MARYLAND HEIGHTS, MO—The 24th annual Farm Aid concert was held in St. Louis for the first time on October 4. Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews shared the stage along with other artists to raise awareness about the loss of family farms. The main cause is to raise funds to keep farm families on their land.

   The first concert was held in 1985 in Champaign, IL organized by Nelson, Young and Mellencamp. Matthews joined the Board of Directors in 2001. Nearly $35 million has been raised to promote a strong agriculture system.

   Farm Aid is America’s longest running annual concert event that unites farmers, artists, consumers and citizens to help build a powerful association for family farms. 

     “We have to focus on telling people to go to their farmers’ market,” said artist Neil Young, and co-founder of Farm Aid. “We have to get people to check out where the food is from. Just take a look and try to find food that is grown locally.”

    Not only is Farm Aid a big supporter of buying from local markets, but shopping organically is another message they are trying to spread. 

   “There is a power that we possess called collective power,” said artist, Willie Nelson, president and founder of Farm Aid. “We have seen things happen that are helping the family farmer. One of them being organic food.”

   The concert isn’t the only event to help farmers thrive. Throughout the year, they promote food from family farms through informative television commercials, radio, mail and web campaigns.

   Farm Aid made grants of $148,000 to organizations across the country that are creating new markets for family farmed food. Farm Aid stands up for the farmers who work the land. 

   “There’s an exciting thing happening,” said artist Dave Mathhews, board member of Farm Aid. “We all have to support changes to stop the government supporting this big agricultural corporate culture of overproducing.”

   This concert helps get their message out and spread the word about the benefits of buying local. Many artists come together to play for fans from all over the country that are there to support their local family farms.

   This marked the first time that the concert was held in Missouri. There were many farmers from across the Midwest that came to listen to live music with a good message.

   It was sunny and 65 degrees. Crowd members showed up with cowboy boots, cowboy hats and hippie dresses. Perhaps it was just the beautiful day, but people seemed very positive and eager to help maintain what Farm Aid stands for.

   The Blackwood Quartet kicked off the 24th Farm Aid with other bands: Wilco, Jamey Johnson, Gretchen Wilson, Phosphorescent, Billy Joe Shaver, Will Dailey, Ernie Isley and the Jam Band, Ryan Bingham and the Dead Horses and Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real.

   Jason Mraz, first of the headlining bands to play, started the second half of the show with songs “The Remedy” and “I’m Yours.” 

   Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds played a set during which Willie Nelson joined them onstage to perform “Grave Digger.”

   John Mellencamp was next and played many of the crowd’s favorite songs such as: “Pink Houses,” and “Authority Song.” 

 Onstage with his father, Mellencamp’s son played guitar during his set. Mellencamp repeatedly joked, “You know you aren’t in the band right?”

   Neil Young entered in his signature fedora, wearing his “Stop Factory Farms” shirt. Sadly, Young never touched the piano. In fact, the crowd didn’t hear any of Young’s classics.

   “I’m a farmer and I didn’t come to Farm Aid to hear farming songs,” a dairy farmer from Iowa said. “ I came to hear some of Neil’s more well known songs.”

   Willie Nelson closed the concert with son, Lukas playing on stage beside him. They played about an hour and a half set. Nelson played, as well as others, “Whiskey River,” “Take Me Home,” “On the Road Again,” “Crazy,” “Things to Remember,” and “You’re Always on My Mind.”

   To end the concert, Nelson brought a gospel choir and all the artists back on stage for everyone to sing “Amazing Grace.”

   Everyone began filing out of the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre as soon as the concert was over.

   “Join us next year for our 25th anniversary of Farm Aid located somewhere in the country,” an official announced over the loudspeaker.