“The Farm Must Go On,” a live, virtual music benefit concert, harnessed the power of music to do more than raise just dollars.

Pandemic brings hard times for farmers, worsening hunger

CHALLENGE

As the world fought the pandemic, farmers could not press pause. They needed our help. John Deere’s non-profit partner, Farm Rescue, who gathers volunteers to provide planting, haying, harvesting, and livestock feeding assistance to farm and ranch families who have experienced major illness, injury, or natural disaster, was experiencing an influx of requests to provide assistance. Deere was compelled to take action.

INSIGHT

Farmers are the backbone of the nation, but they often face insurmountable challenges. Because of the short window of time, usually between 20 and 30 days, that farmers have to harvest crops, just one setback can put a family farm out of business and have a cascade of ripple effects on their livelihoods and the food supply chain. We wanted to celebrate farmers and their resilience while putting the spotlight on the fact there’s no backup plan for when they face an emergency.

IDEA

Anchored by the insight that even in a pandemic you can’t push pause on a farm, we wanted to amplify the voices of farmers in need through music. “The Farm Must Go On,” a live, virtual music benefit concert, harnessed the power of music to do more than raise just dollars, but also raise hands to support farmers in urgent need of help harvesting and planting for the next season. Through the concert and personal stories, we sought to show young farmers that Deere is a brand that’s empathetic to their problems and lived reality, and that it’s making real moves to help.

Our Rescued Families

 Musical Artists & Promotion Highlights

Earned Media Highlights