The Farm Aid Festival is returning to Indiana after 20 years.
The event will feature musicians including Willie Nelson, Neil Young, and John Mellencamp. Farm Aid has worked to raise funds for family farmers since 1985, and performers donate their time in an effort to raise money.
This will be the third time Farm Aid has visited Indiana. The last festival took place in 2001, just after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Jennifer Fahy is the communications director for Farm Aid. She said the festival is about supporting local farmers.
“It’s really about celebrating the farmers who are here,” she said. “It’s high time we got back here to this state where agriculture is so important.”
Fahy said following the pandemic, the organization has begun drawing attention to the impacts of climate change on local farmers.
“Climate change is becoming more and more real and impactful on farms,” she said. “Farmers are right there on the front lines seeing the changes on their land. We wanted to shine that spotlight.”
The Farm Aid press release announcing the event draws particular attention to Indiana’s status as the state with the most polluted rivers and streams in the country.
The festival will be held in Noblesville on Saturday, Sept. 23.
