Willie Nelson Refuses to Cross Picket Line for Farm Aid 40

Founding members of Farm Aid, Willie Nelson, Neil Young, and John Mellencamp, will not cross the picket line of striking Teamsters at Huntington Bank Stadium at the University of Minnesota to perform at Farm Aid 40 scheduled for September 20th, 2025.

NBC affiliate KARE 11 in Minneapolis reported that event organizers say they will find a new venue or cancel the show unless the University, located in Minneapolis, reaches a new collective agreement with maintenance, food service and janitorial staff who have been on a rolling strike since September 9th.

Negotiations have been ongoing since March of this year, and CBS News reported that a dozen people have been arrested in relation to the strike.

"The farm and labor movements are intertwined," a spokesperson for Farm Aid said in a statement to KARE 11. "Time and again farmers and workers have shown up for each other in solidarity. We are proud that the Teamsters support our festival each year! Our artists, production team and partners have made clear that they will not cross a picket line."

In addition to Nelson, Young, and Mellencamp, the scheduled lineup of performers include Farm Aid board member Dave Matthews, Kenny Chesney, Wynonna Judd, and Steve Earle, among others.

The production team was scheduled to begin building the stage today.

Farm Aid said that if it is forced to move or cancel, it "may well threaten the survival of our organization after four decades of service to family farmers."

According to Farm Aid's website, the nonprofit organization has raised over $85 million since the first Farm Aid concert was held in 1985 "to raise awareness about the loss of family farms and to raise funds to keep farm families on the land."

UPDATE: CBS News has reported that Farm Aid will continue as scheduled after a tentative deal was reached between the University of Minnesota and members of Teamsters Local 320.

Willie Nelson (Photo credit: Gary Miller)