Former Hawkeye standout and NFL star Micah Hyde to meet fans in ANF Legends Tent 

Iowa Farm Bureau and the University of Iowa Athletic Department will celebrate America’s farmers at the 14th annual America Needs Farmers (ANF) Game Day, Saturday, Oct. 18 at Kinnick Stadium.  The highly anticipated game against Penn State kicks off at 6:00 p.m.  

As part of the annual celebration recognizing the significance of Iowa agriculture, fans will have the opportunity to interact with farmers at the ANF Legends Tent in Krause Family Plaza and play tailgate games from noon to 5:00 p.m. for a chance to win exclusive ANF/Hawkeye prizes.  

Fan prizes include 40th anniversary ANF t-shirts, oversized ANF logo chains, ANF sunglasses, bags, koozies, poncho balls, sticker sheets and more, while learning how Iowa agriculture plays a major role in our daily lives.  Fans will also have an opportunity to get autographs from the newest ANF Wall of Honoree, Micah Hyde, Chuck Long, Pat Angerer and more to be announced.           

“The annual ANF game and tailgate activities provide a great opportunity for fans to interact with Iowa farmers and learn about the diversity and innovation of agriculture today, while celebrating the importance of agriculture to our state and nation,” said Iowa Farm Bureau President Brent Johnson.  “This year we celebrate 40 years of ANF, and we know that farmers are just as important now as ever before, and the ANF game presents a great opportunity for fans to interact and get answers to questions about farming today from local farm families.” 

The ANF Wall of Honor salutes past University of Iowa football players who exemplify the tenacity, work ethic and character of the Iowa farmer, and former Hawkeye standout and NFL star, Micah Hyde, becomes the 13th member of the prestigious group.

A former All-Big Ten defensive back for the Hawkeyes, Hyde credits his on-field success to a solid work ethic and lessons learned from years working on a family friend’s farm growing up in Ohio. Hyde’s dedication and strong work ethic helped fuel his successful 11-year NFL career while earning several awards and recognitions.  

Growing up in a small town, hardworking community, I learned firsthand the value of hard work,” says Hyde.  “When working with youth, I try to teach those lessons I learned while instilling the value of hard work to the next generation.” 

Previous ANF Wall of Honor recipients include Casey Wiegmann (2012), Jared DeVries (2013), Bruce Nelson (2014), Robert Gallery (2015), Dallas Clark (2016), Chad Greenway (2017), Aaron Kampman (2018), Matt Kroul (2019), Marshal Yanda (2021), Tony Moeaki (2022), Bryan Bulaga (2023) and Brandon Myers (2024).     

A gold ANF decal was placed on players’ helmets during the Hawkeyes’ 1985 Rose Bowl season by head coach Hayden Fry to show support for farmers during the 1980’s Farm Crisis. The Hawkeye helmets still have the special decal on them today.  ANF serves as a longstanding tribute to America’s farmers, and IFBF and the University of Iowa are excited to help connect Iowa’s farm families to consumers to learn more about the production of food, fuel and fiber and the farm families raising it.

To celebrate 40 years of ANF, Iowa Farm Bureau has partnered with ‘Iowa Nice Guy’ Scott Siepker for a video series revealing 40 surprising ways agriculture touches our daily lives as we approach the 2025 ANF Game Day.   Fans can show their ANF and Hawkeye pride by purchasing ANF merchandise during game day in shops around the stadium with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Iowa Food Bank Association. For more information about ANF and Game Day activities, visit www.americaneedsfarmers.org.