

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MOLINE, Ill. (October 23, 2014) - The Quad City Mallards have acquired rookie forward Pearce Eviston from the Idaho Steelheads in exchange for future considerations, the Mallards announced today.

Eviston, 21, missed last season as a precaution while recuperating from a hip injury.  In 2012-13 he scored 12 goals and totaled 32 points in 50 British Columbia Hockey League games.  The 6' 1", 192-pound Vancouver native split his final junior campaign between the Vernon Vipers and Victoria Grizzlies.

"Pearce is a skilled player who skates well and shoots well," said Mallards coach and general manager Terry Ruskowski.  "Before his injury National Hockey League Central Scouting ranked him highly, so if they think that well of him we can certainly give him a chance.  He's a young player we expect big things from."

Eviston played parts of two seasons with the major junior Western Hockey League's Portland Winterhawks.  He scored once in 18 games with the Winterhawks in 2011-12.  Eviston suited up twice for Portland in 2010-11 but spent the bulk of that campaign in the BCHL with Victoria, for whom he scored 18 times and produced 38 points in 44 games.

Eviston got his first taste of junior hockey in 2009-10 when he skated in three games for Victoria and played 13 times for the BCHL's Alberni Valley Bulldogs.

The Mallards further announced today that they have moved forward Antti Pusa to the team's reserve list.

MOLINE, Ill. (October 27, 2014) - The Quad City Mallards have acquired rookie forward Logan Nelson from the Rapid City Rush in exchange for future considerations, the Mallards announced today.

Nelson, a 21-year old rookie, had not yet played for the Rush this season.  Last year the Rogers, Minnesota, native scored 23 goals and totaled 31 points in 59 games with the Western Hockey League's Victoria Royals. 

"Looking at our roster and at how we played over the weekend, we have a lot of pretty good young players up front but we also have room to improve," said Mallards coach and general manager Terry Ruskowski.  "Logan has good size and skates well.  He put up good numbers in major junior and that's impressive in a league that sends a lot of players straight to the AHL and the NHL, so he's a good candidate to be a strong player for us."

2014 Farm Bill's APH Yield Exclusion to be Implemented for 2015 Spring Crops

WASHINGTON, Oct. 21, 2014 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the implementation of a new Farm Bill initiative that will provide relief to farmers affected by severe weather, including drought. The Actual Production History (APH) Yield Exclusion, available nationwide for farmers of select crops starting next spring, allows eligible producers who have been hit with severe weather to receive a higher approved yield on their insurance policies through the federal crop insurance program.

Spring crops eligible for APH Yield Exclusion include corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, grain sorghum, rice, barley, canola, sunflowers, peanuts, and popcorn. Nearly three-fourths of all acres and liability in the federal crop insurance program will be covered under APH Yield Exclusion.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Risk Management Agency and Farm Service Agency staff worked hard to implement several 2014 Farm Bill programs ahead of schedule, such as the Agricultural Risk Coverage, the Price Loss Coverage, Supplemental Coverage Option and Stacked Income Protection Plan. USDA is now able to leverage data from the Agricultural Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage to extract the information needed to implement APH Yield Exclusion earlier than expected.

"Key programs launched or extended as part of the 2014 Farm Bill are essential to USDA's commitment to help rural communities grow. These efforts give farmers, ranchers and their families better security as they work to ensure Americans have safe and affordable food," said Vilsack. "By getting other 2014 Farm Bill programs implemented efficiently, we are now able to offer yield exclusion for Spring 2015 crops, providing relief to farmers impacted by severe weather."

The APH Yield Exclusion allows farmers to exclude yields in exceptionally bad years (such as a year in which a natural disaster or other extreme weather occurs) from their production history when calculating yields used to establish their crop insurance coverage. The level of insurance coverage available to a farmer is based on the farmer's average recent yields. In the past, a year of particularly low yields that occurred due to severe weather beyond the farmer's control would reduce the level of insurance coverage available to the farmer in future years. By excluding unusually bad years, farmers will not have to worry that a natural disaster will reduce their insurance coverage for years to come.

Under the new Farm Bill program, yields can be excluded from farm actual production history when the county average yield for that crop year is at least 50 percent below the 10 previous consecutive crop years' average yield.

RMA will provide additional program details in December 2014.

Federal crop insurance, which is sold through private crop insurance agents, offers a variety of options that may impact coverage and premium costs. Producers are encouraged to work with their crop insurance agent to determine the coverage that best meets their risk management needs. Farmers can find a crop insurance agent in their area at: www.rma.usda.gov/tools/agent.html.

Today's announcement was made possible by the 2014 Farm Bill. The 2014 Farm Bill builds on historic economic gains in rural America over the past five years, while achieving meaningful reform and billions of dollars in savings for taxpayers. Since enactment, USDA has made significant progress to implement each provision of this critical legislation, including providing disaster relief to farmers and ranchers; strengthening risk management tools; expanding access to rural credit; funding critical research; establishing innovative public-private conservation partnerships; developing new markets for rural-made products; and investing in infrastructure, housing and community facilities to help improve quality of life in rural America. For more information, visit www.usda.gov/farmbill.

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