A Farmer's Fight For Family Farms

Don Kimbrell (Story & Video)

The first time we spoke to Willie Nelson about the plight of American farmers, was at one of his first Farm Aid concerts. And it was Willie who introduced us to Don, a farmer who has spent most of his life fighting for family farmers and promoting awareness about why family farms are such an important part of our country. “I get discouraged sometimes, but I’m not about to quit. We need people to understand that what happens to farmers will affect them in the end.” In 1979, Don drove a tractor from Happy, Texas to Washington D.C. to make lawmakers aware of the problems plaguing the farming industry. Since then, Don has continued to organize groups of farmers from all over the country, to peacefully rally and bring attention to the issues still facing family farms. "We started out to save the family farmer. Now it looks like the family farmer is going to save us" (Willie Nelson).

Photo, Farms Occupy the Mall 1979. Jo Freeman / jofreeman.com; Video excerpt. Unsung Heroes Network; Photo, Don Kimbrell. Pinterest