After more than a decade away, Farm Aid is returning to Saratoga Springs this weekend.
Farm Aid began touring the country at new venues after its inaugural show in 1985. It came to Saratoga Performing Arts Center in 2013 and drew more than 25,000.
Cultural Impact Director Michael Foley says the first Farm Aid was held to raise awareness and support for farmers impacted by the so-called “farm crisis.”
“In the 1980s farmers were faced with a farm crisis that revolved primarily around plummeting prices and around loans, you know, being pushed off the land because they couldn’t pay the mortgages that they had taken out and had been encouraged to take out by the government. And fortunately the organizing that took in that farm crisis led to legislation being passed so that that kind of bleeding was finally stemmed,” said Foley.
In the 1990s, Farm Aid shifted its focus to the harm industrial farming was doing to the environment and local farmers. Foley says farmers still face many of the same issues as they did then.
“That’s still primarily one of the problems that we're dealing with is that farms are being squeezed. And in New York state, one of the reasons we’re here in New York state is that you’ve lost—in the last agricultural census, which is 2017-2022, showed a loss of over 3,000 farms in New York state alone. That’s almost 10% of the family farms in New York state. So, we’re here to shine a light on that and shine a light on the work that family farmers are doing to stay on the land and to keep feeding us. Because, as we saw during COVID, the supply chain is only as strong as the family farms that hold it up,” said Foley.
The 11-hour concert features big names like Willie Nelson, Neil Young, and John Mellencamp who founded Farm Aid.
Celia Darling works in Skidmore College’s Sustainability Office. She grew up on a Christmas tree farm near the Finger Lakes. While she’s excited to see the artists, she’s more interested in the concert’s Homegrown Village.
“So, they have all of these different workshops happening through the day and presentations where folks can learn not only how to grow their own food but how to support farmers as well as just skills that are applicable to sustainability which is so incredibly exciting. My parents are coming in from Rochester which is really exciting and we’re all going to volunteer together,” said Darling.
Just outside of Saratoga Springs, Featherbed Lane Farm in Ballston Spa relies largely on draft horses and other eco-friendly means of growing and managing crops.
Owner and manager Tim Biello says being featured in this year’s celebration is a full circle moment after attending the 2013 show.
“I know I’ve put a lot of myself into this, my family provides a lot of support to me. The farmers that I get to work with here and are a part of our farm crew are incredible. And our community of CSA members and so many other things are a part of how it all can actually work. But it feels really special to now be a part of it and to know that we, in some ways, survived long enough to get here and also that we’re doing some things, I think, right and well that are worth mayb highlighting as a part of this event and I feel really honored to be a part of that,” said Biello.
Biello applauds Farm Aid’s mission to raise awareness around the challenges local farmers face.
“It’s really special to think about how hard it is to find land, to get a farm started, to find farmers to work with and be a part of the team. To find the markets and develop the markets and sustain them, make ends meet. To do all the things to not only get the land and get started but to sustain a business? It’s a significant challenge,” said Biello.
Since 1985, Farm Aid has raised nearly $80 million to support small and family-owned farms. The venue's food will feature locally sourced produce, and performances from artists including Margo Price, Dave Matthews, and Mavis Staples start at 11:30.
