Minnesota's first Farm Aid raised more than $1.3 million for farmers

The first Farm Aid held in Minnesota raised more than $1.3 million that will support family farmers, organizers announced Monday.

Farm Aid's end-of-year grant program advances the on-the-ground work of farm and food organizations across the country. This year's grantmaking focuses on four issue areas: racial equity, farmer-led solutions to climate change, stopping the growth of industrial agriculture and providing support for farmers experiencing crisis and farm stress.

"These organizations are the heart of the farm movement, with family farmers at the center of their work and leadership. We are so proud and grateful to stand with them," said Farm Aid president, founder and performer Willie Nelson in a news release. "Like Farm Aid, many of these folks have been working since the 1980s to be crucial sources of strength for farmers and rural communities. This is especially important as farmers once again face trying times reminiscent of the crisis that gave rise to Farm Aid and the movement of which we're a part."

The all-day event, which took place in September at Huntington Bank Stadium, featured Nelson, Bob Dylan, Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews with Tim Reynolds and Margo Price, among others.

Grant programs include $60,000 in emergency and disaster grants to individual farmers, $66,500 in disaster grants related to extreme weather events and climate disasters, $40,000 in farmer leadership grants and $20,000 in scholarship funds to support students majoring in agriculture and related fields.