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Farm Aid Coming to Vermont?

Burlington, Vermont - September 29, 2009

Next year marks the 25th anniversary of Farm Aid, the annual concert put on by music legends to support family farms. A group of locals is hoping to convince those musicians to celebrate their anniversary in Vermont.

For two years the co-owners of WBKM, a web-based radio station in Burlington have lead the effort. They formed a Farm Aid Vermont Committee made up of local businesses leaders and others dedicated to bringing the concert to the Green Mountains.

"I think it would mean recognition for the things that have already been done, but also pushing people to continue to live in a sustaining way, to sustain our environment," says WBKM co-owner Eric Koval of why he started the effort.

Farm Aid began in 1985 as a concert put on by Willie Nelson, Neil Young, and John Mellencamp. Over the last 24 years Farm Aid has donated $35 million to small farmers and organizations that work to keep family farms open. Several years ago Dave Mathews joined the organization's board and now the four men hold annual concerts across the country.

Tuesday night marked the first public portion of the fight to attract Farm Aid to Vermont. American Flatbread hosted a fundraiser to support the committee. For each pizza ordered that night the company donated $4 to Farm Aid Vermont. Flatbread buys many of its ingredients from local farmers and two years ago the company took its mobile unite to the Farm Aid concert in New York City.

"The rest of the country can see how Vermont cares about its small farms and farmers and how the community rallies around it's working landscape," say restaurant owner Rob Downey.

Hosting the Farm Aid concert will be a symbol of support and an economic boost to an area badly in need. Over the last ten months, 78 Vermont farms have shutdown.

"Washington has never really helped the family farmers to the extent that they should be and in a year like this with economic upheavals and economic distress, the family farms are getting hurt you know right from the ground up," says WBKM co-owner Tony Gallucci.

The money raised Tuesday night is helping send Gallucci and Koval to Farm Aid 2009 in St. Louis, Missouri. The two were guests at last year's concert. There they had the chance to meet with organizers face to face. Both men say Farm Aid seems interested in a Vermont venue.

"No guarantees, but met with very receptively," says Gallucci.

So far there are no details for exactly where the concert might take place. That is something the two men are in conversation with concert organizers about. Farm Aid usually announces its host site just a few months before the concert so Gallucci and Koval will likely have to wait until the beginning of next summer to find out if their efforts pay off.

And if 2010 does not pan out the men say they will push for whatever year they can get.

Bianca Slota - WCAX News