Yes, there was plenty of music to be enjoyed at Farm Aid at Huntington Bank Stadium on Saturday, the first time in the organization’s 40-year history that Minnesota has played host.

But at its core, the festival is about building economic and political support for family farmers and sustainable, small-scale agriculture, and that goal was front and center at Farm Aid 40.

During an invitation-only panel discussion before the concert for the media, farmers, organizers and other guests, musicians and Minnesota farmers highlighted the importance of events like Farm Aid in supporting family farmers across the country.

“The face of agriculture is changing, and we have to be able to support everybody who wants to come and do this work, because it’s hard work,” Kelsey Zaavedra, who runs Heirloomista farm in Chisago County and advocates for other young farmers, said during the panel discussion.

Farmers were struggling in the ‘80s, which is what sparked musicians Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp to stage the first Farm Aid in 1985. And farmers are still struggling now, panelists said, with challenges ranging from climate change to global trade policy to corporate consolidation.

“I’ve been farming for a long time, and there’s never been an aspect of farming that wasn’t in crisis,” said southwest Minnesota farmer and Minnesota Department of Agriculture farm advocate Ruth Ann Karty. “We all work together, we belong together, we know what our heritage is and it’s not that we have to do this — it’s that we love to do this.”

The message that uplifting small, independent family farms is inherently and vitally anti-corporate was pervasive throughout the day: Neil Young specifically called out Minnesota-based Cargill during the pre-show panel discussion. Nathaniel Rateliff wore a stop-sign-red “Stop Factory Farms” T-shirt during his set.

Farmers seemed to agree. When it comes to sustainable or ‘regenerative’ agriculture, said Finlayson, Minn., farmer Hannah Bernhardt, “it does give us more power back. We’re not having to spend as much money with corporations. We’re not at their beck and call when we can do things on our own.”

To media and farm advocates assembled before the concert began, Young called for wealthy corporations and individuals to pay a “conscience tax” to support smaller farms, a proposal musician Dave Matthews quickly echoed.

“I’ve been very fortunate in this country to do what I love and be compensated — overcompensated — for doing what I love, so I’m very happy to pay my taxes,” Matthews added, in comments that were later re-broadcast over the loudspeakers to the whole crowd during a set change in the afternoon.

“And I would love my taxes to go to school lunches and after-school programs. I would love my taxes to help pay for the healthcare of people who need it. I would love my taxes to keep family farmers on the land, to help my family and planet stay healthy. I’m not happy to have my taxes pay for tax breaks for billionaires…and I’m not happy for my taxes to be used to bomb children and be complicit in terrible violence and genocide.”

Once the gates opened and the marathon concert began, food politics — and politicians — remained ever-present.

In an outdoor area dubbed the Homegrown Village, local food justice and sustainability organizations like North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems, Dream of Wild Health and the Land Stewardship Project set up info booths and interactive projects to get attendees involved more long-term.

Early in the afternoon, Rep. Angie Craig of the state’s 2nd Congressional District — who’s the ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee — introduced country singer Wynonna Judd’s set. Later, Sen. Amy Klobuchar took the stage to introduce Margo Price and noted that Price was the final musician to perform on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” before the late-night show was pulled from the air last week in a decision that has sparked free-speech concerns.

(Price’s opening song on Saturday night, “Don’t Let the Bastards Get You Down,” felt similarly pointed.)

And Gov. Tim Walz made a surprise late-night appearance to introduce the show’s final performer, Willie Nelson, who had reportedly made a personal phone call to the governor earlier this month to help resolve a Teamsters strike that threatened to derail the concert.

Likely referencing that labor dispute, Walz called on the crowd to “give the union sisters and brothers in the stage production crew a big hand,” and he praised “the role of agriculture producers across this country who feed, fuel and clothe not just us in our nation but the world.”

Of Nelson, Walz said the 92-year-old country icon and Farm Aid organizer is “a man who truly embodies the American spirit: Fiercely independent, generous, kind, irreverent, decent and a bit of a hell-raiser.”

During the pre-show event, musician and inaugural Farm Aid performer John Mellencamp was even more explicit, literally and figuratively, about the continued impact Nelson and Farm Aid have on farmers.

“We wouldn’t have raised a (expletive) dime if it wasn’t for him,” Mellencamp said. “We know the Farm Bills they pass in Washington are not for family farms, we know they’re for large agriculture. And we were so naive when we started this, that we thought we’d do one show and they’d pay attention to us.”

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A woman is suspected of driving under the influence in a single vehicle rollover crash Saturday night in Maplewood that killed a small child, according to the state patrol.

The state patrol said they believed alcohol was involved in the 6:25 p.m. crash in which the driver, a 28-year-old St. Paul woman, lost control of a 2002 Chevrolet Tahoe while taking the exit from eastbound Highway 36 to southbound Highway 61.

A state patrol report said the woman lost control of her vehicle while driving at a “high rate of speed.” The vehicle flipped and rolled into a ditch where it was submerged in one to two feet of water.

The child, believed to be one year old or younger, was extricated from under the overturned vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver, along with two other children, ages 5 and 6, and a 32-year-old Mounds View man were taken to Regions Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

 

 

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This is what it was supposed to look like for the Vikings: the offense functioning in a way where the ball came out on time and the unit as a whole avoided monumental mistakes, the defense pressuring the opposing quarterback with reckless abandon and forcing multiple turnovers.

Virtually all of that had been missing over the past couple of weeks. The Vikings looked a little bit off in all phases, whether it was in their Monday night victory at Chicago or in last week’s loss to Atlanta at home. But everything clicked for the Vikings in Sunday’s 48-10 win over the Cincinnati Bengals victory at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Though the defensive touchdowns from cornerback Isaiah Rodgers were the story of the game, maybe more important was the fact that the Vikings as a whole got back on track, playing a brand of football conducive to long-term success.

Here are some takeaway from Sundays game:

Isaiah Rodgers was the star of the show

The conversation has to start with Rodgers. He basically won the game for the Vikings by himself, returning an interception for a touchdown, forcing and returning a fumble for a touchdown, and forcing a second fumble for good measure. It was the first time in NFL history that a player had recorded a pair of defensive touchdowns and a pair of forced fumbles in a game, and he did it all in one half. The next step for Rodgers is making sure this wasn’t a flash in the pan. This has to be the start of something more for him.

Carson Wentz proved to be a pro

Though the stat line for veteran quarterback Carson Wentz wasn’t spectacular — he completed 14 of 20 passes for 173 yards and a pair of touchdowns — he did everything the Vikings need him to do. He threw the ball on time. He made a few plays downfield. He did not turn the ball over. That’s going to be a recipe for success for Wentz moving forward. It’s not hard to envision him replicating that type of game against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns the next two weeks. He seems to understand that he doesn’t need to be Superman, just a professional in the pocket. What does this all mean for young quarterback J.J. McCarthy (ankle) when he’s healthy? That remains to be seen.

Jordan Mason is a beast

The presence that running back Jordan Mason brings to the backfield can’t be overstated. Not only does he run with power at the point of attack, he has the shiftiness to make defenders miss — and has more speed than he gets credit for. All of that was plain to see against the Bengals as Mason finished with 16 carries for 116 yards and a pair of touchdowns, shouldering the load for the Vikings as they literally ran away with the game. It’s pretty clear that Mason should be the No. 1 backfield option for the Vikings ieven when veteran running back Aaron Jones returns from injured reserve.

T.J. Hockenson can be still an effective

After watching him make a minimal impact over the first two weeks, there were some people that seemed to think tight end T.J. Hockenson was past his prime. Maybe he simply needed more opportunities underneath. The production that Hockenson had against the Bengals — five catches for 49 yards and a touchdown — proved he’s still a matchup nightmare, too fast to be covered by linebackers and too big to be covered by safeties. That’s something the Vikings need to lean into because Hockenson can make life easier for whoever is throwing him the ball.

Will Reichard has insane range

If there were any doubts about kicker Will Reichard and his leg strength, he emphatically put that to rest by nailing a 62-yard field goal before halftime. It was a franchise record, and easily cleared the crossbar. It actually hit halfway up the netting behind the uprights, which suggests it would have been good from much longer. The Vikings can now operate like they’re approaching scoring position virtually whenever they cross the 50-yard line. That’s the luxury of having somebody like Reichard on the roster.

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Some players would turn off their phone for a few hours when out to dinner for a special occasion. But when a ring from his agent interrupted Jack Johnson and his wife Kelly’s evening celebrating their 10th anniversary in early July, it turned out to be a call worth taking.

The news was that after 19 NHL seasons, Minnesota general manager Bill Guerin was wondering if the veteran defenseman was interested in a chance to try out with the Wild.

“My agent called to say ‘great conversation with Billy.’ I’ve known (Guerin) since my days in Pittsburgh, and he said he was interested,” Johnson said, after his second day of Wild training camp. “Then it just kind of came to fruition later on in the summer, and I was excited to have a great conversation with him. I know coach (John) Hynes and Billy really well, and I was really comfortable with them and excited about it, and appreciated the opportunity.”

At age 38, with more than 1,200 NHL games on his resume, Johnson has seen and done it all during stops with the Los Angeles Kings, Columbus Blue Jackets (twice), Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, Colorado Avalanche (twice), Chicago Blackhawks and now the Wild.

Johnson was one of the veterans on the ice Sunday afternoon in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where the Wild opened the preseason with a 3-2 overtime win over the Jets.

Minnesota trailed 2-0 early but got two goals from Yakov Trenin — including the winner after the Wild killed an overtime penalty — and another from Hunter Haight. Jesper Wallstedt had 21 saves for the Wild, who travel to Dallas for their second preseason game on Tuesday.

“I thought (Trenin) really skated well. I think he has had a good camp,” Hynes said after the game. “He has come back in phenomenal shape. He looks more comfortable with the puck this year, and the way he scored the two goals, he was right in around the net front. He has got a very good release, and he snapped those two home.”

Johnson logged more than 17 minutes of ice time and showed Hynes both offense and defense. He zipped a pass to the net front that led to the Wild’s second period goal, and delivered a noisy rub-out check on Jets forward Brad Lambert in the third period.

“I thought Jack was solid tonight. He moved the puck well under pressure on our breakouts, and he moved it simple and effective, which is what we want,” Hynes said. “From a defensive standpoint, he was physical when he needed to be, so another good start for him.”

While he came to Minnesota with no promises or guarantees in hand, having agreed only to a professional tryout contract, the Wild have dealt with myriad injuries in the past two seasons.

With veteran Jonas Brodin working to return from offseason surgery, and rookie Zeev Buium missing early training camp practices due to injury, the window of opportunity for Johnson to earn an opening night roster spot seemed to open just a bit.

“Obviously he has great experience, so you can tell as a player that he’s attentive,” Hynes said early in training camp. “I think his details are good, because he’s coming in learning on the fly, and it’s a tryout situation. So I thought his effort in practices has been good, and I think he’s gathering the information that we’re giving these guys, and he’s able to execute it right away.”

Born in Indianapolis and raised in suburban Detroit, Johnson’s journey to elite-level hockey began in Minnesota.

He spent three seasons – eighth, ninth and 10th grades – at Shattuck-St. Mary’s in Faribault, skating with teammates such as Zach Parise and Sidney Crosby, before moving to USA Hockey’s National Team Development program, then playing two seasons of college hockey at Michigan.

Johnson was the third overall pick in the 2005 NHL draft, and was a member of Colorado’s Stanley Cup-winning squad in 2022.

If things work out with the Wild, Johnson admitted he’s hoping to take an off day visit to Shattuck and reconnect with coach Troy Ward.

The tryout in Minnesota is not new territory for Johnson, who made the Colorado roster in a similar situation four years ago, and ended up with his name on the game’s most coveted trophy. He sees some parallels with the Wild, early in training camp.

“I think this team’s looking to get over a hump and contend for the Stanley Cup, and I’ve been fortunate to be on a couple of teams that go in with the expectations of going for the Stanley Cup,” he said. “I’m just looking to be a piece and help out in any way I can, whether it’s on the ice or in the locker room, off the ice, away from the rink, kind of helping with what I know that it takes to get to that place that you want to be.”

Although he was not aware of it until a reporter pointed it out, Johnson needs to play in 29 more regular season games to move ahead of former Minnesota North Stars mainstay Craig Ludwig into fifth place on the NHL’s list of career games played by an American defenseman.

The preseason games don’t count, but as Hynes and Guerin look to assemble the right mix of experience and youth on their blue line, it’s clear that Johnson has a shot to be in the mix. And for that, he is thankful.

“At the end of the day, it’s hockey. And I love to play. I’m excited, I love to compete,” Johnson said. “I’m just appreciative of the opportunity. And you know, I still feel like I’ve got some left in the tank, and I’m just excited to be out there.”

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