Farm Aid to Kick Off 40th Anniversary Celebration at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis

(KNSI) — Farm Aid is heading to Minnesota for the first time for its 40th anniversary festival.

The show is Saturday, September 20th, at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The event will launch a year-long celebration featuring various special events and initiatives to honor 40 years of action, showcase historical music moments, highlight the strength of the farm movement, and create opportunities for long-time supporters and new ones to join in.

Farm Aid 40 – a full day of music, family farmers, homegrown food and agricultural experiences – will feature performances by Farm Aid board members Willie Nelson, Neil Young (and the Chrome Hearts), John Mellencamp, and Dave Matthews (with Tim Reynolds). Other performances include Margo Price, Billy Strings, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Trampled by Turtles, Waxahatchee, Eric Burton of Black Pumas, Jesse Welles, Madeline Edwards, and more artists to be announced.

A press release from organizers says that since the 1980s, Minnesota has offered a groundswell of strength in the farm movement, championing rural advocacy, sustainable and equitable agriculture, and forward-thinking policy reform.

Farm Aid President Willie Nelson says Minnesota is an ideal host as Farm Aid commemorates this milestone anniversary.

Farm Aid Co-Executive Director Jennifer Fahy said this year’s festivities are not only about looking back, but also about building the future.

Farm Aid was founded by Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Neil Young in response to the growing crisis faced by American family farmers during the 1980s. The inaugural Farm Aid concert, held on September 22, 1985, in Champaign, Illinois, marked a historic moment in the farm movement, raising more than $7 million to support struggling family farmers, but more importantly, raising awareness of the impacts of the crisis. More than 50 artists came together to highlight the urgent need to address the challenges farmers were facing, including skyrocketing interest rates, mounting debt, plummeting land values, crop and market failures, and policies that were tailor-made to push farmers out of business. Since 1985, Farm Aid has grown into an annual festival that has raised more than $85 million, featured performances by more than 500 artists who generously donated their time and talent and championed policies that support family farms, promote sustainable agriculture and strengthen rural communities.

Tickets for Farm Aid 40 go on sale Friday, May 16th, at 10:00 a.m. Ticket prices range from $101 to $390, including fees, with sales tax will be added; and can be bought by clicking here.

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