Farm Aid turns 40 and returns to crisis mode

There was never supposed to be a hotline.

The first Farm Aid benefit concert, organized by Willie Nelson in 1985, was intended as a one-off. 1-800-FARM-AID was the phone number people watching the concert on television could call to donate money.

But the next day, the number received more calls from farmers, asking to “talk to Willie,” organizers said. Nelson and other concert organizers quickly realized there was an ongoing need, and Farm Aid concerts — and the farmer help hotline — have continued ever since.

Farm Aid 40 takes place in Minneapolis on Saturday, with Nelson, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, John Mellencamp and others performing. They will pay all their own costs, and ticket revenue and money raised will go to Farm Aid, now one of the most well-established nonprofits within agricul