Jam to country tunes and support U.S. family farms while doing it.
MINNEAPOLIS — Grab your cowboy hat and prep for a great day of music because this fall, Farm Aid is coming to Minneapolis.
The iconic music festival has raised money for struggling family farms for 40 years. This will be the first time Farm Aid is hosted in Minnesota, and the show will be at Huntington Bank Stadium.
“It’s a really important state agriculturally. It has a tremendous history of farm advocacy,” said Farm Aid Co-Executive Director Jennifer Fahy. “It’s just an incredible goodwill day that celebrates the people that are so essential for us.”
Fahy said they’ve had their eyes on Minnesota for years, and have previously scouted locations.
“We have partners in this region who have been telling us for decades ‘come to Minnesota’, so we’re finally making that happen,” Fahy said.
She said part of the money raised will go to Farm Aid, but most of it will be distributed to farm organizations that work directly with farmers. She said a lot of the recipients will be in Minnesota.
“We get people in the door with incredible music and send them home at the end of the night with more information that can really help them be local participants in their food system,” she said.
Fahy said the past couple of years has been a tough time for farmers.
“Farmers are still facing a lot of the same challenges over those 40 years, a lot has changed as well, but unfortunately farmers are back in a place where there’s a lot of uncertainty, right now, so we’re really glad to be bringing Farm Aid back to the Midwest to shine a spotlight on all that’s happening,” Fahy said. “Additionally, with the tariffs and the high cost of agricultural inputs, there’s just a lot of concern right now that farmers are going to be in trouble.”
University of Minnesota Associate Extension Professor Nathan Hulinsky said farmers have had a rough couple of years.
“Unfortunately, it’s not fantastic,” Hulinsky said. “In 2024, the median farm income was little under $22,000, so if you made $22,000 would that be enough.”
Hulinsky said data collected from 10% of medium to large scale farms in Minnesota was outlined in the 2024 Minnesota Farm Finances Report. Even though 10% might seem low, Hulinksy said it’s an accurate representation.
He said the data shows the median income between 2020 and 2022 was above the 10-year average, but it significantly dropped in 2023-2024.
“In 2022, it was a really high income year, it was close to $200,000, so well above average the last 10-15 years, but we’re almost a 90% reduction from 2022,” Hulinsky said.
He said income also varies by region.
“We can look at this south central Minnesota, the median farm lost $855, a negative income, so clearly a bad thing. Whereas, northwest Minnesota the median farm income was about $55,000, so dramatically different as you come across the state,” he said.
Hulinsky said crop variation and livestock also play a role in income variations.
He also said different types of farms are experiencing varying profitability. He said the median net income for crop farmers was just over $2,300, while the median net income for dairy farmers is more than $126,000.
Hulinsky said the food farmers produce for us to eat, most of the money goes to manufacturing and processing.
Fahy said they haven’t done an economic study to see how the festival impacts farmers after they leave. Hulinsky said any attention they can spotlight on farmers is a good thing.
“I think having people more aware from where their food comes from is important… more publicity I think just helps the farming industry and I think that’s what Farm Aid is good at,” he said.
Fahy said the 11-hour music and food festival will be on September 20, and will feature a band from Duluth,
Trampled by Turtles.
Performers will include pioneering Farm Aid board members Willie Nelson, Neil Young (and the Chrome Hearts) and John Mellencamp, with Dave Matthews (with Tim Reynolds), Margo Price, Billy Strings, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Waxahatchee, Eric Burton of Black Pumas, Jesse Welles, Madeline Edwards also in the lineup.
Farmers will contribute concessions and activities for a “homegrown” experience for festival goers.
“Family farmers are the heart of this country, and we depend on each other for good food and strong communities,” Nelson said in Tuesday’s press release. “For 40 years, Farm Aid and our partners have stood with farmers, supporting them to stay on their land even when corporate power, bad policies and broken promises make it harder to keep going. This year, we’re proud to bring Farm Aid to Minnesota to celebrate the farmers who sustain us and to fight for a food system that works for all of us.”
Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Neil Young established Farm Aid to help support struggling family farms in 1985.
Ticket sales begin Friday at 10 a.m. with presale opportunities starting Wednesday at 10 a.m.
Prices range from $101 to $390 and tickets can be purchased at this link.