Luke Bryan is bringing all his farm friends together once again for the eighth annual Farm Tour, kicking off Oct. 5. The tour is a perfect fit with Bryan, whose Georgia roots carry credibility in the ag industry. His dad is still a Georgia peanut farmer, and the fact that the family farm uses Bayer Crop Science products in the field made Bayer’s decision to be a presenting sponsor “a no-brainer.”
“The match made so much sense,” Bayer told AGDAILY. The tour does so much “to recognize the contributions of and celebrate American farmers.”
Bryan is at the top of his game, and the tour is a way to give back to the farming community. His motives are mission-based, and that’s a good thing agriculture! He’s the kind of guy we want in our corner.
Here are five reasons why the tour means so much to farming:
THE CROWDS
The tour is growing! The 2014 tour had about 110,000 people for its eight shows, but 2015 surged to roughly 130,000 attendees — all while staying at just eight locations and fighting some weather events in Gaston, South Carolina. If you want to catch this year’s tour, it’ll be stopping at Culler Farms in Gaston; Maple Lane Farms in Greenback, Tennessee; Highland Farms in Elizabethtown, Kentucky; Spangler Farms in Monroeville, Indiana; FT Farms in Batesville, Mississippi; Ogden Ranch in Prairie Grove, Arkansas; Stowers Farm in Centralia, Missoui; and Mid America Motorworks in Effinham, Illinois.
THE SCHOLARSHIPS
A portion of the ticket proceeds go toward the Luke Bryan Farm Tour Scholarship, given to students from a farming family within some of the communities the tour plays. This year, Bryan & Co. are working with the University of South Carolina and University of Tennessee to provide the scholarships.
THE FARMERS
Bryan is not shy about his desire to give back to real farmers helping to feed fellow Americans. At each of the tour’s eight stops, Bryan’s team locates one lucky farmer to bring onstage at the show. Awareness is definitely a factor, and Bryan is helping to put a face on the agricultural industry. The farmer not only gets recognition for the hard work he or she does, that person also receives $5,000 worth of Bayer Crop Science products.
THE CAMPAIGN
The Farm Tour has taken Bayer’s #Thankful4Ag campaign to a whole new level. Started in 2013, the campaign donates meals based on social media shares of the #Thankful4Ag hashtag. In a video released this morning promoting the campaign, Luke Bryan said, “I’m thankful for the millions of farmers across the country that provide us with affordable, safe, and nutritious food.” But he also noted that too many people don’t know where their next meal is coming from. He hopes to continue helping to fix that. Bayer’s #Thankful4Ag did well the first two years, but last year (the same year Bayer began sponsoring the tour) the campaign surged to upwards of 330,000 meals donated to needy families. The Farm Tour’s promotion of this effort will go a long way toward this year’s goal of 500,000 meals.
THE MUSIC
Back in 2007, Bryan had us hooked on the catchy “All My Friends Say,” which began his rise to superstardom. His live shows, which included a clever “Enter Sandman” interlude tucked into his signature song, solidified him as charismatic performer. Couple that with four more albums and gobs of hits — not to mention a new Farm Tour album coming out Friday titled “Here’s to the Farmer” — and the 40-year-old musician is practically begging you to find a good square bale to sit on and enjoy his take on country living!
