The Community Foundation of Utah

Hard to believe that Farm Aid is turning 25 this year. The Star Tribune looked at the impact the Willi Nelson and John Mellencamp led effort has had - and the news is good. While concerts are not the easiest way to raise money, Farm Aid has brought more than 36 million to the cause, and most importantly, kept the plight of family farmers in the spotlight for a quarter of a century.  There’s a lot of celebrity charity that is basically hype and little more.  That isn’t the case with Farm Aid.  But as John Mellencamp told the Star Tribune of Minneapolis and St. Paul about Willie Nelson’s “tao,” “Where is Live Aid [now]?...There are still kids starving in Africa, just as there are still American farmers who need help. God bless Willie. When he made a commitment, he stuck to it.”