Drop whatever "county fairgrounds in flyover states" impressions you have of Farm Aid, because this September it's coming to NYC. Now in its 19th year, this musical offspring of the Red Headed Stranger and the Cougar will take root in the fertile loam of Randalls Island on September 9, sprouting into what promises to be a bumper crop of hearty tunes and Good Food.
If farms and farming are not the first thing that the words "New York" bring to mind, think again. Pomp and celeb press photos aside, I've found most fascinating some of the facts about New York agriculture offered up by Farm Aid's website. Some highlights:
- There are 36,000 farms in New York.
- New York State boasts 127 Community Supported Agriculture programs, where members buy a "share" of the farm and receive weekly deliveries of fresh food, and 327 farmers markets.
- There are 428 certified organic farms and 330 certified organic crops in New York, which are grown on 26,955 acres.
- Dairy is New York's top agricultural industry, with about 6,000 dairy farms.
- New York is currently losing almost 40 dairy farms a month.
Proceeds from the concert with go to assistance programs for local family farms and to organizations like Just Food, which helps promote eating locally in NYC.
At a press conference earlier this month, Mayor Bloomberg seemed outright giddy while welcoming Farm Aid -- this year dubbed "A Homegrown Festival" -- to the five boroughs, although his enthusiasm is somewhat lost in his rather scripted sound bite: "The City strongly supports sustainable family farming through our Greenmarket program -- which we have nearly doubled over the past five years - and it's an honor to be hosting Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Farm Aid for their 2007 concert." (I'll leave it to the plentiful cynics to write this off as a mere PR stunt for Middle American votes in his un-campaign for president.)
Bio-Willie himself offered a more down-to-earth assessment: "We’re so happy that y’all have invited us, Farm Aid, to New York City. More people eat probably around here than anywhere in the world."
