In the late 1970s farmers across the United States were struggling to stay afloat. Corky Jones was one of those farmers. Jones, 84, is a third-generation farmer from Nebraska. He was in Chicago recently for the 30th annual Farm Aid concert. While here, he met up with his best friend David Senter for a StoryCorps interview. Senter, 67, grew up on a farm in Texas. He knew that farmers needed to take action and, as Jones tells him, trying to get people’s attention meant doing something drastic.

This story was recorded in partnership with Farm Aid.

StoryCorps’ mission is to provide Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs with the opportunity to share, record and preserve their stories. These excerpts, edited by WBEZ, present some of our favorites from the current visit, as well as from previous trips.