Willie Nelson Wants to Save Farms
Willie Nelson, country music singer and songwriter, wants to save the farming industry and will take strides to do so in a Kansas City concert on Saturday.
Nelson, president of the Farm Aid organization that he founded 26 years ago to raise funds for suffering farms and farming families, will participate in a benefit concert on Saturday at Livestrong Sporting Park in Kansas City.
The 78-year-old country singer will also be inducted into the Agricultural Hall of Fame on the same day, according to The Kansas City Star.
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Although farming issues do not always make headlines in the news, Nelson insists there are pressing issues taking place within the industry.
“We’re still in a desperate situation with our farmers and the land and the big corporations taking over farms and ruining the soil with chemicals and pesticides. It’s been going on for so long,” Nelson told Kansas City Star.
The singer said politicians need to be made aware of important matters concerning farmers.
“I think the biggest problem is with politicians who either don’t know about it or don’t care. At one time there were more than 8 million family farms in this country,” he said. “We’re down to less than 2 million. Farmers are not having a good time at all, and things aren’t getting better. It would be nice if our politicians would get their stuff together and do something for them.”
Nelson said he and politician Ross Perot once made plans to aid farmers. According to Nelson the plan could still be executed today.
“Remember when Ross Perot ran for president? He and I had some plans about taking the land that the government owns - because they own millions and millions of acres that they’ve confiscated - and taking in farmers on that land and subsidizing them for a few years until they could afford to buy it,” Nelson told The Kansas City Star. “I still think it’s a good idea. We’ve got to figure out a way to get the farmers back on the land.”
The solution, according to Nelson, can be found by getting the country’s youth involved.
“Young people don’t want to farm because there’s no money in it,” Nelson said. “We need to change that.”
Aside from Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews and Jason Mraz are slated to perform at the benefit concert on Saturday.
