Registration OPEN for Virtual Farmer Town Hall

September is here, and Farm Aid is only a week out. While many of us are not able to not be there to celebrate in person, hopefully we can at least see each other in zoom-land. As part of this year’s festivities Farm Aid is organizing a pre-concert, virtual Farmer Town Hall Friday, September 24th, from 12-4 pm CT / 11am-3pm MT,to give farmers, ranchers and allies a chance to meet with policymakers, share your stories, ask your questions and discuss the changes we need to build more resilient, equitable food systems here in South Dakota and accross the country.

With pressing issues like corporate concentration and consolidation, debt relief, racial equity and climate change dominating headlines and the countryside alike, we are hoping to use this opportunity to engage in a productive and thoughtful dialogue between farmers, partners, and policymakers to tackle some of the most pressing and complex issues facing our country. (Farm Aid)

The Farmer Town Hall will be an ENTIRELY VIRTUAL  event, held over Zoom, to ensure that all voices are heard and included in these policy conversations. The virtual Farmer Town Hall will take place Friday, September 24th, from 12-4 pm CT / 11am-3pm MT. 

And here is your friendly reminder that registration for Friday’s Farmer Town Hall is now open!

• +++ REGISTER HERE BY WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22!

• +++ AGENDA HERE

Highlights will include:

• Regional Grounding and Welcome by Bryan Hurlburt, Connecticut Commissioner of Agriculture – (12pm CT / 11am MT)
• Keynote and Discussion by Secretary Vilsack and Senators Tina Smith (MN) and Debbie Stabenow (MI) – (1pm CT / 12pm MT)
• Farmer Q&A with USDA Leadership team members including Dewayne Goldman, USDA Senior Advisor on racial equity; Janie Hipp, USDA General Counsel; South Dakota’s very own Zach Ducheneaux, FSA administrator; Gloria Montaño Greene, Deputy Under Secretary farm production and conservation
  • Given the limited time for this event, Farm Aid is asking farmers to register in advance (and specify what topics they’d like to address in their comments) if they’d like an opportunity to comment or ask a question. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to accommodate all requests to comment, but will do our best to accommodate farmer concerns.

​​​​​​​For those of us who can’t make it out this year, here’s how to watch Saturday’s show!

WATCH THE WEBCAST

• Farm Aid 2021 will stream live in HD at farmaid.org, starting at 1pm CT / 12pm MT.
• Watch the festival on your computer, phone, or tablet. If you have a “smart TV,” Apple TV, Roku, or other streaming device, you can watch the webcast on Farm Aid’s YouTube channel.

WATCH ON TV

• Circle Network will broadcast Farm Aid 2021 starting at 7pm CT / 6pm MT. Click here to find Circle in your area.

LISTEN ON SIRIUS XM

• Sirius XM will broadcast Farm Aid 2021 starting at 11am CT / 10am MT on Willie’s Roadhouse (channel 59) and Dave Matthews Band Radio (channel 30).

Contact the DRA office for more information: 605.697.5204