.png)
Farm Aid Adds Music Star Nathaniel Rateliff to Its Board
- Bob Benenson
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
Longtime Regular at Annual Festival Expands Artist Leadership
Farm Aid, a non-profit leader in advocating for family farmers and a better food system, was founded by music stars Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp in 1985. The founders, who still serve on the Board of Directors, have been joined over the years by Dave Matthews, Margo Price and — as of this week — Nathaniel Rateliff.
He and his band, The Night Sweats, have been regulars at Farm Aid's annual mega-concert since 2016, getting the crowds on their feet with their blend of soul, R&B and rock. A strong supporter of Farm Aid's efforts, Nathaniel also often participates in panel discussions held on the Farm Aid Festival's Farmstage.
Here is how Farm Aid announced his appointment to the Board:
BOSTON — Farm Aid announced today that Americana award-winning artist Nathaniel Rateliff has joined its Board of Directors. After a unanimous vote, Rateliff will work alongside founders Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp, fellow artist board members Dave Matthews and Margo Price and a team of industry professionals. Rateliff is the third artist to be added to Farm Aid’s Board since its original founding.
“Farm Aid has made a huge impact on me,” Rateliff shared. “It is always one of my favorite events of the year. It is an honor and a privilege to join my heroes and peers as a Farm Aid board member. I look forward to working together to continue educating the public on the struggles family farmers face and to raise money to support them for a better future.”
The Farm Aid Board has guided the organization for 40 years, working year-round to build an agricultural system that values family farmers, good food, healthy soil and water, and strong rural communities. Deeply committed to Farm Aid’s mission, the Board artists anchor the annual festival — an event that offers unforgettable music while also raising critical funds, growing public awareness, celebrating family farmers and galvanizing support for them across the country. These artist-leaders stay closely connected to the people and places they support, elevating the voices of farmers from diverse backgrounds and using their own voices to amplify the urgent issues shaping the future of agriculture."
Farm Aid also has announced the return of its Breaking Bread online series. The first program of 2026, to be held on Thursday, February 26 at 11:30 a.m. central, focuses on how Black farmers are organized to fight against the U.S. Department of Agriculture's long history of discrimination.
The webinar will be headlined by Shirlette Ammons, described by Farm Aid as "a Black, queer, southern truth teller and Emmy and Peabody award-winning TV producer, poet and musician from eastern North Carolina." She last year released an audio series, Tending, profiling the Black farmers involved in a class action lawsuit against the USDA (a fight that became one of the largest class action, civil rights lawsuits in U.S. history).