Quad Cities, USA: The Salvation Army is desperately seeking enough toys to save Christmas for thousands of less fortunate children in the Quad Cities. The 2013 Angel Tree Toy Drive ends in just 5 days on Sunday, December 15^th! Only a small fraction of the toys needed have been collected.

Major Gary Felton, Quad Cities Coordinator for The Salvation Army, states that "We have been very nervous the past two weeks. With Thanksgiving so late this year, we have a smaller window of opportunity to collect toys. Close to 1,600 families are depending on us. Every child in our community should wake up Christmas morning to a new toy. This final week's hard work will hopefully be enough so we can let children know they are special on Christmas morning!"

FILL THE TRUCK, sponsored by Wal-Mart, will be held on Friday, December 13^th and Saturday, December 14^th at all four Quad City area Wal-Marts. The event's hours are 12nn - 6pm both days. WalMart will also accept the unwrapped toys at the customer service desks during all store hours through Tuesday, December 17th.

ANGEL TREE Toy Collection Trees are located at NorthPark Mall (JCPenney Court) and SouthPark Mall (Younkers Court) and ends December 15^th. Times are 11am - 8pm daily, and 12pm -- 5pm on Sunday.

Last year, thousands of toys were displayed at The Salvation Army's Toy Shop on the Christmas Assistance distribution days. Any way you can get help or get involved will make your own Christmas even brighter. If you are interested in volunteering at Fill the Truck or Toy Shop Escorting, please go to www.ringbells.org for easy sign-up or call Patty Mixdorf at 563-570-2072.

Mallards players will ring bells to solicit donations for the annual kettle drive from 12:00 to 6:00 p.m. tomorrow. Walgreen's is located at 1600 West Locust.

"We are very happy to have the chance to take part in a campaign that has such a positive impact on so many during the holiday season," said Mallards president Bob McNamara. "The Salvation Army plays such a vital role in assisting those in need in the Quad Cities area and we are glad to have the opportunity to work together with them."

The Salvation Army Red Kettles have been an American tradition since 1891, helping raise financial support for critical Salvation Army programs and services year round. Over the years, the Red Kettle Campaign has grown into one of the most recognizable and important charitable campaigns in the United States - providing toys for kids, coats for the homeless, food for the hungry and countless social service programs year-round.

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 in the midst of 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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Press reports indicate any farm bill extension is a non-starter in the Senate

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dave Loebsack today reiterated his call to keep the House in session until its work on many important issues, including a new, long-term farm bill, is completed. There have been recent press reports which indicate the Senate would not consider, let alone be able to pass a short farm bill extension. This situation necessitates the need for the House to remain in session and ready to work on a comprehensive farm bill.

"I don't want to be accused of being the Grinch who wants to steal Christmas, but passing a farm bill is too important for the House to pack up and go home early for the Holidays. We must stay and complete all of the work that the American people are demanding get done and if that means staying through Christmas, I am ready and willing to do just that. There is simply too much to finish in the three remaining days that the House is scheduled to be in session," said Loebsack.

ST. LOUIS (December 10, 2013) - The U.S. soy industry has done it again, exporting an eye-popping 1.7 billion bushels of U.S. soy to customers around the world in the 2012-13 marketing year, which ended Sept. 30. The value of these exports comes to a record of more than $28 billion, a 19 percent increase from 2011-2012.

The final figures show farmers continue to meet customer demand for a reliable supply of quality products. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, this total includes more than 1.3 billion bushels of whole U.S. soybeans, meal from 454 million bushels of U.S. soybeans and oil from 186 million bushels, which represents 56 percent of U.S. soybean production from last year.

"The reliability and quality of the U.S. soy supply are just a few reasons that customers keep buying U.S. soybeans, meal and oil," says Jared Hagert, soybean farmer from Emerado, N.D., and United Soybean Board (USB) farmer-leader. "Continuing to meet our customers' needs is very important to U.S. soybean farmers, and these numbers prove we are doing that."

Soy exports for the 2013-2014 marketing year are off to a good start with 87 percent of the total 2014 export forecasts already sold.

Top buyers of whole U.S. soybeans in 2013 include :

• China: 772 million bushels of U.S. soybeans
• Mexico: 98 million bushels of U.S. soybeans
• Japan: 63 million bushels of U.S. soybeans

Top buyers of U.S. soybean meal in 2013 include :

• Mexico: meal from 59 million bushels of U.S. soybeans
• Philippines: meal from 47 million bushels of U.S. soybeans
• Canada: meal from 43 million bushels of U.S. soybeans

Top buyers of U.S. soybean oil in 2013 include :

• China: oil from 37 million bushels of U.S. soybeans
• Mexico: oil from 35 million bushels of U.S. soybeans
• India: oil from 21 million bushels of U.S. soybeans

The 70 farmer-directors of USB oversee the investments of the soy checkoff to maximize profit opportunities for all U.S. soybean farmers. These volunteers invest and leverage checkoff funds to increase the value of U.S. soy meal and oil, to ensure U.S. soybean farmers and their customers have the freedom and infrastructure to operate, and to meet the needs of U.S. soy's customers. As stipulated in the federal Soybean Promotion, Research and Consumer Information Act, the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service has oversight responsibilities for USB and the soy checkoff.

For more information on the United Soybean Board, visit www.unitedsoybean.org
Visit us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/UnitedSoybeanBoard
Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/unitedsoy
View our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/user/UnitedSoybeanBoard

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