Flooded farm buildings in Southeastern Iowa. Photo © Criss Roberts.

Here at Farm Aid, we started working on disaster relief for flooded Iowa farmers on Monday. We’ve been on the phone with Iowa farm organizations to create an action plan and yesterday we sent out a letter from Willie to all of our members asking for their help. Farmers in Wisconsin and Iowa are in trouble already and as the floodwaters flow down the Mississippi, Illinois and Missouri farmers are facing rising water next. Farm Aid will be there to help farmers in all of the affected states.

Dear Farm Aid Supporter,

Severe weather in nine Midwestern states is devastating family farmers. Disastrous floods in Iowa and Wisconsin have hit farmers especially hard–more than 30 counties in Iowa alone have already been declared federal disaster areas. More areas are expected to be threatened by rising flood water in the next few weeks.

Farm Aid is working now with local farm groups, churches, and rural organizations to get emergency funds out quickly to flooded farmers. Today we made our first grant of $10,000 to a local Iowa farm organization to provide emergency assistance to farmers in need right now.

Farm Aid has a long history of helping farm families survive disasters—but we need your donation to do it. Can you help by making a tax-deductible donation of $25, $100, $500, or $1,000?

When major disasters like this strike, desperate farmers and farm organizations call Farm Aid. With your help, Farm Aid can help by providing emergency funds for families to buy food and cover living expenses and by supporting emergency hotlines and organizations that provide legal, financial and emotional counseling to farm families in need.

Please make an emergency contribution to Farm Aid’s Family Farm Disaster Fund right now and we will rush your funds to the stricken area.

Stay Strong and Positive,

Willie Nelson

P.S. Disasters like this bring people together, and right now family farmers need your help. Your gift goes a long way toward helping a flooded farm family.

After 23 years of working with family farmers, we’ve learned a lot from farmers about what they need when weather disasters like this happen. With that knowledge, we can jump in quickly to provide on-the-ground help.

We know farm families need emergency funds first—for food and everyday living expenses. When those immediate needs are met, farmers turn their attention to the business of farming and Farm Aid is there to hook them up with credit and legal counselors. Finally, Farm Aid provides training to fill out the complicated Federal Disaster Assistance paperwork once the government makes it available. Farm Aid is there every step along the way.

You can learn more about the Farm Aid Family Farm Disaster Fund, and make a donation, on our website.