Willie Nelson at Farm Aid 40. Photo © Scott Streble

Dear John,

This year, Farm Aid marked our 40th anniversary as a new farm crisis began to unfold. As farmers and our partners in the family farm movement were being tested, so was Farm Aid. Funding freezes threatened the work we do to support family farmers, while the economic crisis called on us to be our best for farmers in need.  

Thank you for being right there, by our side, so that we can stand by family farmers. You have supported our mission to strengthen family farmers in so many ways: by attending Farm Aid festivals, spreading awareness about our work and generously supporting Farm Aid and family farmers with your donations. No matter how you participated these 40 years, your partnership has helped us accomplish so much.

In 2025, Farm Aid embodied our values through our work:

Community   

• We celebrated farmers and farm advocates who've been part of the Family Farm Movement—some since 1985 and many more in the years since!
• We granted more than $1.3 million to strengthen family farmers and farm and rural organizations.
• We gathered 37,000 people at Farm Aid 40 in Minneapolis—and millions more virtually.
• We answered our farmer hotline, handling hundreds of cases and made disaster grants to support Southeastern farmers working to rebuild a year after Hurricane Helene.

Collaboration  

• We worked with the University of Minnesota and area partners on a week of events before Farm Aid's festival, growing the movement for family farm agriculture.
• We cooperated with partners like USDA's Farm Service Agency to host the Distressed Borrowers Assistance Network Gathering to train people supporting farmers.
• We organized alongside farmers and organizations in the Northeast to create climate resilient farms.

Justice  

• We joined in solidarity with striking University workers who won a fair contract, shining a spotlight on the power of farmers and workers coming together.
• We spoke out against threats to SNAP and demonstrated that this program is essential for farmers and eaters alike.
• We rallied hundreds of farmers and advocates to build power at our Farmer Forum: Seeding Democracy, From Our Fields to Our Future.

Stewardship  

• We brought our sustainable HOMEGROWN Concessions® to Neil Young's and Dave Matthews Band's summer tours, putting family farm food front and center before new audiences.
• We spoke up against attacks on local food systems and climate resilient agriculture programs and funding.
• Farm Aid 40 earned a Zero Waste Certification, creating 13,600 pounds of usable compost!
• We strengthened our team's capacity to support farmers, speak up for change and build a resilient family farm-centered agriculture.

We have our work cut out for us in 2026. After forty years, we're not giving up now!

Next year, Farm Aid will continue to provide the crucial resources that family farmers need to navigate the economic turmoil and uncertainty they're experiencing. We'll raise our voices for solutions that embolden family farmers, shore up rural communities and protect our climate, soil and water. We'll bring farmers and eaters together for a farm and food system that benefits us all. And we'll celebrate the joys that family farmers bring to our lives.

Please make a gift right now so that Farm Aid can continue to stand for family farmers and all they do to strengthen our communities!  
 
Stay Strong and Positive,

Willie Nelson
Farm Aid Founder and President

If you're a farmer, we recognize that you may not be able to give at the moment. Thank you for what you do! If you need assistance, please visit our Resources for Farmers page.