BURGETTSTOWN, PA. Farm Aid sows seeds of agricultural change

Celebrities lent their talent and names to the cause, but there's much more to the story of the plight of small farmers.
By DEBORA SHAULIS
ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
BURGETTSTOWN, Pa. -- The message from Farm Aid 2002 was clear: Family farmers are fighting to survive while factory farms gobble up subsidies, create pollution and produce unhealthy foods.
Settling on solutions is a murkier issue that will last long after the 15th benefit concert, which was Saturday at the Post-Gazette Pavilion here.
Celebrities such as Farm Aid co-founder and rock musician Neil Young advocate more organic farms, saying that would make available better-quality foods direct from caring suppliers.
"Attention shoppers!" Young bellowed into a microphone during a pre-concert press conference. "Buy with a conscience and save," he said, pausing before adding "the family farm."
Country singer Willie Nelson, who started Farm Aid in 1985, said Congress' failure to pass a good farming bill that's fair to small farmers means it's time to bypass the middleman -- government -- and appeal directly to consumers to send a message by changing grocery-shopping habits.
"We're fighting for the American dream," Nelson said.
Intentions may be good, but this Farm Aid needed more follow-through. On one hand, musicians were lending their talent and name recognition to call attention to the cause. More than 23,000 people attended the sold-out event, paying either $62 or $35 for tickets.
On the other hand, that captive audience heard only brief messages about supporting family farms from many performers onstage. Outside the pavilion, there was only one Farm Aid tent where literature was distributed and donations collected, and one display by an organic farm group. CMT: Country Music Television, which began to broadcast the concert at 5 p.m., did include segments about farming issues between performers' shows.
Farmers' stories
Farmers told grave stories to the media about the reality of farming today. Fred Mathews, 54, from upstate New York, said his wife milks 70 cows on their farm while he works as a bus driver so they will have some steady income. Mathews choked up during a media briefing while admitting he had borrowed money to drive to the Post-Gazette Pavilion.
Joel Greeno, a dairy farmer from Kendall, Wis., told a story about an 80-year-old farmer who's about to sell his cows because he can't afford routine maintenance on his milking equipment.
Representatives of various farming organizations say farmers are getting low prices for their goods, in part because of international competition, while consumers are fed up with buying food that isn't fresh or healthy.
The IRS prohibits Farm Aid from giving money directly to farmers unless it's for utility bills or to buy their own food. Farm Aid thus gives grants to farm advocacy organizations.
Checking it out
Paul and Susan Zehentbauer of Hanoverton, in Columbiana County, attended the concert to "see if Willie was for real," he said.
Paul Zehentbauer is a third-generation farmer who with two of his five children runs a dairy farm. They have 1,100 acres, 800 of which they farm; 150 milking cows; and that many more to replace them. When one milks cows twice a day, one doesn't get to attend many concerts. In fact, Zehentbauer and the two sons who farm with him have a rotation so one of them gets a Sunday afternoon off every two weeks, he said.
Paul Zehentbauer doesn't oppose modern farming techniques and says if farmers reverted to techniques of 30 years ago, people wouldn't attend concerts because they'd have to save their money to buy food.
He opposes cloning and calls organic farming "a fad" because not enough food can be produced through it. "Look at those people out here," he said, waving to thousands seated on the lawn. "Do you realize what it takes to feed these people everyday?"
Government subsidies are "a drop in the bucket compared to what we've lost," Susan Zehentbauer said. This year's drought is the worst Paul Zehentbauer says he's ever experienced. Instead of producing and selling about 20,000 bushels of corn, beyond that which is grown for the dairy cows, he said he anticipates buying about 10,000 bushels to feed his livestock this year -- and at a higher price, he added.
Susan Zehentbauer's introduction to farming life came four years ago, when the retired schoolteacher married Paul. Both had been widowed.
She's determined that "Farmers are the only people who put thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars in the ground and pray," she said.
Asked what he tells his sons about the future of farming, Paul Zehentbauer said: "They're the last generation on the farm, because we can't compete anymore."
Star support
One thing was certain -- Farm Aid 2002 was a star-studded affair.
Rock singer John Mellencamp, another Farm Aid co-founder, did what most performers did Saturday: perform the hits that made them famous. In Mellencamp's case, that meant "Small Town" and "Little Pink Houses," among others.
Dave Matthews, who joined Farm Aid's board in 2001, performed solo in an acoustic set. He peppered his performance with many pro-farmer comments, including that "good food is good, and bad food ain't s---."
Rebellious country singer Toby Keith, who performed for a sold-out crowd Friday night at the Pavilion, stayed over to perform at Farm Aid.
Kid Rock, who let a few obscenities fly during the pre-concert press conference, was joined onstage by Uncle Kracker, who's had his own success outside of Kid Rock's shadow, and sang a duet with country singer Allison Moorer.
Blues-rock guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd performed an audience-rousing set with Double Trouble, the band that backed the late, great Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Country singer Lee Ann Womack, she of the crossover hit "I Hope You Dance," was the first musician onstage so she could leave to fulfill a concert obligation in Maryland.
Nelson sang one song during each of Keith's and Womack's sets and was the evening's final performer, after Young.
Other musicians included the Drive-By Truckers, Los Lonely Boys, Anthony Smith, Gillian Welch and Keith Urban. Actor Matthew McConaughey introduced some of the acts and conducted some backstage interviews for CMT.
shaulis@vindy.com