Farm Aid Moves West
Farm Aid organizers Dave Matthews, Neil Young, Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp will hold the annual concert in Auburn, Washington, just outside Seattle, this September.
Farm Aid, in its nineteenth year, is typically held in the Midwest, but Washington is the home to more than 30,000 of the family farms that the event seeks to help with its proceeds. This year’s Farm Aid will take place on September 18th at the White River Amphitheater, located on the Muckleshoot Indian Reservation in Auburn.
“It’s a great time for Farm Aid to head to the West Coast,” Nelson, president of Farm Aid, said. “We’re proud to honor their contributions and recognize the northwest region as a leader in building family farm systems.”
“Seattle is a perfect example of how a city might embrace the philosophy of healthy food, from the farm to the table,” Matthews said. “This year, as always, we will highlight the many dangers we face if corporate, profit-driven farming is allowed to continue its hostile takeover of the world’s food production. But we would also like to celebrate a growing awareness and the solutions that are possible. That’s why we’re bringing Farm Aid to Seattle.”
The four Farm Aid board members — Young, Nelson and Mellencamp started the organization and annual concert in 1985; Matthews joined the board in 2001 — will make their annual appearances at the event. Additional performers will be announced later this summer. Tickets go on sale August 7th through Ticketmaster or the White River Amphitheater box office.