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Corn, Iowa Football Still Cozy Despite Trophy Flap

Sports

August 24th, 2011 by Jim Field

     IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – The corn-themed trophy for the annual Iowa-Iowa State football game is history.  But fans will still see and hear more farming advertising than ever under agreements between two agricultural groups and the two schools.  The Iowa Corn Growers Association will run ads during all 12 radio broadcasts of Iowa games this fall and it is sponsoring Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz’s weekly television show. It will advertise in game-day programs, and get similar publicity through Iowa State.  The Iowa Farm Bureau has signed a five-year agreement with Iowa and plans to sell Iowa-grown food products at Iowa State games this fall.  Some fans are questioning the agreements after the corn growers group helped design the trophy that was scrapped Tuesday after critics said it didn’t have enough to do with football.