Willie Nelson Will Headline 2009 Farm Aid in St. Louis

Willie Nelson, Neil Young, Dave Matthews and John Mellencamp are headlining the Farm Aid benefit concert on Oct. 4 at Verizon Wireless Ampitheater in St. Louis.

Farm Aid is the longest-running benefit concert series, which has raised nearly $35 million since its first show in 1985. This is the first time it will be hosted from St. Louis, stltoday.com wrote.

Matthews is excited about Farm Aid finally coming to St. Louis. "I really love the city, and we have fun there," he said. "I'm glad I can bring this celebration of a lot of things to St. Louis, as well as bring an awareness to these unsung heroes."

Those unsung heroes are family farmers, who struggle to remain afloat in the face of regulation and industrial farming that they say favor profit over quality.

Matthews, Nelson, Young and Mellencamp also make up Farm Aid's board of directors and are the annual show's core performers.

The concert, which can include up to a dozen acts, will probably last most of the day. The start time will be available closer to the event.

Farm Aid's mission is to promote a "vibrant family-farm system in America" by fostering a demand for food from family farms, connecting consumers with farmers and telling people about the benefits of family farms and "dangers" of industrial farming.