Annual Festival Brings Together Farmers,
Advocates and Artists Working to Build a Resilient and Sustainable
Food System
RALEIGH,
N.C., Sept. 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Against the
backdrop of an urgent climate crisis, Farm Aid 2022 highlighted
both the ways that family farmers in North Carolina, the Southeast and across the
country are impacted by this crisis and the positive ways in which
they are addressing it―sequestering carbon and decreasing
greenhouse gas emissions.
At the sold-out festival at Coastal Credit Union Music Park at
Walnut Creek in Raleigh, North
Carolina, Farm Aid President and Founder Willie Nelson praised family farmers for
displaying tenacity and grit in the midst of mounting
climate-related obstacles.
"By bringing Farm Aid back to North
Carolina we can showcase what family farmers do to benefit
everyone, thanks to their on-farm practices," said Nelson. "Family
farmers have an intimate relationship with the earth's soil and
water. By investing in the long-term health of our soil, water and
climate, farmers give back to the land that brings good food to all
of us."
Joining Nelson on stage were Farm Aid board members John Mellencamp, Dave
Matthews (performing with Tim
Reynolds) and Margo Price, as
well as Chris Stapleton,
Sheryl Crow, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real,
Allison Russell, Charley Crockett, Brittney Spencer, Particle Kid, the Wisdom
Indian Dancers, and the Red Clay Singers, who all donated their
time and talent for the 10-hour show.
The daylong festival kicked off with a conversation between
artists and farmers about climate change and the future of farms
and food. At the morning press event, a diverse group of farmers
and food producers shared their stories of how unpredictable and
devastating weather patterns, exacerbated by climate change, put
their land and crops at risk. Yet despite the hardships, each
farmer described the ways they use regenerative agricultural
practices, like pasturing livestock, farming organically and
increasing biodiversity on their farms, to help lessen the impact
of climate change on their own farms and across our country.
"Farmers stand on the frontlines of climate change and are all
too familiar with its consequences," said Farm Aid Executive
Director Carolyn Mugar. "At the same
time, family farmers are the best resources we have to minimize the
toll of climate change. All of us need to support proactive farm
and food policies that support climate-resilient family farmers and
ranchers as they steward our soil and strengthen our food
system."
On Thursday, Farm Aid gathered farmers, climate and
environmental justice advocates, activists and policymakers to dig
into the challenges farmers face as a result of our urgent climate
crisis, as well as the solutions they bring to fight climate
change. The event was hosted at historic Raleigh City Market Hall,
built in 1914 as Raleigh's First
Farmer's Market. On Friday, Farm Aid hosted two farm tours to
Raleigh- and Durham-area farms and a screening of "The
Smell of Money," a documentary film that illuminates the impact of
industrial hog farms on North
Carolina communities.
On Friday, Farm Aid community members were honored with the
Spirit of Farm Aid award for their dedication to the
organization and family farmers. Awardees included long-time Farm
Aid show producer Charlie Hernandez
and his wife and co-conspirator Andrea
Fulkerson; artist Tim
Reynolds who has performed with Dave
Matthews each year since 2007; volunteer Adam Baker; Fairmont,
North Carolina farmer Craig
Watts; and farmer advocate Savi
Horn of the Land Loss Prevention Project.
Farm Aid's HOMEGROWN Village featured hands-on activities to
celebrate agriculture and give festivalgoers a chance to meet
farmers in person and learn how they enrich our soil, protect our
water, grow our economy and bring us good food for good health.
Local and national organizations participated, and attendees
learned about gleaning and re-localizing food systems to prevent
avoidable food waste; discovered North
Carolina local farms, markets and farm products; and tested
their food and farm knowledge in games, while learning about the
dangers of corporate consolidation.
Throughout the day, artists and farmers joined together on the
FarmYard stage to discuss challenges and opportunities in
agriculture, including climate change, farmer mental health, food
policy and Native agriculture.
Farm Aid's HOMEGROWN Concessions® presented menu
items made with ingredients that meet Farm Aid's HOMEGROWN
criteria: (1) produced by family farmers, (2) utilizing ecological
practices and (3) with farmers receiving a fair price for their
products. Food choices included North
Carolina pasture-raised beef burgers, hot dogs pulled pork
and links; local dairy soft serve, heritage Motherland Okra in a
grains, beans and greens bowl; heirloom tomato sandwiches on bread
from North Carolina-grown organic
wheat; shrimp and grits, North
Carolina-caught fish; and organic red beans and Charleston Gold brown rice salad. Youth from two
local FFA chapters and the National Grange staffed a HOMEGROWN
Youthmarket to sell local apples, peaches and muscadine grapes to
festivalgoers.
Festivalgoers and fans tuning in at home can catch the whole
show live on FarmAid.org, Farm Aid's YouTube channel and DISH's
Facebook page beginning at 11 a.m. ET
with―for the first time―the Farm Aid press event.
"Farm Aid 2022" will air on Circle Network at 7 p.m. ET, as well as on its Facebook, Twitter
and TikTok pages. SiriusXM subscribers are also able to listen to
Farm Aid 2022 on Willie's Roadhouse (channel 59) and Dave Matthews
Band Radio (channel 30) via SiriusXM radios and on the SXM App. The
coverage also featured a behind-the-scenes look at the Farm Aid
festival in Raleigh and the
organization's year-round work to strengthen family farm
agriculture.
Sponsors of Farm Aid 2022 included DISH Network, Patagonia
Workwear, Coastal Credit Union Foundation, Moink, Spindrift,
Frontier Co-Op, Institute for Emerging Issues and Deep River
Brewing Company.
Farm Aid will continue to offer rare and unique artist-signed
and other memorabilia items, including
guitars, albums and prints, with proceeds to benefit Farm
Aid. The silent auction will run online
at farmaid.org/auction through Oct. 7.
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, Dave Matthews and
Margo Price host an annual festival
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 $64
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.
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SOURCE Farm Aid