Meet Modern Farmer's Guest Instagrammer: Farm Aid - Modern Farmer

Meet Modern Farmer’s Guest Instagrammer: Farm Aid

Say hello to Farm Aid, the concert series and nonprofit that has been helping family farmers for 30 years. They're taking over Modern Farmer's Instagram account this week. Stop by and give them some love.

Willie Nelson and friends at last year's Farm Aid concert finale.
Photography Ebet Roberts

It all began with Willie Nelson and an idea for a fundraising concert to support desperate family farmers, and from there it snowballed. Nelson joined forces with John Mellencamp and Neil Young to organize the event and on Sept. 22, 1985, an A-list group of musicians, from Bob Dylan to BB King, helped raise more than $7 million for family farmers.

Thirty years later, Farm Aid is still going strong, bringing people together through music and helping family farmers. Over the years they’ve raised about $48 million and provided a long list of services for farmers who needed help.

“The focus of Farm Aid, in many ways, has stayed the same. It’s always been about the farmers. It was our focus then, and it’s our focus now,” says Carolyn Mugar, Farm Aid’s executive director since the beginning. “A lot of people are focusing on food, and that’s great and a benefit to the farmers, but if you want better food, you have to look out for the family farmer and what their needs are. A lot of people still don’t make the connection between keeping family farmers on the land and the food they are choosing to put on their plate.”

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A group of young people selling produce at last year’s Farm Aid concert. Ebet Roberts

Since day one, Farm Aid has had a hotline that connects farmers to advocates all over the country, “who know how to help people get through the jungle of farm regulations, bank regulations, and debt restructuring,” says Mugar. Over the years, the Farm Aid Resource Network has grown. Farmers can now find help online. The organization also launched homegrown.organ online community where people interested in activities from canning to brewing to crafting can come together to share ideas – and they also support a number of organizations, such as the Farmers’ Legal Action Group, which has helped thousands of farmers stay on their land through their legal work.

Let’s not forget about the music. Besides the yearly concert, Farm Aid holds smaller benefits around the country featuring up-and-coming bands, helping to clue younger listeners in to the continuing challenges faced by family farmers.

Nelson, Young, and Mellencamp are still on the Farm Aid board, and were joined by Dave Matthews in 2001. All four perform yearly and will be at this year’s concert, set for Sept. 19 in Chicago.

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John Mellencamp, Willie Nelson, Pete Seeger, Dave Matthews, and Neil Young at Farm Aid 2013. Paul Natkin/Photo Reserve, Inc.

“We always have Willie, John, Neil, and Dave, and this year’s lineup also includes Imagine Dragons; Jack Johnson; Mavis Staples – who is local and a very, very moving singer – Old Crow Medicine Show; Holly Williams, who is Hank Williams’ granddaughter; Lukas Nelson, Willie’s son, who plays with Promise of the Real; Insects Vs Robots, which is Willie’s son, Micah’s band; and Jamey Johnson, among others. It’s a really good lineup,” says Mugar. “The fun part is that people play with each other and you don’t have any idea it’s going to happen ahead of time. Last year Gary Clark Jr. dropped in on Willie’s set and played the whole set with him. The surprises are really fun.” Here’s a list of the entire concert lineup.

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