Farm Aid has announced that its annual benefit concert will return to the Northeast on Saturday, Sept. 21, taking place at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
“In New York and across the Northeast, family farmers are pioneering change in our farm and food system. This region has strong agricultural roots and offers fertile ground for new farmers and sustainable agriculture,” said Farm Aid President Willie Nelson. “On the Farm Aid stage in September, we’ll celebrate the hard work of family farmers and support their efforts to grow strong and healthy communities for all of us.”
Farm Aid 2013 will feature Farm Aid board members Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young and Dave Matthews. Additional artists will be announced soon. The concert benefits and promotes Farm Aid’s mission to keep family farmers on the land, strengthen and revitalize America’s food system, and support the growth of the Good Food Movement — the growing number of people seeking local, organic, humanely raised and family farm-identified food.
Farm Aid 2013 will be an all-day music and food festival featuring a unique mashup of artists and genres on the stage and serving concert-goers family farm-identified, local and organic foods with its own HOMEGROWN Concessions. In Farm Aid’s HOMEGROWN Village, concertgoers will have the chance to meet farmers, engage in hands-on food and farm activities, and learn about the ways family farmers are enriching our soil, protecting our water and growing our economy, in addition to bringing us good food for good health.
“New York is pleased to host Farm Aid’s annual benefit concert this September in Saratoga Springs,” Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said. “This star-studded event will support Farm Aid’s mission to promote family farmers and healthy eating, as well as raise awareness about the important role farms play in our economy and culture. Here in New York, we are continuing to grow our state’s vibrant agricultural industry through initiatives such as the FreshConnect program, which provides more avenues like farmers markets to connect New Yorkers with fresh, affordable and locally grown food products. We are also making important investments in regional food distribution hubs and marketing efforts like Taste NY to promote New York-made agricultural products and niche industries such as yogurt and wine, beer and spirits. New York is committed to its farmers, and so I commend Farm Aid for their work in helping farmers all across the nation flourish.”
Farm Aid has long collaborated with and supported organizations and organizers in the Northeast who are growing the Good Food Movement. Many of the region’s farmers have been served by Farm Aid’s hotline and Farmer Resource Network. Over the past 28 years, Farm Aid has made grants of more than $2.5 million in the Northeast region — nearly half a million in New York alone — supporting programs that expand access to family farm food and grow new markets for farmers, create change in the food system, and help farmers thrive.
“Over a year ago, several of my colleagues and I first hoped out loud that Farm Aid would come to New York State to celebrate and support our hard-working family farmers,” said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). “I am so pleased that Willie Nelson and Farm Aid have chosen New York to showcase the finest music talent in the world alongside our New York family farmers, who are producing some of the best dairy products and fresh fruits and vegetables in the world.”
Tickets for Farm Aid 2013 will go on sale Friday, June 28, at 10 a.m. EDT. Tickets will be available at www.ticketmaster.com and through the Farm Aid member pre-sale beginning June 18 at www.farmaid.org.
“Saratoga Performing Arts Center is tremendously proud and excited to host the 2013 Farm Aid music and food festival at our historic outdoor venue,” said Marcia J. White, SPAC’s president and executive director. “Over the past 48 years, SPAC’s stage has been at the center of countless legendary concerts and live music events; Farm Aid may top them all with its superstar lineup of artists fueled by the crucial mission of promoting and supporting family farms, healthy eating and strong communities. SPAC itself is surrounded by a greenbelt of nearly 75,000 acres of beautiful, fertile Saratoga County farmland. The opportunity to be part of an event that will benefit these neighbors and farmers across America represents a defining moment in SPAC’s history.”
Farm Aid welcomes the participation of the local business community and offers corporate sponsorship opportunities. For more information, contact Glenda Yoder at glenda@farmaid.org.
Farm Aid’s mission is to build a vibrant, family farm-centered system of agriculture in America. Farm Aid artists and board members Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews host an annual concert to raise funds to support Farm Aid’s work with family farmers and to inspire people to choose family farm food. Since 1985, Farm Aid, with the support of the artists who contribute their performances each year, has raised more than $43 million to support programs that help farmers thrive, expand the reach of the Good Food Movement, take action to change the dominant system of industrial agriculture and promote food from family farms.
