HAGGARD WILL RIDE THE RAILS FOR FARMERS : Singer’s Chartered Amtrak Train to Leave Bakersfield, Make Appearances in Eight States and End Its Journey at a Country-and-Rock Farm Aid Concert in Illinois

Merle Haggard, whose songs about railroads and the working man have made him one of the most acclaimed figures in country music, is taking to the rails to help some working men: American farmers.

He and numerous other country performers will begin a weeklong, whistle-stop journey on a chartered Amtrak train Sept. 16 in Bakersfield. The trek will take them to dozens of large and small towns to dramatize the plight of the country’s financially beleaguered farmers.

“There is a lot of intelligence in this country and if we just focus some on this problem, then maybe something can be done about . . . in time to save these farmers and future farmers,” Haggard said at a Universal City news conference Wednesday to detail final plans for the trip.

“There’s nothing America can’t do,” he said. “We’ve (shown that) in the past. We walked on the moon. It seems we can figure out this problem.”

A Bakersfield native who has chronicled his working-class roots in such hits as “If We Make It Through December,” “Workingman’s Blues” and “Okie From Muskogee,” Haggard has addressed the farmer’s plight in a new song, “Amber Waves of Grain.” He plans to donate royalties from the song, which will appear on his next album, to a farm fund.

Sample lyrics: The farm just won’t get tended if the farmer isn’t here / And the amber waves of grain may disappear.

The train campaign--which is designed to publicize the farming problem rather than raise funds--will arrive in Champaign, Ill., on Sept. 22, where Haggard will join Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Neil Young and other country and rock stars in the much-publicized Farm Aid concert.

Nelson, the guiding force behind the marathon concert at the University of Illinois football stadium, expects Farm Aid to raise as much as $50 million to help farmers.

While the eight-state train campaign was devised independently of Farm Aid, Haggard, 48, said he and Nelson spoke this week and are merging their efforts. A Haggard spokesman said corporate sponsorships will be sought to underwrite the estimated $600,000 cost of the rail trip, with excess funds going to Farm Aid.

The campaign was inspired by the success of the USA for Africa and Live Aid efforts, which have raised more than $100 million for famine victims in Africa. While supportive of those drives, Haggard said he felt it was time to begin focusing on problems in this country.

“I think it is necessary that we look inward as never before for obvious reasons,” he said. “I personally think we’ve been overlooking our part of the deal . . . starving people in our own country.”

Haggard said he would like to see regular whistle-stop crusades to dramatize important issues. “I thought this was a good thing to start it off with. Hopefully, we can do this each year . . . whatever problems may be the most serious at hand.”

He suggested the troubled railroad industry itself is in need of greater public support. “I’ve always loved railroads and I think people should recognize their importance to the development of our country. I personally think there should be a locomotive somewhere to get equal billing with the eagle . . . That’s how (strongly) I feel about trains.”

As planned, the train, with at least 15 cars, will leave Bakersfield at noon with the first stop 3 1/2 hours later in Barstow. It will then stop in such cities as Flagstaff, Ariz.; Albuquerque, N.M.; El Paso, Tex.; Ardmore, Okla.; Wichita, Kan.; St. Louis, Mo., and Springfield, Ill.

Radio station tie-ins will be arranged in each city to sponsor a welcoming celebration. At shorter stops, Haggard and the other celebrities will simply wave to the crowd and thank them for their interest, a spokesperson said. At stops of at least a half hour, Haggard will sing a few songs at the station.

Representatives of farm groups are working with Haggard to meet with the media and to bring farmers on the train at each stop so that Haggard and others can hear their problems firsthand. Farm officials include Tim Wrangle, national chairman of the Farm Crisis Committee, and Corky Jones, national chairman of the American Agriculture Movement.

Among the country artists who will join the train en route: Tammy Wynette, Lacy J. Dalton, Hank Snow and Janie Fricke. During the stopover in Ft. Worth, Haggard will headline a farm benefit concert at a local club.

Reflecting on his own motivation, Haggard said, “It is my way of justifying my existence here. I’m an American. I’ve always been patriotic--even when I was behind bars . . . I did time when I was a kid (for burglary) and . . . that experience (of having) my freedom taken away from me . . . just made me love this country more. I’ve never been able to do enough for the country.”