Farm Aid Showcased in Farms.com Ag Charity Series
By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com
If you’re involved in agriculture in the United States, you have likely heard of Farm Aid. In an effort to bring exposure to agricultural related charities that are making a difference in Canada, the United States and abroad, Farms.com is focusing on a special series this holiday season - helping showcase agriculture charities. Farm Aid is just one of the many agricultural charities that Farms.com has chosen to feature this year.
In an interview with Farms.com Jennifer Fahy, Communications Director for Farm Aid provides some insight into the mission of Farm Aid as well as some of the key initiatives the organization seeks to achieve.
Fahy provides some context into how Farm Aid emerged and explained the evolution of the organization over its 28 year history. For those of you who aren’t familiar, Farm Aid started in 1985 in the height of the farm crisis in the USA. As a result, Willie Neilson saw what was going on in the country side and decided that he wanted to do something about it; he was also successful in recruiting about 50 other musicians to get involved in the cause. The first concert was held in
Champaign, Illinois and attracted 78,000 people, in addition to its worldwide audience. As a whole, the concert was a success, raising $9 million.
Following the success of the concert, Willie Neilson went before Congress to testify on behalf of family farmers to urge politicians in Washington to work on addressing some of the disparities that farmers were facing at the time. Ever since, the musicians decided that they would continue to perform a concert every year.
“We are an ongoing charity concert, but also behind that is an organization that works each and every day to support family farmers,” said Fahy.
Farm Aid offers a number of services including – a farmer’s hotline, online farmer resource network and a farm advocate link.
“We have focused a lot on informing folks about the value of family farmers and why they should support them every time they go to purchase food,” said Fahy.
The farmer’s hotline is one service that has evolved over time to meet the needs of family farmers. The hotline was introduced in 1985 as a 900 number with the aim to help raise money; however, what ended up happening is that farmers started calling the hotline instead.
“It was farmers [calling who were] very much in crisis…they were being foreclosed on as a result of farm policies that encouraged farmers to grow as much as possible and then we had the price drops so that their crops were worth nothing essentially and they couldn’t pay back those loans,” said Fahy.
Ever since, the 900 number was transferred over to an 800 number that Farm Aid has staffed, continuing to answer calls from farmers.
Fahy is a veteran of Farm Aid and is approaching her 10th anniversary with the organization.
“I believe so much about this organization because it isn’t just about the direct services that we give, but also the cultural change that we are making and that comes right out of the concern event,” said Fahy.
Farm Aid works with farmers on tough issues; it works with some of the best musicians in the industry and it continues to work with the public and see their transformations.
Information about donating, buying a membership with the organization or join one of its social media networks can be found on Farm Aid's website.