Willie Nelson founded the annual Farm Aid benefit concert in 1985 with Neil Young and John Mellencamp.
The first Farm Aid concert took place at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois, on September 22, 1985. Nelson, Young, and Mellencamp organized the event to raise awareness and money for family farmers facing a severe agricultural crisis. The concert’s success led to an ongoing organization and a continuing series of benefit performances.
Farm Aid is sometimes confused with Live Aid, the 1985 international benefit for famine relief. The two events occurred in the same year but supported different causes and had different organizers. Farm Aid remains specifically associated with family-farm advocacy, while Willie Nelson has continued to serve as one of its most visible leaders.