SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (AP) — Farm Aid is more than afamily of musicians banding together to help
the small farmer. It’s alsoa family meal.A key component of Farm Aid concerts — this year’sis taking place
Saturday in Saratoga Springs — is the food, which comesthrough Farm Aid’s Homegrown Concessions. It was
started six years agoto create new markets for family farmers.Vendors, which includelocal food-service
outlets, as well as national brands such as Chipotleand Amy’s Organic, must meet Farm Aid’s criteria for
sourcing theingredients in their food, from organic flour in the panini tofree-ranging, antibiotic-free hogs
on the barbecue grill.Even the cotton candy has a family farm origin, made from maple syrup produced in the
Catskills."FarmAid’s mission is about family farmers, and economic opportunity forfamily farmers is a
really big priority of ours," said Glenda Yoder,associate director of Farm Aid. "We also support
good farming practicesand rewarding farmers for those practices. So our Homegrown criteriacall for food that
is sourced from family farms that meet an ecologicalstandard, and that returns a fair price to the
farmer."WillieNelson, Neil Young, Dave Matthews and John Mellencamp lead thestar-studded lineup this
year, along with Jack Johnson, Carlene Carter,Toad the Wet Sprocket and about 10 other artists.The
annualconcert is the chief moneymaker for the Farm Aid organization Nelsonco-founded in 1985 and leads as
president. The beneficiaries of theorganization’s year-round efforts are always featured prominently at
theshows, with a Homegrown Village providing concert-goers a chance tomeet local farmers, learn agrarian
skills, and eat food from vendors whomeet strict criteria set by Farm Aid."We talk about saving
thefamily farmer, but the fact is, it’s the family farmer who will save usall," Nelson said at a media
event before the gates opened at noonSaturday.Matthews gave a shout-out to activists wearinganti-fracking
T-shirts at the media event, which was also open to manyfarmers, vendors and volunteers. "Don’t frack
our farmlands," Matthewsaid, to loud applause. Several anti-fracking groups from New York
andPennsylvania had a booth at the event, calling for New York Gov. AndrewCuomo to continue the state’s
moratorium on shale gas development thatbegan in 2008.During a performance Saturday night, Pete
Seegermodified a line of "This Land is Your Land," declaring "New York wasmeant to be
frack-free."This year the village was set up on theexpansive lawns of the state park surrounding the
Saratoga PerformingArts Center. The action there got going before the 10-hour concert.Thevillage offered
plenty of activities to help people get in touch withtheir inner farmer. There’s a daylong group
potato-stamp art project;workshops on making butter, bacon, cheese, lemon vinegar and llama woolbracelets;
and a demonstration of how to grow shiitake mushrooms on logsin your own backyard.Joshua Cummings of
Hartford, N.Y., wasbiting into a snappy grilled bratwurst as he walked among the vendors’tents. "I want
to know where my food came from and what went into it,"he said, adding that farm-fresh food also tastes
better.WillPouch, owner of the Esperanto restaurant in Saratoga Springs, had tomodify his menu for his Farm
Aid booth to meet the organization’srequirements for all organic and humane-raised food."They havevery
exacting standards that made me look at my menu and sources," Pouchsaid. He used organic chicken and
farm-ground flour in his doughboysfor the event, which increased his ingredient cost by two- or threefold,he
said."I won’t change all my restaurant menu items, though,because many of my customers can’t afford the
higher prices," Pouchsaid. "But I’ll be adding more locally sourced items to the
specialsboard."The Farm Aid organization has raised more than $43 millionsince 1985 to support programs
that help small family farms, expand theGood Food Movement and promote locally grown food. Farm Aid has
madegrants of more than $2.5 million in the Northeast during the past 28years, according to the
organization.Roger Allison, who startedPatchwork Family Farms in Columbia, Mo., with a Farm Aid grant 20
yearsago, said Farm Aid has been a lifesaver for the family farmers in hisorganization who raise hogs in a
natural way, unconfined, withoutantibiotics."Thank god for Willie Nelson and Farm Aid,"
Allisonsaid at Saratoga after driving 23 hours to bring his truckload of savorymeats. "It has really
instilled hope in independent family farms allacross the United States. We love Willie. Willie has helped us
out."Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rightsreserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten orredistributed.