Farm Aid: Activism Takes the Stage

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Farm Aid has always been designed to help keep family farmers on their land, a daunting challenge in a country where five million farmers have left the profession in the last century and an astonishing 330 farm operators leave their land every week.

The numbers reflect the impact of post­World War II agricultural policies that have encouraged the growth of corporate factory farms at the expense of small family farmers.

"Farm policy is dominated by big corporations and all the federal laws in recent years have been structured to their benefit. The government hasn't done anything for small farmers except push them off their land," says Nelson. "As a result, we have had an ongoing farm crisis that has destroyed rural communities across the country. It's a domino effect -- when the farms go out of business so do the local businesses that were supporting them."

Farm Aid has developed a mix of programs and grant-making to provide solutions and support in this extended farm crisis. They include educational initiatives to encourage the public to buy from family farmers, grants to groups that are working to change public policy in order to offer more support to family farmers rather than agribusiness, and direct support services for struggling communities and farmers. "One of the best tools we use at Farm Aid is a national hotline to assist people in need," says associate director Glenda Yoder. "Our counselors assist farmers to get food and emergency aid, legal assistance, and credit counseling."

On the policy side, the organization supports a wide range of local and national groups. One grantee, the Federation of Southern Cooperatives, is building markets and providing services to African-American family farmers who have faced dramatic obstacles to success. Since the 1920s 95 percent of black farmers have left their land, spurring former U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman to admit that the USDA engaged in racist policies that contributed to this sad legacy.

Farm Aid was inspired by the successful 1985 Live Aid concert that raised millions to alleviate famine in Ethiopia. Willie Nelson decided that America's small farmers deserved a similar benefit. Within a few months former Illinois Governor Jim Thompson donated the University of Illinois stadium for a concert, and Nelson teamed up with Neil Young and John Mellencamp to launch Farm Aid in front of 80,000 people.

In 2001, longtime Farm Aid performer Dave Matthews joined the board of directors and committed to performing at future concerts. This was a major coup, as Matthews and his band consistently rank at the top of the charts for CD sales and concert attendance. Matthews also meshes well with Farm Aid politically: He regularly speaks out on the environment, media consolidation and most recently, the war on Iraq. In addition, he has been a leader in the movement to promote the use of hemp and organic cotton by using the natural fibers in products sold on tours and on his Web site.

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