“We’re fighting for the small family farmer, which means that we’re fighting for every living American”
— Willie Nelson

Spring is a season that reminds us of beginnings. You may know that Farm Aid got its start in 1985, when more than fifty musical acts got together to stand with family farmers in the depths of the Farm Crisis of the 1980s. At that time, more than a quarter of a million farm families had been forced off their land due to foreclosures that resulted from a combination of plummeting farm income and land values, rising interest rates and predatory lending practices. The loss of these family farms devastated communities across the heartland.

The next year, in 1986, Farm Aid sponsored the United Farmer & Rancher Congress in St. Louis, Missouri. This watershed event brought together about 3,000 farmers and ranchers from around the country, strengthening a growing movement and leading to the passage of the Agriculture Credit Act of 1987. That legislation saved tens of thousands of farms from foreclosure and demonstrated that collective action could provide farmers a voice and get results.

Fast forward four decades and we find our nation’s farmers amid another farm crisis. From unpredictable trade policy and market disruptions, to corporate power and consolidation, rising costs and years of declining farm income–as well as a Farm Bill whose renewal remains stalled in Congress–and our family farmers face challenges that are as dire as they were in the 1980s. Farmers have always faced uncertainty, but now many are at their breaking point.

Please show family farmers you stand with them through a meaningful gift in any amount right now. For forty years, grassroots supporters just like you have strengthened Farm Aid. Every donation matters and makes a difference.