At a time when economic changes have forced the closure of an estimated 3,000 dairy farms nationwide, Willie Nelson and collaborators Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews are taking Farm Aid to the heart of Wisconsin.
The 24th annual event comes to the Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, Wis. on Sept. 21. Country and Americana acts dominate the initial list of performers: Margo Price, Bonnie Raitt, Tanya Tucker, Tim Reynolds, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Jamey Johnson, Brothers Osborne, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, Yola and Nelson's son Micah Nelson's alter-ego, Particle Kid.
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Per its website, Farm Aid has raised $57 million since 1985 to promote a strong and resilient family farm system of agriculture. Farm Aid is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to keep family farmers on the land.
"With devastating weather, low prices and harmful farm and trade policies, America's family farmers are facing immense challenges to hold on to their farms. It's not right... family farmers are essential for all of us," Nelson says in a press release."By bringing our festival to the heart of the struggle, we will stand side by side with farmers. At Farm Aid 2019, we'll highlight solutions and show our support for family farmers' contributions to our health, economy and environment."
A dairy farm hotbed makes sense as the festival's host location. "We're bringing Farm Aid to the heartland because we need to show the country what's happening to the people who grow our food and take care of our soil and water," Mellencamp says. "We want family farmers to know that we won't let them go down without a fight. And neither should you — farmers need us, and we need farmers."
For further details and ticket pre-sale information, visit the Farm Aid website.
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