Hurricane Katrina has provided a new twist to the national Farm Aid movement, which was born 20 years ago this month in the midst of the financial crisis that sent American farmers reeling.
In the years since the inaugural Farm Aid concert in 1985, $27 million has been raised to assist farmers in the United States.
This year's concert took on a new emphasis after Katrina pummeled the Gulf Coast of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama last month. Mark Smith, a Farm Aid spokesman, said money from the weeklong 20th anniversary observance will go to victims of the hurricane, especially the farm families clobbered by the storm.
The 20th anniversary Farm Aid program began Friday and concludes with the main event on Sept. 18 at the Tweeter Center in Tinley Park, Ill., located just south of Chicago.
When the first Farm Aid concert was held two decades ago in Champaign-Urbana, an estimated 80,000 people from across the United States crowded into the University of Illinois football stadium to help show their support for the plight of American farmers.
The event was organized by entertainer Willie Nelson, who continues to serve as president of the Farm Aid organization.
Nelson said of this year's Farm Aid program, "This is a moment when each of us can take stock of what we can offer to everyone affected by this catastrophe."
He said that farmers in the region have suffered "massive losses" in livestock, crops and farm buildings. He said an initial $30,000 has been sent to Farm Aid's partner organizations in the South by cooperatives and church groups.
The very first Farm Aid concert — a 14-hour affair — was orchestrated by Nelson. He was moved to act after watching financial troubles pile up for family farmers as prices fell and interest rates rose. Nelson wrapped up that first concert by singing the hymn, "Amazing Grace," long after midnight. More>>>
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posted by ADMIN @ Sunday, September 11, 2005
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