Farm Aid isn't just about the music, it's also about the food and what goes into catering for close to 6,000 people. And while Farm Aid helps take care of the farmers, who takes care of Farm Aid?
Justin Betzer is the manager for Homegrown Catering.
"We will prepare food for about 5,600 people, so overall it's a couple ton, I would say, of food that we work through," says Betzer.
Exactly who are they feeding?
"We take care of everybody that makes Farm Aid happen," he explains. "That's the way I like to do it. And then the artist the day of the show."
Preparation begins a week prior to the show, which takes place this Saturday at the University of Minnesota's Huntington Bank Stadium.
"Getting equipment in, the propane hooked up, the refrigeration going, making sure the electrical is good, the tents are up," Betzer told WCCO. "And then we start prepping on a Tuesday, like I said, and then start service on a Wednesday."
Thousands of people are involved in the production, and at some point they have to eat over the course of an 11-hour show plus the days of set-up.
Belzer says they lean into local and organic, with much of the food coming from local farms.
"Oh, that's very important, that it's non-GMO, local, organic, and really helping out the small farmers," says Betzer. "You know, that's the biggest thing in that community and making sure that they get taken care of as we're here."
Farm Aid — the annual fundraising concerts launched by Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp during the farm crisis of the 1980s — celebrates its 40th anniversary on Saturday in Minneapolis.
There are still last-minute tickets available here.