{"id":15314,"date":"2019-07-17T15:14:21","date_gmt":"2019-07-17T20:14:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thebozho.com\/?p=15314"},"modified":"2019-07-22T10:38:40","modified_gmt":"2019-07-22T15:38:40","slug":"farm-aid-concert-wisconsin-dairy-farms-go-extinct","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thebozho.com\/farm-aid-concert-wisconsin-dairy-farms-go-extinct\/","title":{"rendered":"Farm Aid concert to visit Wisconsin as dairy farms go extinct"},"content":{"rendered":"

Farmers and people who dress like farmers unite: Farm Aid<\/a> is returning to Wisconsin.<\/p>\n

The long-running music and food festival will come to Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy on Sept. 21<\/a>. (Unless Trey Anastasio is still there jamming from Phish\u2019s July 14 gig.) Farm Aid board members Dave Matthews, John Mellencamp, Willie Nelson and Neil Young will appear. The lineup also includes Bonnie Raitt, Margo Price, Nathaniel Rateliff and others.<\/p>\n

This will be Farm Aid\u2019s first time in the state since 2010, when the event was held at Miller Park. Since 1985, Farm Aid has sought to benefit the farms of America\u2019s heartland through the power of heartland rock. So it\u2019s symbolic that organizers chose this year to visit again, because dairy farmers in Wisconsin are straight up not<\/em> having a good time right now. In a press release<\/a>, Willie Nelson explained the rationale: \u201cWith devastating weather, low prices and harmful farm and trade policies, America\u2019s family farmers are facing immense challenges to hold on to their farms.\u201d<\/span>\n

\"Farm
Marc Hauser<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/span>Nelson doesn\u2019t say it outright, but it\u2019s not hard to infer President Donald Trump\u2019s attention-seeking trade wars. Since taking office, Trump has introduced tariffs<\/a> on foriegn steel and aluminum, which has gone over in those countries like a wet fart in a crowded elevator. Mexico, Canada, China and parts of Europe have all introduced their own tariffs on American dairy products.<\/p>\n

Rather than other countries kissing the ring, as perhaps was Trump\u2019s intention, it\u2019s hurt dairy farmers, especially in Wisconsin. Mexico alone has a 25% tariff on American cheese, which makes up a huge part on Wisconsin\u2019s exports. Coupled with prices that have been steadily falling over the last five years, the outlook is pretty fucking bleak for the state\u2019s farmers.<\/p>\n

This week, a PBS NewsHour report<\/a> noted that U.S. demand for milk has steadily dropped over the past few years; some farmers can\u2019t even make back their production costs. Put simply, American cows are making more milk than Americans can drink.<\/p>\n

\u201c2014 saw record prices,\u201d Jim Briggs, a farmer in Clark County, told PBS. \u201cAnd then \u201915, \u201916, \u201917, \u201918 has all been below cost of production prices for the most part.\u201d<\/span>\n