Farm Aid 40 has been in the works for months. The anniversary celebration is scheduled to take place on Sept. 20 at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Farm Aid board members Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews, Margo Price, and more are scheduled to make appearances. But whether the event is still held at the intended venue, or whether it goes on at all, is dependent on whether the University of Minnesota labor strike is resolved.
“Our artists, production team and partners have made clear that they will not cross a picket line,” Farm Aid event organizers shared in a statement. “The team that is scheduled tomorrow to begin building our complex stage and set is made up of loyal production people who have an ongoing relationship with labor across the U.S. They also will not cross a picket line. These decisions reflect our own values: the farm and labor movements are inseparable, and we believe strongly that the University must return to the bargaining table in good faith.”
Teamsters employees at the University of Minnesota began their strike on Tuesday, Sept. 9 after the university failed to return with other contract offers after the union representing maintenance, custodial, and food service workers across campuses in the city rejected their latest, and final, offer. The University of Minnesota issued a statement on Wednesday, Sept. 10, saying “the actions of some picketers on our Twin Cities and Duluth campuses threaten the community’s safety and are extremely concerning.” Per CBS News, a dozen people have been arrested in relation to the strike.
“We are deeply concerned that this jeopardizes our ability to hold Farm Aid 40 as planned but primarily puts these workers in a place of hardship as they labor to provide basic needs for their families,” organizers said. “We are currently looking at all of our options for hosting this event, but it is not an easy task to pivot at this point.”
But a move or cancellation at this point in the planning process could be financially “devastating,” the statement continued: “We are currently looking at all of our options for hosting this event, but it is not an easy task to pivot at this point … The expenses already incurred to bring this historic event to Minnesota may well threaten the survival of our organization after four decades of service to family farmers.”
The event is scheduled to also feature Billy Strings, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Trampled by Turtles, Waxahatchee, Eric Burton of Black Pumas, Jesse Welles, Madeline Edwards, and more.
“We urge the University of Minnesota to settle this contract quickly so that Farm Aid 40 can proceed as intended — to celebrate four decades of farmers, music, and solidarity,” organizers said. “The world is watching, and together we can make sure this anniversary is remembered for unity, not division.”