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Dear John,

We are almost at Election Day. Here's your reminder to be sure to set an alarm and go out and VOTE [[link removed]] before polls close on Tuesday, November 5th!

At Farm Aid, our hotline operators hear from farmers in the wake of disasters regularly. Nearly 40 years ago, when Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp started Farm Aid to respond to the family farm crisis, millions of Americans called 1-800-FARM-AID to donate to the cause; today, however, the phone number serves as a hotline that farmers call to get support across a range of issues, including disaster relief. In the latest episode of Against the Grain: The Farm Aid Podcast [[link removed]], we talk to two of Farm Aid's hotline operators Lori Mercer and Tony Glover to learn what they are hearing from farmers in the Southeast in the wake of hurricanes Helene and Milton.

LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE AND LEARN HOW YOU CAN HELP [[link removed]]

“Family farmers can’t wait the months it takes for disaster assistance to come. To lose one more farm to another hurricane or climate-related disaster is one too many.” ~ Shorlette Ammons Farm Aid’s Program Director

We've activated our Family Farm Disaster Fund. [[link removed]] Please consider contributing today.

Now that the Farm Aid 2024 festival season is over, Farm Aid staff members are catching up on things they've missed while focusing on the big show. Here's some of the content Farm Aid Communications Director Jen Fahy has been catching up this past month.

Singer-songwriter (and Farm Aid 2024 artist) Joy Oladokun's new album, Observations from a Crowded Room: "Joy’s unique voice and brave (and simultaneous) vulnerability and strength will break your heart, then lift it up (and even move you to dance!), and inspire you to look inward and connect outward." Bonus: Watch Joy's entire Farm Aid 2024 performance. [[link removed]]Sonja Trom Eayrs’s forthcoming book Dodge County, Incorporated: Big Ag and the Undoing of Rural America, which comes out November 1: "Sonja eloquently describes the effects of Big Ag that are rarely discussed in mainstream food and farm media, including the hollowing-out of rural communities, the steady unraveling of the fabric that once stitched neighborhoods together, and the erosion of democratic values in service to the corporate bottom line."Somebody, Somewhere season three on HBO: "The show beautifully portrays the complexity of rural identities that rarely gets air time, featuring Bridget Everett and Murray Hill."

These are only three of Jen's many suggestions. [[link removed]] Head to our website to read the rest. Let us know if you have farm or rural content to share.

LEARN WHAT WE'VE BEEN WATCHING, READING AND LISTENING TO [[link removed]]

The day before Farm Aid 2024, nearly 300 advocates and farmers representing 42 states, plus Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico, gathered for a day of community building. The event called "A Rural Call to Action for All" featured speakers from across the food system who spoke about issues facing farming and rural communities. Legislators and movement leaders also called for action.

We’ve captured the highlights from this day of community action and advocacy [[link removed]] – from a land blessing by Donna Collins-Smith and Gerrod Smith of the Shinnecock Nation, to closing testimony from Will DellaCamera, a Connecticut farmer who shared his experience protesting the lack of support for farmers facing natural disasters.

CHECK OUT HIGHLIGHTS FROM OUR FESTIVAL PRE-EVENTS [[link removed]] Forward [link removed]

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Farm Aid

501 Cambridge Street, 3rd Floor

Cambridge, MA 02141

First photo: Tiny Bridge Farm in Hendersonville NC

Second photo: © Sharon Carone

Third photo: © Scott Streble

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