Farm Aid
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| Farm Aid | |
|---|---|
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| LocationTemplate:Pluralize from text | United States |
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Founders | Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Neil Young |
| Website | No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata. |
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Farm Aid is a benefit concert held nearly every year since 1985 for American farmers.
History
On July 13, 1985, before performing "When The Ship Comes In" with Keith Richards and Ron Wood at the Live Aid benefit concert for the 1983–1985 Ethiopian famine, Bob Dylan remarked about family farmers within the United States in danger of losing their farms through mortgage debt, saying to the worldwide audience exceeding one billion people, "I hope that some of the money ... maybe they can just take a little bit of it, maybe ... one or two million, maybe ... and use it, say, to pay the mortgages on some of the farms and, the farmers here, owe to the banks." He is often misquoted,[citation needed] as on Farm Aid's official website, as saying "Wouldn't it be great if we did something for our own farmers right here in America?"
Although his comments were heavily criticised, they inspired fellow musicians Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Neil Young to organize the Farm Aid benefit concert to raise money for and help family farmers in the United States. The first concert was held on September 22, 1985, at the Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois, before a crowd of 80,000 people.[1] Performers included Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, B.B. King, Loretta Lynn, Roy Orbison, and Tom Petty, among others,[2] and raised over $9 million for U.S. family farmers.[3]
In 2022, Farm Aid sought national recognition for the effort to encourage Americans to buy domestic beef.[4]
Structure
Willie and the other founders had originally thought that they could have one concert and the problem would be solved, but they admitted that the challenges facing family farmers were more complex than anyone realized.[5] As a result, decades after the first show, Farm Aid, under the direction of Carolyn Mugar, has been working to increase awareness of the importance of family farms, and puts on an annual concert of country, blues and rock music with a variety of music artists. The board of directors includes Nelson, Mellencamp, Young, and Dave Matthews, as well as David Anderson, Joel Katz, Lana Nelson, Mark Rothbaum, and Evelyn Shriver.[6] On April 8, 2021, it was announced that Annie Nelson and Margo Price joined as board members.[7] Board member Paul English, who was Willie Nelson's longtime drummer, died in February 2020.[8]
Service
The organization operates an emergency hotline that offers farmers resources and advice about challenges they're experiencing. Early on, Nelson and Mellencamp brought family farmers before Congress to testify about the state of family farming in America. Congress subsequently passed the Agricultural Credit Act of 1987 to help save family farms from foreclosure. Farm Aid also operates a disaster fund to help farmers who lose their belongings and crops through natural disasters, such as the victims of Hurricane Katrina[9] and massive flooding in 2019.[10] The funds raised are used to pay the farmer's expenses and provide food, legal and financial help, and psychological assistance.[11]
List of concerts
Board of directors
See also
References
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- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Daniel Durchholz, Gary Graff. Neil Young: Long May You Run. Voyageur Press, 2010. p. 134.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Past Concerts – Farm Aid". Archived from the original on May 23, 2011. Retrieved May 24, 2011.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Farm Aid 1985 – Champaign, IL". The Concert Stage. Retrieved February 15, 2011.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Willie Nelson's Farm Aid wants you to know your "Made in USA" beef may have been raised in Brazil". CBS News.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Listen Up, Good Food Movement!". Farm Aid. 2015-05-20. Retrieved 2019-06-20.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Farm Aid Board and Staff". Farmaid.org. Retrieved March 8, 2026.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Margo Price and Annie Nelson Join Farm Aid Board of Directors". Rolling Stone. 8 April 2021.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Paul English, Willie Nelson's Longtime Drummer, Dead at 87". Rolling Stone. February 12, 2020.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Farm Aid: Saving the Family Farm". Hidden Kitchens. National Public Radio. November 23, 2006. Retrieved May 3, 2011.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."'It Just Blows Your Mind': Midwest Farmers Suffer After Floods". Governing.com. 16 April 2019. Retrieved 2020-03-02.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Tornadoes Devastate Southern Farmers – You Can Help". Farm Aid. Willie Nelson.com. May 2, 2011. Archived from the original on May 5, 2011.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Farm Aid 2012 Ticket Information". Farm Aid. Farm Aid.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."The Farm Aid 2012 Lineup". Farm Aid. Farm Aid.com. Archived from the original on October 9, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."The Farm Aid 2013 Lineup". Farm Aid. Farm Aid.com. Retrieved September 21, 2013.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."The Farm Aid 2014 Lineup". Farm Aid. Farm Aid.com. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."The Farm Aid 2015 Lineup". Farm Aid. Farm Aid.com. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."The Farm Aid Lineup". Farm Aid. FarmAid.com. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."The Farm Aid 2017 Lineup". Farm Aid. Farm Aid.com. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."The Farm Aid Lineup". Farm Aid. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Watch 'At Home with Farm Aid' on Saturday, April 11". Farm Aid. April 8, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Duffy, Thom (2023-09-24). "Bob Dylan Surprises Crowd at Willie Nelson's 2023 Farm Aid Festival in Indiana". Billboard. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Mueller, Chris. "Bob Dylan joins lineup for Farm Aid 40: Here's what to know about the one-day music festival". St. Cloud Times. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
External links
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- No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.
- Official MySpace
- Farm Aid 2006 - Behind The Scenes
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