Policymakers, agriculture lenders, agriculture suppliers and producers all grow nervous when commodity prices, land values and input cost become volatile. Add in prevented and late planting this spring with drought conditions for good measure and you have plenty of excitement to manage for the 2014 farming year. Managing increased cost and decreasing margins is an area where today's producer turns to their lender, input supplier, Extension, neighbor, and other agricultural business professionals for advice.

To gather the research based information you need to advise clients and make crucial agricultural decisions, register to attend Iowa State University Extension's 2013 Pro-Ag Outlook workshop at the Cedar County Extension Office on Thursday, November 7th. Registration begins at 3:45 PM. Dr. Chad Hart, ISU Extension Grain Marketing Specialist, will be discussing the supply and demand situation for grains. Another workshop speaker will be Lee Schultz, ISU Extension Livestock Marketing specialist. Lee will review the profit potential and survival techniques in the livestock sector. Ryan Drollette, Extension Farm Management Specialist will give an update of the Land Tenure Survey and other farm management topics. The new CSR2 land quality ratings will be discussed by Jim Jensen, Extension Farm Management Specialist.

This workshop will prepare participants to make those important production decisions this winter. Advance registration is recommended by calling the Johnson County Extension Office at 319-337-2145. Registration includes workshop materials, breaks and a meal. Registration starts at 3:45 PM, and the meeting concludes about 8:30 PM.

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44th Annual Celebration of Pioneer Bridge Builders

On October 12^th & 13^th, 2013 the 44^th Anniversary of the Madison County Covered Bridge Festival will be celebrated in Winterset, Iowa, with the theme "The Bridges are Calling".

"The Festival will take place in Winterset, Iowa, during the season when the wooded hills are ablaze with color! Designed to give visitors a glimpse of life in Madison County before the turn of the 20^th century, the setting of the Festival and the bridges throughout the county are an artist's paradise and a camera bug's heaven!" (Quoting from the first Covered Bridge Festival brochure in 1970)

What was true forty-four years ago, in 1970, is still true today! Our six 130+year-old covered bridges are one of the main attractions and centerpieces of the Covered Bridge Festival. Guided bus-tours sponsored by the Winterset Rotarians are offered throughout the weekend, with stops at a few of the bridges. Many Tour Directors bring groups to Madison County all year-long to experience a "Storybook Tour", which is packed full of history lessons about the making of the movie "Bridges of Madison County", filmed in 1994.

You will also find live demonstrations featuring the following sheep shearing; glass jewelry making, woodcarving, as well as a cannon demonstration, pony rides and competitions such as an "Old Fashioned Spelling Bee" at the Festival. Along with wonderful artisan booths, local storytellers embody famous persons who relate tales of early Iowa history -- like Susan B. Anthony and 'Uncle' Henry Wallace, two well-known men who each called Winterset 'home', Scavenger hunts and other old-fashioned games, Other activities not to be missed will include penny candy sales, a civil war battle, blacksmith shop demonstrations, old-fashioned one-room-school lessons, and horse-drawn wagon rides - all taking place at the Madison County Historical Complex.

Sunday events not to be missed include the 28^th Annual Madison County Car Show put on by the Central Iowa Car Club, as well as the historically anticipated Covered Bridge Festival Parade, organized by the Winterset Lions Club. Please note that this year's car show location has changed and will now take place at Washington Street and South 2^nd Avenue.

A collectable coin is struck each year commemorating a local historic structure. This year the Roseman Bridge - Madison County's most famous and beloved covered bridge - is featured in a commemorative fashion. Coins are available for purchase at the Chamber of Commerce office and at the Festival for $6 each.

The two-day festival hours are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, October 12^th & 13^th, 2013. There will be a festival grounds admission fee of $2 each day (children 11 & under being free). Parking is free with shuttle services to outlying lots and various other Festival venues.

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For more information or to schedule an interview, please call the Madison County Chamber of Commerce at 515-462-1185 or visit the website: www.madisoncounty.com to find maps and photos of the Festival. The mailing address is 73 Jefferson, Winterset, IA 50273.

The world-famous Madison County Covered Bridge Festival is held on October's second full weekend annually.

MOLINE, Ill. (September 25, 2013) - The Quad City Mallards today announced their 2013-14 promotional schedule, a slate headlined by the return of $1 Beer/$1 Dog Fridays presented by 97X and MetroLINK, a pair
of Genesis game worn jersey auctions, the introduction of Winning Wednesdays presented by T.G.I. Friday's, a Terry Ruskowski bobblehead giveaway and a special appearance by Duck Dynasty's Mountain Man.  The Mallards, in conjunction with the iWireless Center, today further announced the introduction of an array of iWireless Center concession offerings new for the 2013-14 season detailed in the attached document.

Each of the Mallards' 11 Friday night home games will again this season be $1 Beer/$1 Dog Fridays presented by 97X and MetroLINK.  The return of this popular promotion provides fans with the chance to purchase $1 beer and $1 hot dogs during each of those Friday evening contests, starting with the Mallards' November 1 match-up with the St. Charles Chill.

Winning Wednesdays presented by T.G.I. Friday's will no doubt also prove exceedingly popular.  If the Mallards win a Wednesday night home game, all fans attending that contest will receive a free ticket to the next Wednesday home game.  Another Wednesday victory in succession would mean all in attendance again win free tickets for yet another Wednesday tilt.  It would be possible, if the Mallards were to go 7-0 at home on Wednesdays, for fans who attended the first of the seven Wednesday contests- January 8 against the Brampton Beast- to receive free tickets for each of the following six.

Fans will also have the opportunity to purchase $2 hot dogs and beer during each of those Wednesday evening games.  After each Wednesday game, fans are encouraged to join the Mallards for a post-game party at T.G.I. Friday's adjacent to the iWireless Center.

The Mallards once again will team with Genesis Health System for a pair of game worn jersey auctions to benefit the Genesis Health Services Foundation.  On Saturday, January 11, the Mallards will celebrate their affiliation with the National Hockey League's Minnesota Wild by wearing special limited addition jerseys modeled on those worn by the Wild in the Mallards' meeting with the Arizona Sundogs.  Those one-of-a-kind jerseys will go up for bid in a live auction immediately following that game.  A second game-worn jersey auction will follow on March 8 when the Mallards again host Arizona.  Auction winners will not be the only fans leaving the iWireless Center with Mallards jerseys after those two games.  The first 1,000 fans 12 and under to arrive on January 11 will receive free Mallards youth replica jerseys courtesy of the Scott County Family Y and Two Rivers YMCA.  The first 1,000 children 12 and under through the gates on March 8 will also receive free youth replica jerseys.

Bobblehead Night, a traditional Mallard favorite, returns when the Mallards tussle with the Rapid City Rush on Saturday, February 15.  The first 1,000 fans through the doors for that game will receive free Terry Ruskowski bobbleheads.  Ruskowski, who is entering his second season as the Mallards' coach, is not only one of the winningest bench bosses in Central Hockey League history but also skated in 999 career games while captaining four teams- including the Chicago Blackhawks- over a 15-year playing career in the NHL and World Hockey Association.

One duck dynasty will collide with another when, courtesy of Genesis Health System, Mountain Man- otherwise known as Tim Guraedy- of A&E's hugely popular reality series Duck Dynasty, comes to the Quad Cities for the Mallards' battle with the Beast on Saturday, March 1.

The Mallards will also host a series of promotions to benefit those in need.  On Saturday, November 2, when the Mallards take on Brampton, the club will partner with Operation Christmas Child.  Fans who bring new school supplies, children's clothing, small toys and wrapped hard candy to that game will receive a discount on their tickets.  The items donated will be distributed by Operation Christmas Child to children in need around the world.

The Mallards will recognize those who have served in the armed forces with Military Appreciation Night when the team plays its last home game before Veterans' Day on Saturday, November 9 against the Denver Cutthroats.  All current and former members of the military and their families will be able to purchase tickets to that game for just $5.

One of hockey's unique traditions, the Teddy Bear Toss, will make its annual return to the iWireless Center on Saturday, November 30 when the Mallards do battle with the Tulsa Oilers.  Fans are encouraged to bring new, unwrapped stuffed animals to that game and throw them on the ice immediately after the Mallards' first goal.  Those teddy bears will then be donated to children in need in the Quad Cities area just in time for the holidays.

The Mallards will again join in the spirit of the holiday season by accepting Toys for Tots donations at their games against Brampton on Saturday, December 7 and Sunday, December 8.  Fans will receive $3 off a ticket to either of those games for each new toy they donate at the iWireless Center.

Two weeks later, the Mallards will team with Great Clips to benefit the Ronald McDonald House of Western Illinois and Eastern Iowa.  Great Clips stylists will provide haircuts for fans attending the Saturday, December 21 match-up between the Mallards and Chill throughout that game.  All proceeds from the cost of those haircuts will be donated to the Ronald McDonald House.  Also on December 21, the Mallards will help fans prepare for the onset of winter by giving away Mallards knit caps to the first 1,000 patrons to enter the iWireless Center.

On Saturday, March 1, Cobham Mission Systems will present Blades For Grades when the Mallards square off with Brampton.  Local elementary and middle school honor roll students will be rewarded for their achievements by receiving free tickets to that game courtesy of Cobham Mission Systems.

The Mallards will conclude the campaign on a high.  The second to last home date of the regular season- Saturday, March 22- is John Deere Community Night.  Courtesy of John Deere, fans will be able to purchase tickets to the Mallards' clash with the Missouri Mavericks at a significant discount.  On Sunday, March 30, the Mallards will close out the season- again against Missouri- by offering their thanks to the fans of the Quad Cities on Fan Appreciation Night.   The March 30 game, like the Mallards' other Sunday game- December 8 against Brampton- will also see all fans in attendance receive a voucher good for a free bag of popcorn.

Further promotions for the 2013-14 season will be announced in the weeks to come; the promotional schedule is subject to change.

The Mallards will open their seventeenth season- and their fourth in the CHL- when they host the Rapid City Rush on Saturday night, October 19.  Mallards 2013-14 season tickets as well as half season tickets and flex packs are now on sale.  The Mallards offer ticket packages to meet any budget and season ticket holders also receive a host of additional benefits, including a unique season ticket holder Mallards jersey.  More ticket package information is available by calling the Mallards at 309-277-1364 or emailing info@myqcmallards.com.

About the Quad City Mallards
A proud affiliate of the National Hockey League's Minnesota Wild and the American Hockey League's Iowa Wild, the Quad City Mallards are approaching their seventeenth season and their fourth in the Central Hockey League.  One of the winningest teams in all of minor league hockey, the Mallards competed in the United Hockey League from 1995 through 2007 and in the International Hockey League in 2009-10.  The Mallards' proud history has seen them capture the UHL's Colonial Cup Championship three times (1997, 1998, 2001) and secure that league's Tarry Cup four times (1998, 2000, 2001, 2002) for the best overall regular season record.  In 2001, the Mallards made professional hockey history, recording their sixth consecutive season with 50 or more wins, a feat that has yet to be matched.  The i wireless Center provides a unique environment for hockey and features one-of-a-kind seating areas such as the Nest for groups and functions and the exclusive Drake Club.  For more information on the Quad City Mallards or for Mallards tickets go to www.myqcmallards.com.  Fans can also follow the Mallards via Twitter at twitter.com/myqcmallards and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/quadcitymallards. 

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