Farm Aid’s Plans for 2024

In 2024, Farm Aid remains committed to building a vibrant, family farm-centered system of agriculture in America. This will be a critical year to bring change to our farm and food system—change that improves the lives of farmers, ranchers, workers, eaters: all of us.

Throughout 2024, Farm Aid will:

• Be here for farmers and ranchers when they experience natural disasters by providing emergency assistance and long-term recovery strategies to build resilience to climate change.
• Connect farmers with the resources they need to stay on the land and help new farmers gain access to the credit and tools they need to get started.
• Keep fighting for a Farm Bill that supports farmers in their on-farm climate conservation efforts; protects the health of our soil, water and climate; and strengthens the equity and well-being of us all.
• Stand with and for family farmers and rural people, with their voices at the center, to ensure strong state and federal policies that empower farmers and invigorate rural communities.
• Gather engaged farmers, advocates, eaters and activists to build power to address challenges like factory farms and climate change.
• Bring you the stories and challenges of farmers so that together we can build a family farm centered food system that benefits farmers, communities, eaters and our soil and water.
• Celebrate farmers, music and good food at Farm Aid 2024 (full details, including the date, location and lineup will be announced in spring or early summer).

Your partnership enabled us to accomplish deeply important outcomes in 2023. Here are some highlights:

• We joined farmers from across the country for the Climate Resilience Rally in Washington, DC, to call on Congress to pass a Farm Bill that supports farmers to be stewards of our soil, water and climate. (Spoiler alert: We’ll keep doing that work in 2024, as Congress has extended the bill until next year.)
• Our Farmer Services Team answered more than 700 calls on our Hotline and farmers and activists conducted more than 3,300 searches using our online Farmer Resource Network. Both services provide crucial support to farmers in times of crisis, change and growth.
• We worked with leaders in Washington on policy changes that create more competitive markets for farmers; create equity and access to essential credit; strengthen local, sustainable farm and food systems; and take better care of farmers, ranchers, and farm and food workers.
• We responded to farmers recovering from natural disasters, providing immediate assistance and information after record flooding in the Northeast, extreme weather in the Southeast and drought across the West and Midwest.
• We gathered hundreds of farmers and farm advocates at our Farmer Forum and People’s Hearing to share their challenges and ideas for a Farm Bill that reflects their priorities of climate resilience, racial justice and reining in corporate power in the food system.
• We brought our annual Farm Aid festival back to Indiana and hosted a sold-out crowd of 22,200 for an inspiring day of music, conversations with family farmers and hands-on activities that spark knowledge and joy about agriculture and food!
• We served our HOMEGROWN Concessions®—food grown with an ecological standard by family farmers who receive a fair price for their product—at Farm Aid 2023, once again providing a model for the entire live music industry to serve good food and support family farmers.
• We launched our podcast Against the Grain which brings the voice of farmers and artists, advocates and food experts, activists and policymakers–all of whom are working towards building a more just and equitable farm and food system–to listeners everywhere.
• We made grants of more than $1.3 million to strengthen the essential work of grassroots farmer organizations across the U.S. These grants supported efforts to fight industrial agriculture and factory farms, build power among family farmers and ranchers and much more.