Bringing Music and Messages to the Masses

Farm Aid may be known for its annual music and food festival celebrating family farmers, but Vanguard supports all aspects of this national organization’s communications strategy to promote a family farm-centered system of agriculture in America and help farmers thrive. We employ integrated media strategies to disseminate Farm Aid’s messages and have developed relationships with key reporters who cover intersecting beats, from agriculture to entertainment. Vanguard coordinates the massive media operation at the all-day music and food festivals, from managing artists to promoting ticket sales to orchestrating live television coverage. A component of this effort is managing media access to celebrities such as Farm Aid Board Members Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews, Margo Price and Nathaniel Rateliff, as well as other music mega-stars such as Chris Stapleton, Sheryl Crow, Jack Johnson, Alabama Shakes and Van Halen.

On September 20, 2025, Farm Aid marked its 40th anniversary in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with a week of conversations, celebrations and educational events. The event drew 37,000 attendees and reached more than 4 million viewers through a live national broadcast on CNN. Thanks to this collaboration, the organization raised a record-breaking $8 million to support family farmers across the country — the most raised since Farm Aid’s first show in 1985. Additionally, Farm Aid 40 secured nearly 7,000 print, online and broadcast media stories, amassing more than 14 billion impressions. We were also honored to support key public officials onsite, including Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Senator Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota Commissioner of Agriculture Thom Petersen, and Mayor of Minneapolis Jacob Frey.