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Home , Farm Aid, John Mellencamp, Neil Young

30 Years of Action for Family Farmers and the Good Food Movement

In the , family farmers faced a crisis the likes of which hadn’t been seen since the Great Depression. Plummeting farm product prices and land values, rising interest rates, troubled credit markets and unfair lending practices pushed tens of thousands of farms out of business, forcing millions of people off their land. It was in this context that , joined by and , organized a groundbreaking in 1985 to raise awareness and funds to help America’s family farmers, sparking a family farm movement that continues to this day. joined the Board of Directors in 2001, adding another strong voice to ’s work. This timeline features highlights from Farm Aid’s 30 years of action for family farmers and the Good Food Movement.

2005 – When hurricanes 2008 – Farm Aid Board ® 1987 1992 – Farm Aid supported a caravan of 2005 Katrina, Rita and Wilma Members Willie Nelson, Neil 2012 – Farm Aid’s HOMEGROWN Concessions Southern farmers to USDA in Washington, DC, devastated the Gulf Coast Young, John Mellencamp and brought HOMEGROWN Chili to Super Bowl 1985 – On September 22, Farm Aid was held in Dave Matthews wrote an open XLVI organized by the Federation of Southern states, Farm Aid mobilized to at Lucas Oil Stadium in , Champaign, . With 54 acts performing to a crowd letter, urging Congress to Indiana. HOMEGROWN pork, beef and Cooperatives, to raise awareness around the respond to the emergency of 78,000, the event was then the country’s largest invest in family farmers as vegetarian chili was served and the vegetarian issue of land loss by minority farmers in America needs of family farmers. combined rock and country event in history. Farm Aid they considered the details of version was the first organic item offered to all due to discrimination in lending practices. Within days of Katrina’s established its 1-800-FARM-AID hotline to take a $700 billion economic fans at a Super Bowl. impact, Farm Aid sent 2009 donations during the show. The first Farm Aid concert emergency grants and recovery package. Farm Aid raised millions of dollars and drew enormous attention truckloads of donated food followed up on their demand to the plight of America’s family farmers. 1994 by publishing Rebuilding 1997 to farm families in Texas, 2009 – Crisis hit American dairy farms as milk prices 2012 Louisiana, Alabama, and America’s Economy with plummeted. In response, Willie Nelson and Farm Aid 2001 – Willie Nelson asked 1987 – A massive campaign for farm credit law Mississippi and sponsored Family Farm-Centered Food staff met with Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, 1997 – USDA settled Pigford v. Glickman, the Dave Matthews to join the 1986 reform, led by Farm Aid and its partners the National Systems in June 2010, a report bringing him more than 13,000 petitions from farmers largest class-action lawsuit in US history five trainings to enable Family Farm Coalition, National Farmers Union, the Farm Aid Board of Directors. calling for investment in and eaters across the country. Meanwhile, Farm Aid brought by African-American farmers, farmers to access federal Western Organization of Resource Councils, and the disaster programs. By year’s family farms to revitalize and teamed up with dairy farmers from eight states to addressing decades of blatant racial Farmers Legal Action Group, saw victory as Congress end, Farm Aid sent over restore America’s economy. hold a rally to call attention to unfair dairy prices in discrimination in the agency. Long-time Farm Aid 2001 passed The Agricultural Credit Act of 1987, saving $230,000 to local family farm Manchester, Iowa. Farm Aid also launched its Action partner and grantee, the Federation of Southern thousands of family farms from foreclosure. Willie service organizations that 1 Center to engage the public and farmers in advocating Cooperatives, was critical to the case’s success. Nelson followed up on this victory with letters to nearly deliver aid to farm families. Rebuilding America’s Economy for food and farm policy changes. with Family Farm-Centered Food Systems 90,000 family farm borrowers to tell them where they could find financial and legal counsel. 1995 – On April 1, 1995, Willie Nelson joined – By the end of 2010, the USDA and US Department farmers to protest a huge factory hog farm in 2005 – Sparked by a suggestion from 2010 2015 – Kicking off its Neil Young, Farm Aid sponsored a of Justice hosted five unprecedented workshops 30th year, Farm Aid was 1993 – The US Food and Drug Lincoln Township, Missouri. The event was a On October 4, 1985, Neil Young took out a full-page ad in USA Today national Farm to Cafeteria examining competition issues and antitrust honored in February by Administration approved ’s rallying cry for farmers and communities angered by with an open letter asking President , “Will the family Conference at Kenyon College, enforcement in agriculture. Farm Aid participated in the GRAMMY Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone corporate abuse in agriculture, threats to food farm in America die as a result of your administration?” bringing together students, farmers, these sessions, highlighting the voices of family farmers Foundation® for its (rBGH), a controversial genetically safety, pollution to the environment and the loss of nutritionists and food service and providing assistance so family farmers could attend legacy of harnessing In September 1986, Farm Aid organized the United Farmer and Rancher engineered hormone used to boost milk family hog farmers. The event launched the professionals to discuss ways to bring the workshops. Farm Aid Board Artists sent a public the power of music for production. Farm Aid advocated for a Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment, a fresh, family farm food into schools  One of 33 farmers who Congress in St. Louis, an unprecedented gathering of nearly three grow wheat for Shepherd’s letter calling on the USDA and the Justice Department to social change. Grain, a family farm alliance strengthening economies thousand farmers from across the country to create a united platform ban of rBGH and supported efforts to multi-state collaborative effort to stop factory and other institutions. in the Northwest. act immediately to stand up for family farmers. for farm policy that coalesced support for family farm agriculture. label rBGH-free dairy products. farming, that is still active today.

1986 – Farm Aid II: Manor Downs, 1990 – Farm Aid IV: 1994 – Farm Aid VII: 1998 – Farm Aid ’98: 2000 – Farm Aid 2000: 2004 – Farm Aid 2004: 2008 – Farm Aid 2008: 2010 – Farm Aid 25: 2012 – Farm Aid 2012: 2014 – Farm Aid 2014: Texas, as one of Willie Nelson’s Hoosier Dome in 1992 – Farm Aid Louisiana Superdome 1996 – Farm Aid ’96: Farm Aid returned to Farm Aid returned to 2002 – Farm Aid 2002: Auburn, Washington, 2006 – Farm Aid 2006: Mansfield, Massachusetts, Growing Hope for America: Hershey, Pennsylvania Raleigh, North Carolina annual Fourth of July Picnics Indianapolis, Indiana V: Irving, Texas in New Orleans Columbia, South Carolina Tinley Park, Illinois Bristow, Virginia Burgettstown, Pennsylvania just outside of Seattle Camden, New Jersey just outside of Boston , 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

1985 – Farm Aid: 1987 – Farm Aid III: 1989 – Willie took Farm Aid 1993 – Farm Aid VI: 1995 – Farm Aid: 10th 1997 – Farm Aid ’97: 1999 – Farm Aid ’99: 2001 – Farm Aid 2001: Just 18 days 2003 – Farm Aid 2005 – Farm Aid celebrated its 2007 – Farm Aid 2007: 2009 – Farm Aid 2009: 2011 – Farm Aid 2011: 2013 – Farm Aid 2013: Champaign, Illinois Memorial Stadium in on the road, hitting 16 stops Ames, Iowa on April 24 Anniversary Concert: Tinley Park, Illinois, Bristow, Virginia, just after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, 2003: Columbus, Ohio 20-year anniversary concert at A Homegrown Festival: Maryland Heights, Kansas City, Kansas Saratoga Springs, Lincoln, Nebraska in the country with press Cardinal Stadium in just outside of outside of Washington, DC Farm Aid: A Concert for America Tinley Park, Illinois, just Randall’s Island in Missouri, just outside New York conferences at each site. Louisville, Kentucky was held in Noblesville, Indiana. outside of Chicago. of St. Louis

On June 18, 1987, Willie Nelson and John 1993 – The US House Agriculture Committee held a 2011 – Farm Aid partnered with RAFI- 1985 2007 – Farm Aid officially introduced 2014 – On September 11, 2014, Farm Aid hosted Looking Mellencamp joined Senator Tom Harkin meeting in Ames, Iowa, preceding the Farm Aid concert. USA to host the first annual National HOMEGROWN concessions at the concert at Back and Moving Forward, Together, a landmark to testify before the US Senate about Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Neil Young spoke out Gathering of Farm Advocates at the Randall’s Island, New York, providing family gathering of farm and civil rights leaders from across about the issues facing family farmers. National Agricultural Hall of Fame in the family farm crisis and corporate farm food to concertgoers. It also hosted the country focused on the legacy of civil rights Bonner Springs, Kansas 2 days prior to monopolies expanding in agriculture. the first HOMEGROWN Village, featuring organizing, black land loss, and power-building in the the concert. This meeting brought Farm interactive exhibits about soil, water, Southeast. The gathering inspired new thinking about Advocates together to learn and share – After years of Farm Aid advocating for organic farmers, 1995 energy, food and farmers. The following racial justice in food and agriculture, the power of 1990 new developments in agricultural credit Congress passed the Organic Foods Production Act, year, Farm Aid launched HOMEGROWN. community organizing and the need for the farmer voice org, an online community of people and finance. The gathering also sparked establishing a certification program for organic farms that to come forward in defining a new vision for food and interested in all things HOMEGROWN: a haylift to assist farmers in drought- commit to environmental stewardship, animal welfare, and food agriculture. growing, cooking, crafting, brewing, stricken parts of the country. grown without the use of synthetic pesticides, antibiotics, or preserving, building, making and creating. genetic engineering. In 2002, the final USDA regulations were 1999 2014 issued, after Farm Aid and many thousands of organic 2013 advocates weighed in for rules with integrity. 1999 – Farm Aid organized 2007 the first of two farmer 2008 – Farm Aid launched the Farmer summits on genetically Resource Network engineered seeds, 1993 – A devastating flood (www.farmaid.org/ resulting in the Farmers’ 2004 – Farm Aid published swallowed entire towns whole, ideas), an online tool Declaration on Genetic and widely distributed 10 In May 1986, John Mellencamp leaving thousands of Midwestern that connects farmers 1994 – A severe drought in the Southeast Engineering in Ways to Ensure Healthy joined the Missouri Rural Crisis families homeless and devastating to more than 500 spurred Farm Aid to organize a farmer-to- Agriculture, which called Food for You and Your Center and 14,000 family farmers thousands of farms. The floods organizations and farmer emergency hay lift to bring for a moratorium on Family, a guide showing to blockade a US Department of spurred Farm Aid to create the services across the donated hay to starving livestock in the genetically engineered consumers how to support Agriculture Farmers Home Family Farm Disaster Fund, which 2005 – For its 20th anniversary, Farm Aid published nation developing 2013 – A crowd of more than 25,000 enjoyed a surprise performance by Pete region. It was the first of several hay lifts seeds, and creating the family farmers and secure Seeger at Farm Aid 2013 Administration Office in continues to respond when natural Farm Aid: A Song for America, a book featuring innovative approaches , who joined the Farm Aid Board Artists on stage to Farm Aid has organized. ongoing Farmer to good food for their families to producing, perform “.” To the cheers of anti-fracking activists and Chillicothe, Missouri, in protest of disasters devastate farming dozens of essays and hundred of photographs that Farmer Campaign on and communities. tell the inspirational story of Farm Aid and family processing and family farm supporters in the audience, Seeger added his own line, “New York was unfair lending practices. 1986 regions in America. Genetic Engineering. farm agriculture. marketing food from made to be frack-free!” It was Seeger’s last public performance before his death family farms.