Farm Aid, hosted by Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Neil Young, was created after Bob Dylan said during Live Aid, which raised money for Ethiopian farmers during the starvation, “Wouldn’t it be great if we did something for our own farmers right here in America?”
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Thirty years ago, Farm Aid was launched to respond to a farming crisis marked by mounting debt, low prices, and soaring interest rates.
Video of Willie Nelson and Family performing last song of the night.
Here are 10 takeaways from Farm Aid 30, which drew an estimated 26,000 fans to the FirstMerit Bank Pavilion at Chicago’s Northerly Island. The original objective of Farm Aid was to bring awareness that the farmers were in trouble. The event featured a long list of artists including Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews with Tim Reynolds, Mavis Staples and Imagine Dragons. To date the organization has raised about $48m and Fahy says about 60% of the ticket sales will benefit Farm Aid programs. “But we’re up against some of the same policies and corporate influences that gave rise to the need for Farm Aid in 1985″. Brock recalled once answering the crisis hotline call of a financially distraught farmer. “We just come together an hour or so beforehand and try new things and figure out what we’re going to do”. Food Tank had the pleasure of hearing from Jennifer Fahy, the communications director at Farm Aid.
The sound of good music and the smell of good food filled the air on Daley Plaza on Thursday afternoon as the Loop got a preview of a music festival that helps farmers. “In the 29 years since, hundreds more artists have given their time and talent to support family farmers”.
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According to its press release, Farm Aid has invited Illinois farmers, businesses and organizations to offer concertgoers hands-on activities and experiences that showcase the stories of food and farming in Illinois and across the country. A recent success: its work on the 2008 Farm Bill that directed the USDA crackdown on big poultry and livestock producers who unfairly exploit local farmers through iniquitous contracts that keep them below the poverty line, either by forcing them to assume the majority of costs, or by controlling the chicken houses on their land.
