How a Conservative Republican Dairy Farmer Saved Woodstock

When Joni Mitchell sang about Yasgur’s farm in her 1970 song "Woodstock"—later made famous by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young—she immortalized the man who made the legendary 1969 festival possible. Max Yasgur, a 49-year-old dairy farmer operating the largest milk production facility in Sullivan County, New York, stepped in when other towns slammed their doors on the counterculture generation.

Finding a Home for Woodstock

The Woodstock Music and Art Fair, conceived by Michael Lang, Artie Kornfeld, Joel Rosenman, and John P. Roberts, faced heavy resistance from local residents. Initial plans in the town of Woodstock fell through, and a subsequent move to Wallkill hit a wall when residents protested. Officials passed a law requiring a permit for any gathering over 5,000 people, effectively killing the Wallkill plans after $10,000 had already been put down.

Yasgur caught wind of the situation and offered up his 600-acre farm in Bethel, New York. Ironically, as later historical accounts revealed, Yasgur was a conservative Republican who reportedly supported the Vietnam War—the absolute ideological opposite of the festival’s peace message. While he recognized a potential business opportunity for his dairy operation, he also acted on principle, believing the organizers deserved the freedom to hold their event.

Standing Up to Local Backlash

Local residents were furious at the prospect of an influx of long-haired youth. A retaliatory sign soon appeared in town reading, "Don’t Buy Yasgur’s Milk. He Loves the Hippies."

"The sign did it," Yasgur’s wife, Miriam Yasgur, recalled. "When Max saw that, I knew darned well he was going to let them have their festival. You didn’t do that to Max."

At a contentious town board meeting, Yasgur pushed back hard against his neighbors. According to his son Sam’s book, Max B. Yasgur The Woodstock Festival’s Famous Farmer, Yasgur defended the kids’ rights:

"I don’t particularly like the looks of some of those kids either," he reportedly stated. "I don’t particularly like their lifestyle, especially the drugs and free love. And I don’t like what some of those kids are saying about our government. However, if I know my American history, tens of thousands of Americans in uniform gave their lives in war after war just so those kids would have the freedom to do exactly what they are doing. That’s what this country is all about and I am not going to let you throw them out of our town just because you don’t like their dress or their hair or the way they live or what they believe. This is America and they are going to have their festival."

Yasgur even challenged the board’s prejudice directly, asking, "What are you planning to do next? Are you going to try to throw me out of town because I am a Jew?"

The Historic Festival Unfolds

Yasgur rented his farm to the festival’s sponsors for a reported $50,000. Woodstock ultimately took place from August 15 to August 18, 1969, drawing an estimated 400,000 to 500,000 attendees—shattering the initial 5,000-person cap Wallkill had attempted to impose.

True to his supportive stance, Yasgur offered free food during the event and grew angered upon learning that some local residents were attempting to charge concert-goers for water. "How can anyone ask for money for water?" he remarked.

On the third day of the festival, Yasgur addressed the massive crowd directly from the stage. "I’m a farmer," he said, via The Forward. “I don’t know how to speak to 20 people at one time, let alone a crowd like this. But I think you people have proven something to the world — not only to the Town of Bethel."