In 1985, Willie Nelson, Neil Young, and John Mellencamp organized the first Farm Aid concert to raise awareness about the loss of family farms and to build funds to keep farm families on the land. Since then, Farm Aid has raised more than $64 million to promote a strong and resilient family farm system of agriculture in the United States.
This year, the annual Farm Aid concert event is in Raleigh, North Carolina on Saturday, September 24 with a festival line-up that boasts Willie Nelson & Family, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds, Margo Price, Allison Russell, Brittney Spencer, Chris Stapleton, Sheryl Crow, Lukas Nelson, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Charley Crockett, and Particle Kid.
Farm Aid is featuring Recover Organic Cotton Tees as part of this year’s official festival merchandise. Choosing Recover because of the strong connection in supporting local farmers, Farm Aid and Recover share missions based on the interconnectedness between environmental and social challenges- and being part of the solutions.
Recover’s organic line is 100% farmed, milled, and sewn in the southeastern United States. Besides supporting USA farmers, our organic cotton is fully traceable USDA certified organic, which was a crucial element in Farm Aid’s choosing Recover. Credibility of organic cotton that is certified abroad, versus by USDA, has run into issues due to fraud and misrepresentation of product and growing standards in order to sell at higher prices. USDA certified organic cotton upholds the highest standards, ensuring that the cotton used in Recover’s organic line was grown with methods that integrate cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity, and that do not use synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, irradiation, nor genetic engineering. The Recover organic line also incredibly minimizes carbon emissions due to the highly localized supply chain right here in the Southeast.
Farm Aid has been working to keep family farmers on the land for over 37 years, as many face corporate-favored policies, competition, buy out, and growing challenges of climate change. The annual Farm Aid concert event features family farm food and brings together farmers, artists, and concerned citizens to listen to great music and learn more about ways to support family farmers and the benefits of systems that support them and the food they grow.
In addition to the Farm Aid concert, Farm Aid works to create more markets for family farmers, giving more people the opportunity to access family farm food. The organization cultivates “connections between farmers and eaters” by working to get family farm food in urban neighborhoods, grocery stores, restaurants, schools, and other public institutions.
Since 1985, Farm Aid has also provided and answered 1-800-FARM-AID to provide immediate and effective support services to farm families in crisis. Farm Aid describes, “Now, Farm Aid’s online Farmer Resource Network connects farmers to an extensive network of organizations across the country that help farmers find the resources they need to access new markets, transition to more sustainable and profitable farming practices, and survive natural disasters.”
The organization further works with local, regional, and national organizations to promote fair farm policies and grassroots organizing campaigns to support, defend, and expand family farm-centered agriculture through farm policy change.
The Farm Aid festival this September not only features great music and super comfortable organic Recover tees, but awesome support for family farms, the local, organic food that they grow, and the communities they cultivate. Recover is a proud partner of Farm Aid and we hope to see you out there!
