Farm Aid to mark 25th anniversary at Miller Park

Take heart, Brewers fans: there will be action at Miller Park during the month of October.

The Brewers wrap up their home season Sept. 26, but sources tell OnMilwaukee.com that Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and friends are bringing Farm Aid's 25th anniversary concert to the ballpark on Saturday, Oct. 2.

During an interview this week on "The Bill Mack Show" on Sirius XM Willie's Place, Nelson leaked that the show will be held in Milwaukee. A press conference has been scheduled for 11 a.m. Monday with Nelson and Mellencamp expected to reveal details about the concert, which is dubbed "Farm Aid 25: Growing Hope for America."

The press conference, which will reveal the venue, performers and ticket information, will be presented during a live webcast at farmaid.org/25.

Since 1985, Farm Aid has raised more than $37 million to support programs that help farmers thrive, expand the reach of the Good Food Movement, take action to change the dominant system of industrial agriculture and promote food from family farms.

Farm Aid started as a benefit concert on September 22, 1985, in Champaign, Ill., held to raise money for family farmers in the United States. The concert was organized by Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Neil Young, spurred on by Bob Dylan's comments at Live Aid earlier in that year.

Dylan famously said, "I hope that some of the money...maybe they can just take a little bit of it, maybe...one or two million, maybe...and use it, say, to pay the mortgages on some of the farms and, the farmers here, owe to the banks."

Nelson and Mellencamp then brought family farmers before Congress to testify about the state of family farming in America. Congress subsequently passed the Agricultural Credit Act of 1987 to help save family farms from foreclosure.

Nelson, Mellencamp and Young are on the board of directors, along with Dave Matthews. Kenny Chesney also has been involved in recent years.