America’s breadbasket straddles the Missouri River, with Iowa on the eastern slope and Kansas burying a knee in its back from the southwest. The river’s thick, muddy waters and countless tributaries irrigate the world’s most fertile farmland. In Iowa, that means corn, hogs and even turkeys. In Kansas, that’s winter wheat, sorghum and cattle.
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Agriculture dictates business in both states, and their land-grant institutions are among the nation’s best at cultivating the next crop of farmers. It has led Iowa State and Kansas State to forge close ties, and that cooperation spills over to competition in athletics. It also helped launch one of the greatest rivalry nicknames in sports.
Once considered
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