Farm Aid in NYC: September 9th

That New York City has a lot of eaters — informed, passionate, concerned eaters — is one of the reasons the annual Farm Aid concert in support of America’s small family farmers is being held at Randalls Island Stadium on Sunday, September 9th. Also, Mayor Bloomberg invited Willie Nelson and his crew of unpaid (not even travel expenses: no private jets on display here) musicians.

What also makes this an event worthy of note is this. This is a concert that walks its talk (Al Gore, are you listening?): all of the food served at the concert will be local and not sourced from factory farms (about 17,000 tickets will be sold). While the menu may not be fully vegetarian, it’s definitely going to be more plant-based than the garden variety concert/big arena fare. I’ve heard Willie Nelson speak out against animal factories, observing that they turn both animal and farmer into (pace Shakespeare) rude mechanicals.

There’s lots of public transportation to get to the concert, including special buses, ferries and even walkways over the East River. Read more about the Farm Aid concert, who’s playing, why it’s important and getting there here. Remember, the Farm Bill is still being debated in Congress. Right now, the industrial giants are winning, not small farmers. Read about what’s at stake here.