Our Secret Is Out
March 3, 2026
Part 2 of 2
The night Rustic Roots Farm lit up a stadium — and John Mellencamp provided the soundtrack
If you missed Part 1, here's the short version:
Through the Land Stewardship Project's partnership with Farm Aid, our farm was selected to be photographed by Scott Streble — a professional Farm Aid photographer who has documented family farms across the country for six years. Scott visited Rustic Roots during garlic harvest and while our dahlia field was in full bloom. We kept it quiet, held the secret close as a family, and headed to Farm Aid's 40th Anniversary Concert in Minneapolis not entirely sure how the photos would be used — but buzzing with anticipation. Now, here's what happened. (Read the full version here: Part 1)
Four Friends, One Farm, One Epic T-Shirt
We didn't walk into that stadium like ordinary concertgoers. Chad and Julie were joined by two of their dearest friends — devoted supporters of Rustic Roots who have been cheering us on from the very beginning. The four showed up as a crew, all wearing custom Rustic Roots Farm t-shirts.
Front: our farm logo, proudly displayed.
Back: "Buy Local. Hug a Garlic Farmer. Or better yet, buy them a drink."
We had no idea just how much that shirt was about to deliver.
The crew, representing Rustic Roots Farm at the 40th Farm Aid Anniversary Concert.
Our most effective marketing campaign. Cost: four t-shirts.
Inside the Stadium: The Secret Begins to Surface
Between sets, Farm Aid's 40th anniversary was celebrated through a rotating gallery of photos — beautiful images of American family farms, the people and places that Farm Aid has championed for four decades. The photos cycled across the rear screen and on the two large screens flanking the stage, the kind of display that fills an entire stadium with imagery. There was no missing it.
Chad and Julie had already spotted one photo of Rustic Roots Farm before their friends arrived. They were watching. Waiting. Keeping the secret just a little longer.
Their friends settled in, eyes drifting up to the screen, taking in the photos. And then one of them leaned over and said the words that kicked off the most unforgettable moment of the night:
"You guys should be up there."
The very next photograph on that giant screen was their family. At their farm. In Alexandria, Minnesota.
The eruption of laughter, disbelief, and pure joy in that moment is something that will never be forgotten. But that was only the beginning.
There we were — on the big screen at Farm Aid's 40th Anniversary Concert.
Garlic Hugs, Crowd Recognition, and a Woman from Texas
It turns out that wearing your farm logo to a concert where your farm is on the screen — and where your t-shirt promises hugs to garlic farmers — has remarkable social consequences.
Strangers stopped the group throughout the night to talk about garlic. Real conversations, genuine curiosity, the kind of connection that only happens when people feel like they already know you a little. They received hugs from people they had never met. And yes, true to the back of the shirt, someone bought them a round of drinks. Every promise kept.
Nearby was a group traveling with Ryan Young, the fiddle player for Trampled by Turtles. Mid-concert, one of women in their group caught the screen, turned to Julie, pointed up at the photo, then pointed back at the Rustic Roots logo on her shirt. No words needed — just huge grins and all of them dancing together to the music.
Then there was the woman from Texas seated directly behind them. She tapped Julie on the shoulder, looked her in the eye, and said simply: "That looks just like you."
It did. Because it was.
"That looks just like you" - t-shirts, crowd recognition, and all.
John Mellencamp, Pink Houses, and Our Farm on the Big Screen
When John Mellencamp took the stage to perform "Pink Houses" — an anthem written for people who believe in the dignity of working the land and building a life with their hands — photos of Rustic Roots Farm appeared on those enormous screens.
Not once. Not twice. Three times.
And that portion of the concert was livestreamed nationally. Including on CNN.
More than 50,000 people filled Huntington Bank Stadium that night. Our small family farm, born from a maple forest and a set of values, built over ten years by a family who just wanted to raise their kids right — on the screens in front of every single one of them. And seen by countless more watching from home across the country, during one of the most iconic songs, at one of the most storied events in American music history.
And then Julie's phone started blowing up.
Our farm on the screens during John Mellencamp's performance of Pink Houses.
The Messages That Said It All
While Pink Houses rang through the stadium and our farm lit up the screen, friends who were watching the CNN livestream from home were losing their minds. The messages came in fast:
"!!! I am crying!!!"
"It was the most overwhelming thing to see!!!"
"No way!!!! How cool is that??? How long has this been in the works? I hope the folks around you recognized you."
"GOOSEBUMPS!!!!!"
And in a group message from their dear friend who was right there in the stadium with them, dancing alongside in her own Rustic Roots shirt:
"So surprised!!!! And they're getting crowd recognition y'all! It's awesome!"
Friends watching from home couldn't believe what they were seeing on the CNN livestream.
One More Surprise: Running Into Scott
Let's rewind just a little, because the night had revealed one more surprise before any of that happened. Earlier in the evening, while wandering through the exhibit and learning area, Chad and Julie ran into Scott Streble himself. The photographer who had walked their farm rows, documented their garlic harvest, and stood in their dahlia field — right there in the same building, at the same concert.
He pulled out his camera on the spot and took a few more photos of them. Of course he did.
In the days that followed, Scott sent along something they will treasure forever: photographs taken from the stage itself, with Rustic Roots Farm projected in the massive backdrop as Mellencamp performed. Images that prove it all really happened.
A surprise reunion with Scott Streble at the Farm Aid exhibit area.
Sent by Scott after the concert — our farm, from the stage, as John Mellencamp performed.
What This Means to Us
Ten years ago, Chad and Julie started this farm when Leah and Blake were small. They wanted to build something with meaning — regenerative, sustainable, built on craft and care and the belief that honest work matters. They wanted their kids to grow up knowing that.
They kept this secret carefully and intentionally. They wanted to experience it fully as a family first — to let it sink in, to hold it close before sharing it with the world. Seeing those photos on the screens at Farm Aid was the moment they knew it was time.
Farm Aid has stood beside American family farmers for forty years. To be even a small part of that story — to be seen in that company, on that stage, during that song, by people across the country — is the kind of honor that's hard to put into words.
We are grateful to the Land Stewardship Project for the opportunity. We are grateful to Scott Streble for his artistry and his eye. We are grateful to Farm Aid for forty years of fighting for farms like ours. And we are grateful — deeply, genuinely grateful — to every one of you who has bought from us at a market, found us at the Garlic Festival, picked dahlias from our field, or simply believed in what we're doing out here.
The secret is out. And we couldn't be prouder to finally share it with you.
And if you want proof — watch Scott Streble's work light up the Farm Aid stage. ▶ Watch Pink Houses from Farm Aid 40
Many of the photos featured in this post were captured by Scott Streble of Scott Streble Photography, whose work with Farm Aid has taken him to family farms across the country. We are grateful for his artistry and his eye.
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Come find us at Rolling Forks Vineyards Winter Market, the Minnesota Garlic Festival, and at pop-ups at our Farm Store and Flower Field. We'd love to meet you in person.
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— Chad, Julie, Leah & Blake | Rustic Roots Farm
