Farm Aid, the annual music festival that supports family farmers, is set to take place on Saturday, September 23, 2023, in Noblesville, Indiana at the Ruoff Music Center. The festival, which is a major part of Farm Aid’s fundraising and awareness efforts, aims to promote sustainable farming practices and the Good Food Movement.
The Farm Aid 2023 lineup includes performances by Farm Aid board members Willie Nelson & Family, Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds, and Margo Price, among other artists. The festival also features the HOMEGROWN Village, a mini festival within the festival, where attendees can engage in hands-on activities related to farming and agriculture.
But Farm Aid is more than just a music festival. Its mission is to support family farmers and the festival is a major part of their fundraising and awareness efforts. The festival also aims to promote sustainable farming practices and the Good Food Movement.
In 2022, Farm Aid granted nearly $1.2 million to 88 family farm, rural service, and urban agriculture organizations in 37 states and the District of Columbia. The grants ranged from $2,500 to $50,000 and were prioritized for work that supports family farmers, achieves racial equity and social justice, prioritizes farmer-led solutions to climate change, and builds power for systemic change in the farm and food system.
The funds were invested in programs that provide crisis support to farmers, advance policy solutions like dairy supply management, fair pricing, fair access to credit, and anti-trust policies. They also develop resilient systems of agriculture, advance on-farm climate change mitigation and adaptation practices, and advance farm-based solutions to climate change in state and federal policy.
Farm Aid also addresses systemic inequities in the farm and food system, specifically for farmers of color. It advances rural organizing and community-building strategies, dismantles corporate control in agriculture and advances democratic power-building for farmers. It stops the establishment or expansion of factory farms and advances state and federal policies that protect local communities and ecologies from the impact of factory farms.
The organization also works to build and strengthen local and regional food systems and raise awareness of their value. It enhances access to good food in low-income and food-insecure communities by building relationships between family farmers, youth, and community members. It recruits and trains beginning farmers—both rural and urban—and increases their access to farmland. It supports farmer transition to organic, sustainable, and regenerative farming techniques.
In addition to these, Farm Aid also made emergency grants to farm families to cover essential household expenses, disaster grants to assist farm and ranch families impacted by natural disasters, and strategic grants to long-term Farm Aid partners to address pressing needs or take advantage of unique opportunities to advance family farm agriculture.
Farm Aid’s work is a testament to the power of music and community in driving change and supporting the people who feed our nation. As the festival approaches, it’s a reminder of the importance of supporting local farmers and sustainable agriculture.
To volunteer for Farm Aid 2023 you can sign up here