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Farm Aid endorses NO OLF; singer Willie Nelson sends plea to President Bush
By BILL SANDIFER Staff Writer
Opponents of a proposed Navy outlying landing field in Washington County have a new voice in their arsenal.
On Friday, Willie Nelson, long an advocate for farmers, issued a news release through Farm Aid, an organization he co-founded with singers John Mellencamp and Neil Young to help farmers in need.
Nelson, as Farm Aid's president, called on President George Bush to intervene on behalf of landowners in Washington and Beaufort counties.
"At a time when America is losing 15,000-20,000 family farmers and many rural communities every year," writes Nelson, "I cannot agree with the Navy's misguided plan. The loss of every single American farm family erodes our nation's capacity to be food self-sufficient -- a national security priority of utmost importance. ... Mr. President, family farmers are America's livelihood and heritage; and they are central to our future. Keeping families on their land and conserving our land's productivity is absolutely critical to America's strength and resilience. Displacing family farmers and destroying farmland in the name of national defense only makes America weaker and more vulnerable."
Nelson asked Bush to direct the Navy to work with state and local officials to select a mutually acceptable alternative site, "one that does not displace family farmers, threaten the environment, or place our Navy pilots at unnecessary risk. Navy officials know these sites exist and it is not too late to use reason and good judgment to find a better solution for all concerned."
Nelson also reiterated concerns expressed by conservation groups about waterfowl that winter at nearby Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, underscoring the value of the refuge and the value of pilots' lives that could be threatened during OLF operations.
Mark Smith, Farm Aid campaign director, said on Friday that the organization had been monitoring the dispute between landowners and the Navy. He said some of the latest issues prompted Nelson to weigh in.
"We felt it was time to notch it up a little," said Smith. "We'll see what reaction this produces."
Farm Aid, added Smith, will determine its next step based on that response.
"I love it," said an excited Doris Morris, communications director for North Carolinians Opposed to the OLF. "This is super. This is powerful."
Morris added, "Hopefully, the president will have to make some kind of response to this."
A downloadable copy of Nelson's letter can be found at www.farmaid.org.
Facts about Farm Aid
"The fight to save family farms isn't just about farmers. It's about making sure that there is a safe and healthy food supply for all of us. It's about jobs, from Main Street to Wall Street. It's about a better America."
- Willie Nelson, President, Farm Aid
"In 1985, Farm Aid was born from the passion and commitment of a group of musical artists who wanted to give something back to the rural communities that raised them," the organization's Web site points out. Since then, Farm Aid co-founders Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Neil Young "have brought hundreds of artists together to sing a song of hope for rural America."
In 2001, Dave Matthews joined the Farm Aid Board of Directors to lend his support to the cause.
"Thousands of Americans have joined these artists in their commitment to help keep family farmers on their land to provide fresh, locally grown, healthful food for all of us," the Farm Aid Web site says.
Since its beginning, Farm Aid has granted more than $17 million to more than 100 farm organizations, churches and service agencies in 44 of the 50 states. "Many Farm Aid grants are used for direct services, including food and emergency aid, legal assistance, and hotlines. These services have helped thousands of struggling farm families across the country stay on the land," the Web site says.
"The remainders of Farm Aid funds are distributed as program grants to promote outreach, education, and the development of long-term solutions for the problems facing rural America. As the farm crisis has become a chronic problem, Farm Aid funds have allowed small projects to grow into strong organizations, which build on the energy and know-how of family farmers across the country.
"Over the past 18 years, Farm Aid has built itself into an important part of the rural landscape. Nelson, Young, Mellencamp and Matthews have extended and deepened their commitment by continuing to serve as Farm Aid board members. Nelson continues to sign all of the grant checks that go to people in the countryside.
"'Unfortunately," said Mellencamp on the Web site, "there is an on-going need for the kinds of help Farm Aid provides. We all see what's happening with agriculture, what's happening to our small towns. They are going out of business. That's a direct result of the farm problem. We're still doing Farm Aid because it is still contributing. It's still doing a job.'"
On Friday, Willie Nelson, long an advocate for farmers, issued a news release through Farm Aid, an organization he co-founded with singers John Mellencamp and Neil Young to help farmers in need.
Nelson, as Farm Aid's president, called on President George Bush to intervene on behalf of landowners in Washington and Beaufort counties.
"At a time when America is losing 15,000-20,000 family farmers and many rural communities every year," writes Nelson, "I cannot agree with the Navy's misguided plan. The loss of every single American farm family erodes our nation's capacity to be food self-sufficient -- a national security priority of utmost importance. ... Mr. President, family farmers are America's livelihood and heritage; and they are central to our future. Keeping families on their land and conserving our land's productivity is absolutely critical to America's strength and resilience. Displacing family farmers and destroying farmland in the name of national defense only makes America weaker and more vulnerable."
Nelson asked Bush to direct the Navy to work with state and local officials to select a mutually acceptable alternative site, "one that does not displace family farmers, threaten the environment, or place our Navy pilots at unnecessary risk. Navy officials know these sites exist and it is not too late to use reason and good judgment to find a better solution for all concerned."
Nelson also reiterated concerns expressed by conservation groups about waterfowl that winter at nearby Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, underscoring the value of the refuge and the value of pilots' lives that could be threatened during OLF operations.
Mark Smith, Farm Aid campaign director, said on Friday that the organization had been monitoring the dispute between landowners and the Navy. He said some of the latest issues prompted Nelson to weigh in.
"We felt it was time to notch it up a little," said Smith. "We'll see what reaction this produces."
Farm Aid, added Smith, will determine its next step based on that response.
"I love it," said an excited Doris Morris, communications director for North Carolinians Opposed to the OLF. "This is super. This is powerful."
Morris added, "Hopefully, the president will have to make some kind of response to this."
A downloadable copy of Nelson's letter can be found at www.farmaid.org.
Facts about Farm Aid
"The fight to save family farms isn't just about farmers. It's about making sure that there is a safe and healthy food supply for all of us. It's about jobs, from Main Street to Wall Street. It's about a better America."
- Willie Nelson, President, Farm Aid
"In 1985, Farm Aid was born from the passion and commitment of a group of musical artists who wanted to give something back to the rural communities that raised them," the organization's Web site points out. Since then, Farm Aid co-founders Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Neil Young "have brought hundreds of artists together to sing a song of hope for rural America."
In 2001, Dave Matthews joined the Farm Aid Board of Directors to lend his support to the cause.
"Thousands of Americans have joined these artists in their commitment to help keep family farmers on their land to provide fresh, locally grown, healthful food for all of us," the Farm Aid Web site says.
Since its beginning, Farm Aid has granted more than $17 million to more than 100 farm organizations, churches and service agencies in 44 of the 50 states. "Many Farm Aid grants are used for direct services, including food and emergency aid, legal assistance, and hotlines. These services have helped thousands of struggling farm families across the country stay on the land," the Web site says.
"The remainders of Farm Aid funds are distributed as program grants to promote outreach, education, and the development of long-term solutions for the problems facing rural America. As the farm crisis has become a chronic problem, Farm Aid funds have allowed small projects to grow into strong organizations, which build on the energy and know-how of family farmers across the country.
"Over the past 18 years, Farm Aid has built itself into an important part of the rural landscape. Nelson, Young, Mellencamp and Matthews have extended and deepened their commitment by continuing to serve as Farm Aid board members. Nelson continues to sign all of the grant checks that go to people in the countryside.
"'Unfortunately," said Mellencamp on the Web site, "there is an on-going need for the kinds of help Farm Aid provides. We all see what's happening with agriculture, what's happening to our small towns. They are going out of business. That's a direct result of the farm problem. We're still doing Farm Aid because it is still contributing. It's still doing a job.'"
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