Hershey, Pennsylvania, to host Farm Aid concert

HERSHEY, Pa., July 9 (UPI) -- Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews are to headline the 2012 Farm Aid concert in Hershey, Pa., organizers said Monday.

The annual benefit concert is to take place Sept. 22 at Hersheypark Stadium.

"We've built a strong family farm movement to grow our economy, ensure our health and protect our environment. Farm Aid brings these Main Street values to transform the Wall Street-controlled farm and food system," Farm Aid President Willie Nelson said in a statement. "The Farm Aid concert is our chance to shine a spotlight on the independent family farmers who are essential to the well-being of our country."

Also on the bill for Farm Aid 2012 are Tim Reynolds, Jack Johnson, ALO, Pegi Young & the Survivors, and Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real.

"Our country faces pressing challenges, and none of them will be solved without family farmers," Carolyn Mugar, executive director of Farm Aid, said in a statement. "The Farm Aid concert brings farmers and eaters together to grow the kind of agriculture that builds stronger communities and a healthier food system. This year, we look forward to celebrating the ingenuity of farmers from Pennsylvania and all across the United States."

Farm Aid 2002 took place in Burgettstown, Pa.