Good Day! V5, I2, Summer 2021 by National Grange

Good DAY!

A quarterly publication of the National Grange Vol. 5, Issue 2 l Summer 2021

The Question is Raised: To Stay or to Go? With expensive improvements looming, the National Grange considers it’s future in Washington, D.C. and questions whether a central building is needed anymore

™

PROTECT YOUR COMMUNITY AND YOURSELF WITH A COVID-19 VACCINE A COVID-19 vaccine is the best way to protect yourself and others from infection. COVID-19 vaccines are safe, effective, and here now. Strong confidence in the vaccines within communities will lead to more people getting vaccinated, which will lead to fewer COVIDrelated illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths. As a rural leader, you can do the following to build COVID-19 vaccine confidence in your community: Encourage people in your family, organization, and community to be vaccine champions and to share testimonials about why they got vaccinated.

Have discussions about COVID-19 vaccines, so people can share their views and ask questions. Ask local doctors, nurses, or other health care professionals to help answer people’s questions.

Share key messages about vaccine safety through multiple channels that people trust, such as local radio stations, schools, and in faith-based settings.

Help educate people about COVID-19 vaccines, including how they were developed and monitored for safety and how individuals can talk to others about the vaccines.

You have three ways to find vaccines near you: • Go to vaccines.gov • Text your ZIP code to 438829 • Call 1-800-232-0233 For more information about protecting yourself and others from COVID-19, visit cdc.gov/coronavirus.

Learn more about finding credible vaccine information. When you come across COVID-19 information, cross-check it with cdc.gov/ coronavirus and learn how to respond to misinformation that you encounter.

Make your decision to get vaccinated visible and celebrate it.

Good DAY!

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GRANGE NEWS & VIEWS

S RA

THE STATE OF RURAL AMERICA

FOUNDATION

IDEAS FOR GRANGE PROGRAMS & ACTION

MEMBERSHIP NEWS & RECOGNITION

LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS

GRANGE YOUTH

JUNIOR GRANGE

H & L

HOBBIES & LIFESTYLE

F & R

FOOD & RECIPES

L W

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LAST WORD

Photo credit: Kimberly Stefanick

Perspective 66

TO STAY OR GO? A history of our HQ and look at present challenges The National Grange headquarters building in Washington, D.C., is both a source of pride and revenue for the members and organization. However, after more than 60 years and many decisions that have deferred repairs to the structure, the time has come to ask: do we stay and take on millions in projects or do we sell and find a new revenue stream to keep programming, staffing and member services intact? There is no easy answer and State Grange leaders have been asked to present information to members in order to make a decision at this year’s annual National Convention.

Good Day! Magazine is a quarterly publication of the National Grange. located at 1616 H St. NW, Washington, DC 20006. ISSN: 2688-6030. | All comments and questions can be directed to abrozana@nationalgrange.org Reproduction or distribution of any part of this magazine is prohibited by anyone other than a Grange member or a chartered Grange without written permission from the National Grange Communications Department.

GOOD DAY!™ MAGAZINE ®

www.nationalgrange.org

Staff

WHAT’S THE GRANGE? The National Grange was founded as a fraternal organization for farm families in 1867 – opening its doors to men and women equally from the start. From rural free delivery of mail to the direct election of U.S. Senators by the people, Grange has influenced many aspects of American life and culture. Today we continue to advocate for rural Americans and those interested in all areas of agriculture – including those who just like to eat – and our local Granges provide millions of dollars and hours of service to their neighbors annually. Each Grange operates as a grassroots unit, taking on projects most appropriate for their communities and advocating based on their members’ beliefs.

Learn more at www.nationalgrange.org.

OUR

Officers

Betsy E. Huber, PA, President betsy@nationalgrange.org F. Philip Prelli, CT, Vice President Executive Committee Chair philip.prelli@snet.net Susan Noah, OR,

Executive Committee Secretary master@orgrange.org Leroy Watson, NH, Executive Committee Member & Grange Advocacy Board Chair leroyawatson@nationalgrange.org Lynette Schaeffer, IL,

Executive Committee Member schaeffr@att.net Stephen Coye, NY,

Executive Committee Member steve@nygrange.org Chris Hamp, WA,

National Lecturer lecturer@nationalgrange.org

OUR

Betsy E. Huber, Publisher National Grange President & President, Grange Foundation betsy@nationalgrange.org Amanda Leigh Brozana Rios, Editor Membership, Leadership Development & Communications Director & Grange Foundation Associate abrozana@nationalgrange.org TM

Good Day!

Stephanie Wilkins, Subscriptions Manager Information Technology Director swilkins@nationalgrange.org Kennedy Gwin Communications Manager kgwin@nationalgrange.org Loretta Washington Sales, Benefits, Programs & Membership Recognition Director lwashington@nationalgrange.org

William “Chip” Narvel, DE, National Steward

Samantha Wilkins Operations Manager & National Junior Grange Director samantha@nationalgrange.org

John Plank, IN, National Assistant Steward Karen Overstreet, TX, National Lady Assistant Steward

Burton Eller Legislative Director beller@nationalgrange.org

Barbara Borderieux, FL, National Chaplain

Sean O’Neil Legislative Assistant sean.oneil@grange.org

Sherry Harriman, ME, National Treasurer Judy Sherrod, TN, National Secretary

Mandy Bostwick Youth Development Director youth@nationalgrange.org

Christopher Johnston, MI, National Gatekeeper Cindy Greer, CO, National Ceres Kay Stiles, MD, National Pomona

Pete Pompper Community Service Director communityservice@nationalgrange.org

Welina Shufeldt, OK, National Flora

GOOD DAY!™ MAGAZINE

4 ®

Kim Stefanick Design Director

www.nationalgrange.org

Mujo Mrkonjic Building Engineer

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Betsy E. Huber

Summer! The busiest time of year for

serving our communities. Now it’s time

Grangers and Granges, especially this

to open your doors to receive those

year as we reopen after 15 months of

neighbors who are looking for ways to

the COVID-19 pandemic. Hopefully you

help after the pandemic made them

have received the vaccine and you’re

take a new look at their lives. I know my

encouraging your fellow Grangers, youth,

own family is examining all the activities

and family to get their shots also. That is

they were involved in and deciding what

the only way we will beat this illness and

they really want to continue doing and

be able to resume our active lives.

what they can let go. The Grange needs

The big nationwide event - Grange

to be visible and attractive to all those

Revival - was held in July. This Grange

who are newly interested in making their

“family reunion” celebration in South

lives worthwhile and valuable to their

Dakota was so filled fun, food, activities,

communities.

and amazing sights. Read more about it

If you’re looking for ideas for new

Attorney or Living Wills, and much more.

in this issue and be sure to put it on your

things to do, you’ll find many in this issue

This is a program that everyone should

calendar for 2023, when we will go to the

and also on our Facebook page National

see now, just in case you or a family

Upper Peninsula of Michigan July 18-23.

Grange

member ever hear those fateful words.

What a fantastic family-friendly, relaxing,

Community

Activities

National Grange will be sending a

enjoyable week!

Facebook page. Our members are very

flash drive containing the program to

creative, even more so during the past

every Grange this summer. I hope you will

year.

take the time to view it yourself, present

Of course there are many other gatherings of Grangers this summer,

and

the

National

Service

and

Grange

including State Grange Sessions in

During the spring our interns worked

it as a Grange program, or host a public

Oregon, Washington and Texas and

on a grant-funded project entitled,

event to spread the word. This is one

regional

“What Do You Do When Your Doctor

way to show that the Grange is a source

Oklahoma, Illinois, Virginia and Idaho.

leadership

conferences

Says You Have Cancer?” This is an

of valuable, useful information, and it is

These will be especially pleasing and

excellent program that we hope will be

easy—it’s ready-made for your use. We

gratifying for attendees because they

used in every Grange. A lot of research

all know someone who has cancer, or

were missed last year. Many Grange

went into putting together all the things

maybe you have heard your doctor say

camps and gatherings are happening all

you need to think about, like decision-

those words to you—“You have cancer.”

across our nation.

making and analyzing risks and benefits

Instead of being panic-stricken, you can

Grange is back! Of course, we never

of the types of treatments, documenting

be prepared and in control by watching

left—Granges were active throughout

your medical history, insurance coverage,

this program and putting the information

the shut-down, doing what we do best—

legal documents such as Power of

to use.

Fellowship and fun are essential components of Grange life. Both can be found in abundance at Grange Revival, a summer camping event open to all members and friends of the Grange. The first, held in 2019 in Ozark, Arkansas, was so much fun, and 2021 in Sturgis was no different. I’m already looking forward to 2023 and I hope to see many of you there. Read more on page 11 about the 2021 event, then get ready for 2023 by using the registration form found on page 19!

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GOOD DAY!™ MAGAZINE www.nationalgrange.org

ADVERTISE WITH US Our quarterly publication welcomes advertisers. Up to a 20% discount may be offered to Grange members on their ad purchases. All rates shown are for pre-designed content submitted at least 2 weeks in advance of press date for an issue. You may request rates for ads to be designed by our staff.

GOOD DAY!™ PRESS DATES 2020-21 Issue Due Date Hits Mailboxes Spring

February 1

April 1, 2021

Fall

August 15

September 15, 2021

Summer Winter

May 1

November 1

June 1, 2021

January 1, 2022

Classified ads are also welcomed at $0.50 per word up to 25 words, $1 thereafter; $2.50 per website, email, or other link regardless of word count; $5 per photo (will appear no larger than 1.5”x1”). Special requests (bold design, font increase) available for extra charge. All copy should be submitted no later than 10 days prior to the due date. National Grange assumes no responsibility for that which is advertised in Good Day!™ and reserves the right to reject ads deemed offensive or irrelevant. Please contact Amanda Brozana Rios at communications@nationalgrange.org or by phone at (301) 943-1090 for details.

WRITE FOR US This is your chance! This is your magazine. Submissions may be made by any Grange member in good standing, especially including Junior and Youth members and must be your own original work. For Juniors, you may get your parent, guardian or another mentor or adult’s assistance to write or draw the piece, but we expect all those who assist to adhere to high ethical standards and allow the Junior’s work to be reflected without influence by the adult/ older assistant. All work must be in good taste and appropriate for our audience. The National Grange reserves the right to reject any submissions.

Guidelines & The Fine Print Entries may include: photo essay (at least three photos that together tell a story with captions identifying the people in the photo if applicable and what is happening in the scene); short story (max. 1,500 words); poem; essay/article (maximum 1,500 words and must include at least two relevant photographs with captions); skit (no more than six speaking characters; should not take more than 10 minutes to perform and should not require an elaborate set); D-I-Y (do-it-yourself) project with supply list, step-by-step instructions and photos of each step; or open category (examples include but are not limited to a coloring book page related to Grange or agriculture; comic strip or box; recipes, etc.).

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www.nationalgrange.org

Each entry must be submitted digitally and include name, address, phone number, email (if applicable) and Grange details (name, number and state of Subordinate Grange and office held). Junior 1+ members can list the Subordinate or State Grange they are affiliated with. E-members can list National Grange E-member. Submission

acknowledgment

that

publication is authorized. In the case of Junior submissions, this is acknowledgment of right to publish by both Junior and their parent/ guardian. All submissions must be made via email to abrozana@nationalgrange.org.

From the desk of the AMANDA LEIGH BROZANA RIOS

Editor

“For the Good of the Order.”

can be used for: “Think of it like the

adherence to what was set for us by our

This is a phrase we hear often in the

public comment portion of a city council

founders is “for the Good of the Order.”

course of our Grange work. We hear it

meeting. Action will not be taken at that

Another way we use this term is when

at the end of each meeting when the

meeting, but the kernel of an idea has

we donate to an internal cause such as

President calls for “Suggestions for the

been planted.”

the Youth or Juniors, or do anything that

Good of the Order.”

In some ways, it’s a catch all – allowing

But what does that mean?

anything that didn’t have a specific

This is a question I was asked recently

place on the agenda to appear before

by a new member and while I gave

the membership, from ideas on how to

a concise, and for her a satisfactory

spruce up the hall to whom a get well

answer, I thought about the question

card should be sent.

a lot, coming up with more and more examples.

I also remembered a discussion with a long-time member once who had

is more inward facing, such as paying for members’ registrations to Grange events or holding a member appreciation event. We do these things to continue the legacy and tradition of the Grange or to offer a small benefit for members to make the Grange experience more useful and enjoyable.

Over the course of the days that

lamented the use of this time in a Grange

followed that initial question from a new

she had once belonged which has since

member, random thoughts would pop up

closed. She said “new members” (read

as examples of what classifies as “Good

members who were not part of the local

beautiful in its variety. Reading the

of the Order,” and I decided that I would

Grange’s “dominant family” but had

suggestions felt like wiping a mirror

take the question to my trusted sources

been members for a decade or more)

clean – getting to the clearest picture of

– the good Grangers of the Facebook

sometimes felt it was the only place in the

our identity.

world.

meeting where they could bring business

A thread of consistency that should

to the body because New Business was

be seen with any answer to this and

reserved specifically for the causes and

across any invocation of the phrase is

interests of said dominant family.

this: something “for the Good of the

Dozens responded with all sorts of examples. For some Granges, this is the time to

Truly, that which classifies as “for the Good of the Order” is broad and

discuss activities or events going on in

It’s a fine line between being a place

Order” makes the Grange stronger and

the community that their members may

to plant a kernel and see where it goes

be interested in. Some use it to promote

at the next meeting and being the only

more relevant for the next generation,

specific Grange contests or programs in

place where one feels entitled to offer

which they hope to see members take

and idea or suggestion.

part. Others give a preview of what’s happening at their next meeting – the subject of the Lecturer’s Program or who will bring refreshments. In other Granges, this is the time for visitors to speak. While it may be a long

One probably doesn’t have to wonder why that particular Grange closed. There are other times we invoke this phrase as well. One is when we talk about change or staying the course, citing the Good of the Order as our reason for our view.

not just the one celebrating membership milestones. We must work to ensure we are measuring the phrase against the original motto of the Grange – Esto Perpetua (to make it perpetual). So, I challenge you to answer this what have you done recently “for the Good of the Order?” At the local level? State? Regional or National? How did

wait for the guest, it certainly gives them

I’ve heard this when people have

it make you feel knowing that your

a good view of the values and interests of

discussed exclusively using President

contribution, your effort, your activity

the Grange they have happened upon.

and Vice President from here forward

will help a new generation continue the

Katie Squire, Lecturer of the California

rather than the more dated traditional

Grange story? And how can you inspire

State Grange, offered a great comment

terms. For some, change is “for the

someone else to work toward that

on what this portion of the meeting

Good of the Order.” For others, strict

perpetual goal as well?

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GOOD DAY!™ MAGAZINE www.nationalgrange.org

Grange Membership

BENEFITS Below is an overview of some of the benefits that are available to Grange members across the country. A full, detailed list can be viewed on the National Grange’s website: www.nationalgrange.org/benefits

SHOP

We have partnered with Office Depot/Office Max and The Azigo CashBack Shopping Mall. When you shop at these locations or use these services, you are giving back to the National Grange and receiving special deals in the process.

FINANCE

The National Grange has partnered with TSYS Merchant Solutions, which has been serving merchants for more than 30 years and offers a payment processing program tailored to your business needs. If you have a small business, this advantage could help you.

TRAVEL

With discounts from Choice Hotels, Wyndham Hotels, Hertz, Dollar Car, and Thrifty rental car services, as well as other hotel and rental car businesses, and RV accommodations with Harvest Hosts, these exclusive Grange benefits are sure to help you when planning your next vacation.

HEALTH

Our partnerships with Life Line, and the Medical Air Services Association, the oldest prepaid emergency transportation and screening organization, are sure to give you peace of mind about your health.

PHARMACY

We have multiple partnerships to help Grange members obtain discount pharmacy cards. CVS Caremark offers the RxSavings Plus Card. The U.S. Pharmacy Card is a free discount prescription card available to Grangers. Last offer excludes members in NC. Also a partnership with National Affinity Services allows access to the public subsidized government marketplace.

INSURANCE

We have partnerships with United of Omaha Life Insurance Company and MetLife Home and Auto Insurance to give our members discounts on insurance rates and deals. We are proud to announce a new benefit partner, Clouse Insurance Agency. State-based and property-based restrictions apply. Contact agency directly. Excludes Washington, Oregon, California, Colorado, Idaho, Wyoming, and North Carolina.

... and many more plus new ones added regularly. Check our website for all active benefits. www.nationalgrange.org/benefits

Convention will offer new opportunities for learning, fellowship By Amanda Brozana Rios

Colorado State Lecturer and host committee member

National Grange Membership & Leadership Development Director

Elizabeth Hiner took an idea from the Great Lakes region two years ago and will open a small store featuring items such as snacks, water bottles, toiletries and distilled water for C-pap

The 155th Annual National Grange Convention is only a few weeks away and now is the time to book your travel and register. This year’s session features a few new and reimagined events, including a “dinner and a show” style Saturday night with the traditional Friday night evening of Excellence talent show moved to the final night of the session. “We know most people come in at the end of the week, and many people who come just for the Seventh Degree may not stay for the meal. This gives them an opportunity to have a full day of Grange activities, enjoy the degree, then fellowship at dinner and cheer for other members as they display their talents,” National President Betsy Huber said. In addition, the traditional awards for Distinguished Grange, Grange in Action and Legacy Family as well as many of the other awards given by the various departments throughout the week have been moved to Friday evening during a Grange Awards event, another way, Huber said, to give late-week attendees an

machines. “We want to make it easy for people who attend to get what they need on site so they can enjoy all the things convention has to offer,” Hiner said. National Grange Convention Coordinator Samantha Wilkins said the work of the host committee each year helps to make the event special. “This year the committee has gone above and beyond by securing a nationally-recognized act to perform and offer members a value-added feature to our convention,” Wilkins said. “We’re just excited to see everyone again. We’ve had a year with two conventions, but never a year with none,” Huber said. “We’re ready. As a member of the host region and committee as well as a staff member, I know how excited we all are to welcome as many of our members as can attend to Wichita,” Wilkins said.

opportunity to take part. In addition, Huber and the National Grange staff have been working on a variety of non-delegate offerings throughout the week, including workshops by several departments that will provide learning opportunities to strengthen community Granges. “We want our members who come to take home with them new skills and information,” Huber said.

Stop by the CONVENTION STORE

Located in the Host Region Office Brought to you by Florida Grange #306, Durango, CO

Of course, the highlight of the week is the Thursday evening performance by Kansas natives The Peterson Farm Brothers. The three brothers began creating parody music videos featuring farm life in the visuals and changed lyrics several years ago. The videos have reached millions and the brothers have become stars in the ag-advocacy world. They will speak to Youth members and general attendees about agriculture advocacy and effective communication throughout the day in workshops on Thursday before their performance. Tickets are included with registration for convention attendees, but are being sold to those not registered for convention or the general public for $25. The event will take place at the Century II Performing Arts & Convention Center in Wichita. Host committee members have been hard at work securing tour locations and preparing to meet the needs of attendees.

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GOOD DAY!™ MAGAZINE www.nationalgrange.org

Nearly 140 ‘revived’ at second fellowship event By Sasha Secor National Grange Intern Revival, according to the Webster’s Dictionary, means “restoration of force,

grass to eat dinner together and continue

inclusive activities for our four children

their conversations; talking about their

ages 7 to 14 at a greatly affordable

travel out to Sturgis, the sights they

price. I’m so thankful we’ve been able to

saw on the way, and what they looked

attend,” National Junior Grange Director

forward to most that week.

Samantha Wilkins said.

At any point during dinner, members

validity, or effect.”

Wednesday

was

chock-full

Since the first Grange Revival in 2019,

could be found playing badminton,

Grangers going to see sights like

the anticipation for Revival 2021 had

tether ball, or the much-loved lawn

Deadwood of the Black Hills, known for

been building.

game of cornhole.

its history as a mining town and even

“After the last year and a half, we

National Lecturer Christine Hamp

more-so for the individuals who made

really needed this Revival, this event, to

and Director of Membership, Leadership

their names there like Wild Bill Hickok

refresh us,” Amanda Brozana Rios.

Development

and Calamity Jane.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this

Brozana

Rios,

and two made

Communications of

the

event

Visitors were able to enjoy the rich

event was one of the first in almost a year

coordinators,

announcements

history of the western town and watch

and a half where members were able to

each night during dinner to keep the

reenactments of historical events like the

get out and see one another outside of

group up-to-date on activities they could

assassination of Wild Bill whose hand

their own Grange.

partake in throughout the week.

in poker became forever known as the

On the first day of Grange Revival,

After dinner, many Grangers went

attendees found their way to camp and

back to their cabins, “glamping” tents,

began congregating in the communal

RVs, hotels, or standard camping tents.

area of Days End Campground. They

Others stayed in the communal area

Deadman’s Hand or explore the town’s local wineries and breweries. Some

visited

the

still

under

construction monument of Crazy Horse

Train

and enjoyed karaoke, led by Kasey

Dominos and worked on puzzles, all

Giguere of Massachusetts, including

The mountain stands 564 feet tall

while getting to know one another or

songs like “We Will Rock You,” “I Want

and began construction over 73 years

reconnect.

It That Way,” and “Part of Your World.”

ago but has faced many challenges in

played

games

Mexican

in Custer County, South Dakota.

No strangers to the bonding powers

“We really enjoyed that our entire

its time such as harsh weather and the

of food, Grangers set up outside in the

family was able to attend, there were age

iron content of the mountain making it

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GOOD DAY!™ MAGAZINE www.nationalgrange.org

difficult to work on. Devil’s Tower in Wyoming, just outside of Sundance in Cooks County, was also a point of interest for many Revival attendees, who were excited to visit the national monument that played a large role in the 1977 film “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” Most recorded temperatures were around the 107-degree range for those who hiked the trails. Grangers enjoyed activities at the campground such as tiedying with National Grange Youth Director Mandy Bostwick “It was really fun just to see other people enjoying themselves and showing off their creative side,” Bostwick said. Other Grangers could be found prepping dinner with meal coordinators Jody and Jodi Ann Cameron of Connecticut, and some of their faithful helpers including Wayne Campbell of Pennsylvania, Marty Billquist of Montana, Don and Lynette Schaeffer and Lana Korte of Illinois. For dessert, the Hamps - Chris, and her husband, Duane - led a large group of Grangers in making Dutch-oven treats like pineapple upside-down cake, monkey bread, and mango upside down cake. A large, polaroid-like picture frame was made for Revival for people to take pictures in.

Photos by Amanda Brozana Rios PREVIOUS PAGE: Nearly every one of the more than 130 attendees took part in the “value added” Friday night activity of visiting Mount Rushmore and observing the lighting ceremony. ABOVE: Just a short drive from Sturgis, the geographic center of the United States can be found in Belle Fourche, South Dakota, a destination for many Grange Revival attendees.

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The National Grange Officers and staff members in attendance even crowded into the picture frame for a commemorative photo. Joan C. Smith of Potomac Grange #1, Washington, D.C., hosted bingo two nights in a row. The prizes were $10 Amazon gift cards, there were 10 available to give away the first night and ten the next night as well as hand-crafted jewelry from Montana. When the prizes ran out, the games turned into blackout games in which bingo numbers are called until the boards are filled entirely. “I enjoyed the intensity of such a low stakes game, they were all rooting for those $10 gift cards.” Smith said. “All ages played. Some people even had up to 12 games at a time.” Over half of the Grangers in attendance for Revival showed up each night for the game. As dinner wound down that night, Chris Hamp and Brozana Rios announced that Grange Revival 2023 would be in the Upper Peninsula of Curtis, Michigan at Log Cabin Resort and Campground. On Thursday, 18 attendees took to Rapid City and back to Sturgis on a fiber arts shop hop - expanded from just a quilt shop or fabric store hop to include a yarn store as well. They brought back bags of goodies and a sense of camaraderie. Cornhole had been just as big a hit with the start of the cornhole tournaments. The games continued with a light-hearted competitive spirit and concluded the next day with the Hamps coming out the ultimate victors. Second and third place winners received mini 3-D printed cornhole boards made by Eugene Fletcher that featured the Grange Revival logo on the face of the boards. Friday was the day that had everyone buzzing with excitement with the trip to Mount Rushmore. After an early dinner, everyone piled into busses and enjoyed the ride to Mount Rushmore with party lights and great conversation the entire ride. After exploration of the grounds and getting information from the many educational displays around, the group gathered for a photo. With almost everyone wearing their Grange Revival t-shirts, photographers were asked by passersby if it was a family reunion. To put it simply - it was. After getting a good few photos in, the group dispersed and waited for the light show to begin. Members of all military branches, currently serving and veterans, were honored for their service at Mount Rushmore that night. Several Grange members made their way to the stage to stand. Seven of the veterans on stage were asked to help in

GOOD DAY!™ MAGAZINE www.nationalgrange.org

retiring and folding the flag to end the show on stage. On the way back from Mount Rushmore, many Grangers began to discuss how they had noticed the lack of an American Sign Language interpreter for the deaf and hard of hearing that may have been in attendance. The discussion led to a group forming to write a resolution encouraging the National Park Service to have interpreters on stage during the event. Saturday evening, attendees gathered in the lawn for a final group dinner and witnessed the presentation of two Quilts of Valor to Anthony John Fishovitz, of Pennsylvania, and Donald McClelland, of West Stockbridge Grange in Massachusetts. Fishovitz served in the Air Force from 1973-76 in the rank of Sergeant and is currently a member of Big Knob Grange

#2008, Beaver County. McClelland served from 1969-71 in the U.S. Army, ending his service as a Specialist 5 in the 575th Engineer Battalion at Fort Stewart, Georgia. A live auction saw a hand-made gong, fabricated by Duane Hamp and decorated by Jane Trombi and Beth Merrill of New Hampshire, with the Revival logo and dates on it, and a quilt constructed by Yvonne Merritt, of Oklahoma, with blocks made by 2019 Revival attendees and some additional blocks with printed photos from the event, awarded to the highest bidders. The quilt was won by Joan Smith, of Potomac Grange, Washington, D.C., whose family members were featured on photo panels on the item. Bonnie Mitson, of Idaho, also created a t-shirt quilt from various shirts over the past few years made by the National

Grange, which was raffled. The items brought in more than $1,300 to seed a fund for activities at the planned 2023 Revival. Sunday, most attendees pulled out, though a few extended their stay for a day or two more to take in just a few more of the amazing sights this area of the country has to offer. “Revival is a great time to gather with Grangers just for fun and relaxation. There’s no training, session, or work; it’s just getting to know other members from across the country in a relaxed setting,” Huber said. “It – Revival - knits the family together in a different way than other events do.” Registration is now open for anyone interested in attending Grange Revival 2023 in Michigan in the Upper Peninsula.

After 18 months of isolation and uncertainty, revival at last But there is something magical.

By Amanda Brozana Rios

Without tightly scheduled activities and take-a-seat

National Grange Membership & Leadership Development Director

workshops, attendees become the Brothers and Sisters we call one another by getting to know one another personally and

There were no firey sermons. No hymns. No baptisms. But there was indeed a revival in Sturgis - maybe just for me, or maybe for more of the 130-plus attendees of the second Grange Revival event. From the moment we passed our first Grangers on the road to Sturgis (sorry Heaths!), a knot that has been sitting in my stomach for a year and a half started to loosen. It was happening. Life was becoming something close to normal again. The pandemic, a variety of family health concerns and a move home turned life from its normal windstorm into a hurricane over the past year and a half. When life comes as fast and furious as it has recently, you almost become used to being overwhelmed. But at Revival, hugs, glorious hugs, and laughter, smiles, faces, handshakes and more hugs almost instantly caused a year of isolation and uncertainty to evaporate. There is nothing secret about this event, nothing mysterious or religious, sans a few quick and anticipated prayers before meals.

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making memories we will cherish long after we get back home. The bonds created are different somehow and the sense of solidarity deeper. Don’t get me wrong - pulling off a fair booth or presenting a veteran an award for their service or watering the community garden started by one of your Grange members certainly gives you a sense of pride and accomplishment. But all work and no play makes Grange a less fun place. Our founders knew that and their words remind us of it each meeting when the President closes, saying, “We must avoid intemperance in ... work and recreation...” Revival is helping us do just that - avoid being an all work and no play society, and in so doing is giving a new generation of Grangers an opportunity to experience some of that fellowship often lauded by our long-time members as a reason they connected so deeply with others and stayed with the organization through all these years. So, if you’re tank is a bit low after years of Grange work and little Grange play, consider registering for Grange Revival 2023 and joining us in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

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Photo by Jessica Horton North Carolina State Grange representatives take a tour of the Veteran’s Farm of North Carolina.

NC State Grange helps Vet Farm By Laurie Barnhart Legislative Director North Carolina State Grange Robert

Elliott

did

not

always

know his purpose, but he certainly began to find it through his work developing a program to give veterans

“to give veterans a new mission, and

a degree in engineering at North

America new farmers.”

Carolina State University.

Elliott left the farming world at 18

This was Robert’s transition into the

because he saw the hardships of a

civilian world after 15 years of life with

family in agriculture and wanted out of

the Marine Corps.

that lifestyle. After five years in the Marines, an injury sustained from his service forced

He quickly found himself amidst the struggles so many veterans face in this phase of life.

him out of active duty, and like many

After his first semester at NCSU, he

the opportunity to pursue a farming

veterans that exit the military, he was

realized that engineering school wasn’t

vocation.

unsure of what to do with his life.

for him, and his only option left was to

Although

extremely

challenging,

He found himself back in the

most Grangers know the value and

same unit as before but this time as

“I was depressed and was having

therapeutic benefits that can come

a contractor working with the Marines

such a hard time adjusting to post-

from a farming career and life.

try his hand at farming.

until a mass-layoff took his and 3,000

military life,” Elliott said, referring to

Many veterans suffer from post-

others contractor jobs at Marine Corps

his return back into farming. “A chicken

traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) which

Air Station in Cherry Point, North

in the backyard kept jumping in my lap

exacerbates the struggles that already

Carolina.

and staring at me as if she was telling

exist when coming back to civilian life.

Jobs were scarce, and his only

Elliott’s hope in developing this

option was to return home to the family

Elliott developed a passion for the

program was, and continues to be

farm in Franklin County and focus on

farming way of life and began to do

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me, ‘hey, start farming already.’”

very well with his pastured livestock

continued to expand opportunities

has been a crucial partner of VFNC by

operation.

for veterans by purchasing 50 acres of

assisting in a few of Elliott’s endeavors.

“It honestly saved my life,” he said.

property on the outskirts of Sanford,

He was asked to speak to a group of

North Carolina, that will be the pilot

Transition Battalion garden workday

agricultural leaders attempting to place

location of Veteran’s Farm of North

with

more veterans into agriculture about

Carolina (VFNC).

Service’s Master Gardner’s Program

his experience, and his story spread like wildfire throughout social media. Veterans began calling every day and coming to the farm to learn how to do

• Teach veterans to farm on small to mid-scale size farms • Provide a fully operational farm

could share this passion with other vets

where all training is hands-on with an

looking for what he found.

existing agricultural business

world led to a small opportunity to help the NCSU Agricultural Institute with spreading the word about their two-year program in various ag topics

• End veteran suicide and offer ways out of homelessness and joblessness • Provide equipment programs for veterans beginning farms •

Provide

strong

focus

to veterans in the state. Soon after,

networking and marketing of veteran-

Fort Bragg requested that he build a

produced products

program for transitioning soldiers to learn how to become farmers.

•

Offer

mentorships,

business

planning, financial counseling and a

The Soldier to Agriculture Program was born in 2017 from the work of Elliot

connection to additional resources and partner organizations.

the

Cooperative

Warrior Extension

plasticulture equipment veterans can use. In

January,

the

State

Grange

presented Elliott with a check for VFNC and walked a portion of the property with him and several VFNC board members, along with site foreman Buck Staples, a retired Army veteran. North President

Carolina Jimmy

State Gentry

Grange said

the

investment the State Grange has made in VFNC is just a small drop in the bucket to repay that debt owed to our nation’s veterans. “We are just proud to be able incredible program and give back to

Grange gets involved

After a successful launch, Elliott

the

to offer some small support for this

and the school’s Agriculture Institute Director Dr. Elizabeth Wilson.

participated

and helped with a grant to purchase

The goals of the VFNC are to:

what he was doing, and he realized he

An award for his work in the veteran

those who have given us all so much,”

The North Carolina State Grange

Gentry said.

California uses Oregon model for new grant program Grange

not only for our organization, but also for

Delegates at the 2016 session of

announced earlier this year that they are

The

California

State

the communities they serve,” California

the California State Grange directed

beginning a matching grant program

State

for Granges to invest in their Halls. For

Stefenoni said.

that funds reverted to the California

Grange

Vice

President

Joe

State

Grange

from

the

custodial

2021, grants are available up to $5,000

The grant program allows Granges to

per Grange and a total of $50,000 is

use the value of money they have saved,

available.

the value of volunteer labor and the

between Grange hall loans, grants and

The program was modeled after one

value of in-kind contributions of money

membership development.

instituted by the Oregon State Grange a

and materials to make up the value of

few years ago that has been successful.

the grant match they apply for.

accounts of inactive Granges be split

“Having a Grange close is never pleasant, but it is sometimes necessary,”

The program is designed to give

“Our Grange Halls are the greatest

Community Granges a helping hand with

asset to our organization next to the

projects that preserve their Grange Halls,

members themselves. This program is

make them more accessible, improve

a direct investment into the continued

technology and promote their Grange to

presence of those Grange Halls in

given 7-year time frame, this is how our

the larger community.

local communities across California,”

delegates felt we could make the best

Stefenoni said.

outcome from that situation”

“Our Grange Halls are special places

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Stefenoni said. “If the State Grange is not able to reorganize and sustain that Community Grange within the

Pandemic made us decide what’s important to us. Is Grange? By Jody Cameron Treasurer, Connecticut State Grange We’re

coming

off

the

most

unpresented event of most of our lives, a Global Pandemic, causing life as we knew it to come to a complete standstill. Many people didn’t see their family for close to a year. Many Granges are still struggling to get back to in person meeting and gatherings. Many Grangers stopped “Granging” due to the disconnect caused by the pandemic. Most of us just want something to be normal and familiar. We have found new ways to be with our families and friends, we found new ways to shop, work and entertain ourselves. Basically, we had to decide what and

who

were

important to us. It

seems

we have pulled through

the

worst of this and are

looking

“get back to normal,” but it is anything but normal, or so it feels. From all bad comes good they say. So, what’s good? We learned to adapt to a situation we were never in before. We found new ways to communicate, work and play. Many were thrust into the world of “technology.” Many learned the computer isn’t an evil demon sent to destroy all civilization. Oh, it can without a lot of effort, but it hasn’t. (insert laughter) What else did it do? In many cases, it made us stronger. It made us closer to the ones we truly love. It made us more charitable,

Neighbors were beginning to know each other, doing deeds for each other. Many people focused on supporting locally and continue to do so. We focused on what was important to our hearts and souls. We came out of this stronger and better. We now need to take that new focus, new energy and learnings and apply them to a renewed, re-energized, refocused Grange. I encourage all Granges to go through this exercise. Honestly go through it. Spend time, give it earnest thought and attention. Ask yourselves these questions: 1. Who are we? Do not just say the Grange. All Granges and Grangers are different. We look different, we think different, we like different things. Our communities are different, some rural, some are REALLY rural and some urban. Who are we? 2. What do we do? Focus on what makes you XYZ Grange. How do you standout from other organizations or groups. What are your advocacy efforts? What are your community-based efforts? How do you see to the well being and needs of your membership? What do you do? 3. Why do you do it? This should be answered from a personal and Grange perspective. Why is what you do important? Is it of value to your membership or community? How do you choose what to do? Who participates in the organizing, execution and actual event or activity? Is it important, timely or needed? Do not accept the answer to this question “because we have always done it!” Why do you do it?

compassionate, and caring. We became more community minded focusing on making sure those who couldn’t get out weren’t forgotten.

4. Who do you do it for? Are you inclusive or exclusive? Are you seeking input or just deciding that

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that’s what’s needed? Do you cater to a certain crowd? Do your activities and events allow for all ages to learn and grow? Is your advocacy focused to make your communities better? Are you offering opportunities for your Grange’s membership and leadership to learn and grow personally and professionally? Are you open minded to the diverse communities we all now live in? Are you welcoming to guests and visitors? Who do you do it for? 5. Do they know you do it? Are you “tooting” your own horn? Are you on the various social media platforms or have a website? Did you use ZOOM or a meeting platform during the pandemic? Are you inviting people to your events or activities? Do you have a relationship with your town, city, county or state officials? Do you have a relationship with the other leaders of other groups or organizations in your community? Do you have the email and phone numbers of all your members so you can communicate directly with them? Do you have an email list of the supporters of your event and activities so you can communicate directly with them? Are you PROUD of what you do? Do they know you do it? These five questions were given to me when I had the great opportunity to attend a National FFA Foundation Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana, just before the world came to a standstill. I have pondered these five questions greatly over the last year plus, and I have to be honest, it is not easy to answer them, but I know by us collectively asking and honestly answering these questions we will find ourselves stronger, more caring and compassionate to the needs of our members and community and they will guide us to make better decisions, to advocate hard for the right causes and be far more inclusive of all members of our communities, better people, better leaders, better friends.

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New toolkits released to help rural leaders promote COVID vaccine By Liz Carey Daily Yonder Reprinted with permission While most of the country eases back into post-pandemic life, some rural areas are quietly remaining in Covid-mode. Increasing cases and lower vaccination rates are part of the reason rural health care providers need resources that will help them talk to residents about the vaccine, according to the National Rural Health Association. The NRHA has created a resource library to help do just that. Developed in coordination with the organization’s partners, the library pulls together toolkits on how to increase Covid vaccination rates in rural areas. “We were hearing requests from our membership for rural-relevant curated resources that they could use to increase vaccination rates,” said Alan Morgan, chief executive officer. After checking with partner organizations to ensure that those resources weren’t already out there, the organization worked to create a place for rural health care providers, community members and others to find rural-centric vaccine resources. The toolkit not only includes op-eds for community health care providers to give to local newspapers, but how to talk to rural residents about the vaccine.

Included in the toolkit is a list of words and phrases that are more helpful in getting rural residents vaccinated. Instead of “defeat, crush (or) knock out the virus”, it encourages health care professionals and others to say “eliminate, eradicate (or) get rid of the virus.” Instead of “physical distancing”, the toolkit recommends saying “social distancing”. Rather than say “orders, imperatives (or) decrees,” the toolkit recommends saying “protocols.” The list was developed, Morgan said, with the help of communications professionals who have helped rural hospitals communicate with their patients for decades. “We really wanted to switch the messaging for rural communities,” he said. “We want to say how do we approach this within our own communities? What is necessary for our communities and how do we tackle this together to keep our businesses open? It’s more of a pivot from the government telling you that you should be doing this, to saying ‘Okay, what do we as a community need to do about this?’ ” Now, Morgan said, the toolkit was being shared with health care providers, faith-based leaders and agricultural leaders, like large animal vets, in an effort to influence more rural residents to get the vaccine. “We recognize that among the rural

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NRHA COVID Resource Library To see a variety of programs and resources available to rural communities, visit https://www. ruralhealthweb.org/programs/ covid-19-pandemic/covid-19vaccine-resources

communities, influencers like the (large animal) vets are going to be key in this,” he said. “We stressed from the very beginning of this that you have to cast a very broad net when you’re dealing with this in a rural community.” “We’re in daily contact with the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and have been throughout this pandemic,” he said. “The CDC is large with a lot of different areas that are doing a lot of different things. That’s the reason why we were excited on Friday to see that the CDC had shared our toolkit as another resource as well. I think that is a good example of public-private partnerships to address the pandemic in rural areas.” Although some areas of the country are dropping their masks and plotting a path towards pre-pandemic normal, it’s important, he said, for rural health care providers and other leaders to use resources like the toolkit to get as many people vaccinated as possible.

Science is resilient. It can overcome diseases, create cures, and, yes, even beat pandemics. It has the methodology and the rigor to withstand even the most arduous scrutiny. It keeps asking questions and, until there’s a breakthrough, it isn’t done. That’s why, when the world needs answers, we turn to science. Because in the end,

SCIENCE WILL WIN™

Learn more at www.pfizer.com

Rural Americans need to see themselves as part of nation’s diversity By Douglas Burns

bet-the-farm tax incentives and cheaper

these judicial dynamics help explain rural

Vice President for News and Co-owner of Herald Publishing Co.

electricity (that’s more reliable, as Texas

attitudes of self- sufficiency and antipathy

just showed us).

toward the government.

U.S.

Representative

Khanna,

“Legal

scholarship’s

silence

In the age of scarcity (for many) and

D-California, understands this. Which is

rural issues means judges don’t have

excess (for the few), the language and

essential, because he represents Silicon

a full opportunity to understand how

policies of diversity become zero-sum.

Valley.

spatiality — distance — and the social

What another gets, you lose, so goes

“When

you

have

Google

consequences

that

distance

—

polarized

Facebook out there making money, it

including lack of anonymity — influences

thinking that has

doesn’t necessarily benefit someone

how rural people engage with the law —

turned our public

in Iowa,” Khanna told me in a recent

or choose not to do so at all,” she told

square

interview. “It doesn’t necessarily benefit

The Yonder.

fever swamp of

someone in Michigan, other than them

resentments and

being consumers, so what I am saying

interview I had with then-President

recriminations.

is we’ve got to think about how, in a

Obama during his first term.

the

into

Here’s

exchange

during

For too many

modern economy, can we create wealth

Douglas Burns: “Thank you, sir. The

rural Americans,

generation in the new technologies

U.S. Supreme Court right now lacks a

across America?”

rural voice. There’s no one on it right

the term diversity is synonymous with otherness because residents of remote

We’ve detailed the congressman’s

now with any rural background on

regions don’t realize that we, too, are

extensive work for rural America in this

their resumes. Trenton, N.J., just one

underrepresented and misunderstood.

column space. He’s one of the more

American city, has more representation

Policies

effective and well-positioned advocates

— (Samuel) Alito and (Antonin) Scalia

rural America has living outside of rural

were born there — than rural America,

America.

which is 20 percent of the nation. Is it

and

structures

strand

and

marginalize us. We rural Americans need to focus

Americans

right to have the nation’s final-say panel

demographics who are similarly left out

should read is an online national rural

populated exclusively by urbanites who

of the modern American economy and

newspaper, The Daily Yonder, which

see land and environmental issues from

higher education and top levels of the

recently

an outside observer’s perspective?”

judiciary — and yes, even my profession,

California-Davis

Lisa

President Obama: “You know, that’s

journalism, where rural voices can be

Pruitt. The Yonder notes that her article

a great question. I’d like to see more

absent or hard to find in key power

“Welfare Queens and White Trash”

diversity on the Court, and when people

centers.

reports that “white poverty remains

hear diversity, a lot of times they think

largely undiscussed in legal scholarship

racial diversity or gender diversity. I’d

and in the media.”

like to see more diversity of experience

on correcting this, finding allies in other

Rural Americans served in wars and farmed and mined coal and built the

One

publication

interviewed law

rural

University professor

manufacturing base, and increasingly

“I started to observe the ways in

there is little, if any, role for them in the

which legal scholars and appellate

on the Court. “I think it’d be great to have somebody

new economy — one in which wealth is

judges tended not to understand rural

who comes out of rural America. I’d

scooped and segregated to coastal tech

people, rural places, rural realities,”

like to see more folks who have more

clusters.

Pruitt said. “Law suddenly looked urban-

practical, hands-on experience.

engineers

normative, so I decided to undertake

“Obviously, I’m very proud of the two

make six figures, and we are supposed

the project of peeling away that metro-

nominations and Supreme Court justices

night-watch

centricity, of figuring out how rurality was

that I’ve placed on the Court.

positions, jobs of surpassing boredom

legally relevant — because legal scholars

“But if I have the opportunity to

and little pay, guarding data centers or

only write about that which is legally

place a few more, then I think taking into

warehouses the tech giants locate in Des

relevant.”

account what their life experiences are

The be

Seattle excited

computer about

Moines and Council Bluffs because of

Pruitt, a native of rural Arkansas, says

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is as important in many ways to shaping

their legal philosophy. Obviously, there’s

to get a mix of students from urban and

to decisions on how we will be covered at

got to be a threshold of somebody

rural areas is I want them to interact, to

the national level.

who knows the law, and knows the

see rural Iowa up close and personal.

embracing

diversity

Constitution and is whip-smart and is

It’s good for our rural communities to

community with these student journalists,

able to understand and listen and pay

be covered by people with different, non-

we help to form world views in which we

attention to arguments from across the

local perspectives. But just as important,

are considered beyond easy-reach rural

board. But I also would like some folks

when we have former interns go on to

stereotypes — for the diversity we bring

with some practical experience as well.”

become ascendent professional journalists

to the American experiment. That’s not

On the journalism front, here at the

and writers and producers at The Chicago

zero sum. It’s new math that adds up to

Times Herald in Carroll, we collaborate

Tribune, Marvel Studios, CBS News in

good things for us.

with our friends at the La Prensa Iowa

New York City, Boulder (Colorado) Daily

Spanish-language

Camera and The Sioux City Journal — as

newspaper

internship program. One of the reasons I work aggressively

This

article

republished

with

we have in recent years — they bring an

permission from the Carroll Times Herald

understanding and empathy of rural Iowa

in Carroll, Iowa.

Consider establishing community garden to change lives By Hannah Burke Food and Agriculture Director, Jefferson Grange #1384, PA NAPB Bourlag Scholar

they watch their food grow from seeds to

impact local waterways.

for it. One way we

simple

do,

inexpensive, reduces carbon, brings people together, reduces food insecurity, and has many health benefits. As the manager of the Schuylkill Haven (Pennsylvania) community garden, I have seen the garden positively impact the community on so many levels. I have seen the older generation

Earth is the one thing that we all have

had a registered dietician present and make two healthy recipes to illustrate

for it.

A portion of the food grown at the community garden goes to the local food bank to help combat hunger in the area. The garden and produce is local, so there’s little to no transportation associated with people acquiring the produce which reduces carbon in the atmosphere versus the food at the store which is coming from far away, increasing

can vegetables so that the produce can

carbon in the atmosphere. Gardening has lots of health benefits

We are changing the way kids and

like helping you sleep better, reducing

their families eat by inviting youth groups

stress, boosts vitamin D, and prevents

such as the 4-H Cloverbuds, Girl Scouts,

memory loss.

and the local High School Bio club to participate and grow at our garden.

An important part of gardening is soil health. Many large-scale farms use

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It’s never too early to think about how you can do your part for Earth Day or to

teaching the younger generation how to be stored for a long period of time.

and to protect the local environment. in common, so we must protect and care

into diets.

gardening.

chemical free soil to keep the soil healthy

talk about seeds and planting. We also

how to incorporate new, fresh produce

can do this is by

At the community garden we use sustainable methods like composting and

Gardeners and hosted a master gardener

protect and care

are found in runoff and can negatively

We partnered with our local Master

must

Gardening

to learn where their food comes from as

tables.

the same planet we

chemicals, which after a heavy rainstorm

vegetables and ultimately to their dinner

We all live on so

We offer the opportunity for them

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better connect individuals with their food and improve the Earth in the process. I suggest planting a garden as it is simple to do, inexpensive, brings people together, reduces carbon, reduces food insecurity, and has many health benefits. Burke, 17, is a member of the newly reorganized Jefferson Grange #1384 (PA) and recent recipient of the President’s Volunteer Service Award. She founded the Schuylkill Haven Community Gardens and Best Buds, a small community business with a mission to encourage healthy eating, by growing and selling fresh locally grown produce, all before her 16th birthday. A version of this essay won the University of Scranton’s Earth Day Essay Contest.

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Dairy does a body good one and two percent. This year, as I embark on my journey Member, Ontelaunee Grange #1617, PA as the Berks County Dairy Princess, I hope 2021 Berks Co. (PA) Dairy Princess to reach people from all walks of life, those new to agriculture to those who Dairy farmers are great stewards of have made our industry their livelihood. the land. Our industry is constantly changing They work 24/7 to take care of their and we can all benefit from sharing animals, feeding them a balanced diet our life experiences with each other to of forage and grains every single day. continue to grow and learn. The farmer works tirelessly to ensure My message to everyone is that dairy that they are producing a quality and farmers care about our land and animals nutritious product. As a consumer, make sure you choose and strive to give the consumers a quality real dairy products by looking for the real product, milk. seal on the package. Also, when Milk is nature’s most perfect food. It contains 9 essential nutrients in buying milk, look for the number on completely natural form. As part of a healthy diet, you should the barcode. consume at least 3 servings of dairy every I look for a number 42. If it day. An easy way to do this is to have at starts with 42 then least one serving at each meal of the day. A glass of cold milk is a great way to I know the milk start your day along with a bagel with is coming from a Pennsylvania farm. You can find out your cream cheese. For lunch, you could eat state’s FIPS code number by going to a sandwich with cheese or yogurt. Then the FDA’s Interstate Milk Shipper’s List end your day with ice cream, after you at bit.ly/milkcodes and going toward the eat your dinner of course! While ice cream can be looked upon bottom of the page. as an unhealthy food, in the proper Milk is 97 percent fat free, leaving serving it can do your body quite well. 3.25 percent fat in whole milk. The Grange is the oldest agricultural The fat that is found in milk is important for the growth and the organization in America, and this is why the dairy industry is calling on the development of children’s brains. Over the last few years, dairy farmers Grange to promote the sale of real dairy have begun to push the consumption of products. While it is understandable that dairy whole milk with the 97 milk slogan. allergies exist, too often those who can To promote this further, farmers have been placing signs on their property to properly digest dairy products are misled promote the sale of whole milk. Some to believe that dairy food is harmful for farmers are using wrapped bales as their them. For this reason, we need a lot of sign and paint creatively on them to advocates to spread the word that dairy attract the eye of those passing by. These products are healthy for the human body. Granges individually or collaboratively bales have received positive feedback and are stirring the mind of those who can make signs to place at their Halls. Another way to help our cause is to hold see them. The main misconception is that literary programs with local dairy farmers whole milk contains a dramatically larger or your county dairy princess. They would amount of fat than the more common, be happy to discuss with you how you

By Mikayla Davis

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can help promote agriculture and answer any questions you might have about the dairy industry. Support local farm stores and buy local. Ask for extra butter or ice cream with your dessert when you go out to eat. These small requests can make a big difference. We need a strong dairy industry to keep our economy strong. In my home state of Pennsylvania and many others across the country, agriculture is the number one industry. For us, the dairy industry is the number one industry within agriculture representing 30% of ag revenue. It provides nearly $7 billion to our state economy and supports 60,000 jobs. So, remember to thank a farmer for all they do. Not only do they provide us with a wholesome product but they are the backbone of our local economy. Davis, 20, is a member of Ontelaunee Grange #1617, PA, and a former State Junior Grange Ambassador. She is studying agribusiness at Penn State University. She is the daughter of Mike and Angie Davis, and along with her three younger siblings, Tanner, 18, Alexa, 15, and Bryce, 7, the family lives on a small farmette where they raise Holstein heifers.

How planning can help save family legacy PREFACE I am sending you this story with a purpose - hoping you’ll find a way to encourage Grangers to occasionally review and update their Last Will & Testament to make sure it clearly and legally reflects their wishes. I was recently forced to sell our summer ranch in order to settle an estate. The intent of the original Will was to develop a family trust, leaving the ranch as a working unit but provide summer access to a cabin and hunting rights for future generations a private place to get away from city life. Unfortunately, members of the family who had never had any interest in or ever stepped foot on the property were included. They were more interested in what the ranch would sell for and how much money they could collect. After a year of legal proceedings, it became apparent – the only way to solve the matter and preserve the estate was to sell the property. Even when the ranch was sold, nobody was happy. My own kids wanted to keep the ranch, but have very good jobs and only vacation time. To complicate negotiations the original executor of the estate ended up in a memory care unit of an assisted living facility and the attorney who originally wrote the Will died during negotiations. The story that follows is that of the sale of the ranch – or the reflections thereof. It is written by former Goldendale Grange Secretary Claudine Wade and is found in her Excerpts from the Amateur Cow Whisperer’s Diaries. When I realized I was no longer the young cowboy I was a few years ago, I asked Claudine if she would be interested in helping with cattle chores. Her late husband and I had worked together for about 20 years and they both enjoyed working with the cattle. She jumped at my offer, and came to love the place deeply as you will read. - Richard Lefever, member Goldendale Grange #49, WA

By Claudine Wade

of the old wooden barn, metal roof

Former Treasurer, Goldendale Grange #49, WA

the metal windmill standing erect and

peeled back from the relenting winds, foregone; the shop with its wide double

I sat in my truck with the enormous

doors sealed up one last time with the

sun

only window broken in as if already

engulfed in deep swirling colors, setting

abandoned many moons ago and the

in front of me on the horizon. Different

broken and crumbling foundation of the

shades

yellows,

house that had burned to the ground

oranges, and reds grasped the grayish

some seventy years ago; and the tears

blue sky like the edges of a painter’s

let loose with a stinging and burning that

canvas.

wouldn’t be relinquished even when they

blinding

fire

glowing

purples,

summer

pinks,

The air was heavy and weighted down

dried.

with smoke particles from the wildfires all

The Summer Ranch and the vastness

around the Pacific Northwest and places

of its beauty had been sold but at least

too far to imagine the smoke drifting in

we were spared the actual signage of a

from.

For Sale sign with big red SOLD letters

The heat hung like a heavy woolen

defacing the top.

blanket in the atmosphere almost as

For the last couple weeks, we had

heavy as the unfiltered fire smoke and my

been in a furry to preserve and move

eyes blinked several times as I switched

what was deemed important or vital from

on the closed air conditioning of the

the Summer Ranch after the quick sale

truck cab. I saw the cloth facial mask on

had been initiated. At first, we all took

the dashboard, and I chuckled.

some time going to our favorite haunts

Signs of the pandemic of 2020

and enjoying the stillness of a land not

lingered in every aspect of my world it

yet touched by modern design. I think

seemed, the facial mask was worthless

we were all under an illusion that we had

against this heat filled smoke.

It may

much time, days, months, maybe even

protect me from micro droplets of

a year or two but greed and hoarding is

COVID-19 if one breathed, coughed or

predominant in the world of today and a

sneezed on me but it would do nothing

young neighbor trying to leave his mark

at protecting my heart from the sadness I

on the world and an heir of status with

felt at the ending of a family’s legacy that

his inherited wealth made our plans of

was not even my own.

timely leisure to be limited to just days.

The tears would eventually fall;

As I moved the cows out, one last

probably before I caught up to the 1950’s

time, with the help of Sara, I remember

Gleaner I was chasing at a whopping 2 to

thinking it wrong to leave the chute open

3 miles per hour.

to any sort of critter that may wander

Perhaps then the mask could then be

about after our departure. One always

used for drying my tear-stained cheeks.

shut and locked the gates and chutes

They looked like a map with little rivers

behind themselves and yet not this time.

running through the rugged terrain of my

I thought back to one day many years

pores that the dust and dirt clung to from

before when we herded all the cows into

sweating all day.

the chute to load them on to the stock

Behind me through the grime of

trailer only to find that one of the chute

the dusty mirrors, I saw the outline

gates was wide open and before we

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closed the lower gate the cows were all circling back around from the upper chute gate being open! It is never as easy to round up the cattle a second time on the same day. Lesson learned and not repeated. The metal blades of the windmill were not turning in the summer wind today. The creaking of the metal joints of the blades not heard in each wind wisp. Most of the times it was like fingers on a chalk board but today it was a missed harmony that my ears searched for; creak, creak, groan, creak creak, groan and a long churn from the blades that finished with the notes of the water swishing into the cistern. The water would dry up quickly in this unrelenting heat and where would the frogs chirp in joy with no damp cool spot to sit? The shop doors were closed for the last time and with the padlock clicked in place there was a finality to the end. “The End” would have read on screen if it were a movie. But it was not a movie; it was real, it was tangible, it was heartbreaking. What little remained inside the shop’s four walls would be forever burned into my memory as it was; that last time I pulled the doors slowly shut and the light ceased to exist inside. When the new owners come in and remove, demolish, or sweep what is left inside that shop only my memories would be left. I had to write it all down in my journal. The old combine that sat waiting in the far corner to be restored to its former glory so it could run pouring grain into the truck that ran alongside it on the rolling hills in the late summer would never be. The old cookstove forgotten in the corner that had long been discarded but still capable of being fired up to cook some delicious grub for the crews in the

fields would eventually be thrown into

gone, and a piece of the top surround

the heaping metal pile. And that heaping

had been so hot during the fire that when

metal pile outside the back of the shop

something unknown from the top story

would forever sit and hold in the stories

had plunged into the abyss it had just

of the century of items buried oldest to

broke off like a piece of hard candy. It

newest as the prairie lands once again

was cracked down the center but when

enveloped the landscape until the pile

safely in my backyard garden I had placed

was no longer anything but vegetation

screen mesh in it and poured the fresh

with a few rusty old pipes sticking out;

dirt inside; it now housed my strawberry

remnants of the past screaming to be

plants like it had a purpose again.

uncovered and their stories be told.

I would always treasure it, knowing

And lastly my eyes fell on the crumbling

where it came from, its history of surviving

concrete blocks of the foundation where

in the harshest of environments long

once proudly built and lived in until fire

after it had been discarded. Once it had

destroyed it one cold, snowy day when

offered a place of relaxation and inviting

the lane was impassible to what little fire

clean water to soak in after a long day in

equipment was available in the rural area

the fields or out with the animals. It was

for protection There was still a minimal

probably even coveted by some because

tire print of where I had backed up and

having a bathroom inside in those days

winched the old claw foot, fire tarnished,

would have been a luxury!

porcelain tub out of the hole of where once was the basement of the house.

The Summer Ranch had been proudly staked and homesteaded over a hundred

I could not believe no one had

and twenty-five years previous; what

noticed. Could it be that because it was

would those original folks say now? How

in plain sight no one even cared about it

would they feel of their sweat, blood and

any longer?

sacrifice being sold? How would they

It had taken some time to uncover

feel of their own descendants that had

it from the debris of the fire and the

not a care in the world of where they

crumbling foundation and the feet were

came from and of who had provided for

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what they had today? Who would hold dearly and preserve

and equipment out after the sale of the property we would be

their stories so they would not be enveloped like the erosion

left to always wonder on how and when that barn door ended

of earth?

up in the middle of a field.

I prayed that Richard (a member of Goldendale Grange,

I was saying goodbye to hauling water in the droughts

Washington), being the historian of his family line, would take

because the ponds had dried up and the cows still had grass

the time and continue writing down the stories and facts that

to eat.

came to him as he remembered them all one by one.

I was saying goodbye to seeing Erin on her horse riding

That although his descendants would never know the feel

through the long sun-bleached grasses and harboring the fact

of the hot summer winds on their faces in the natural hay fields

that none of us had run into a rattler and had to escape its fangs.

of the Summer Ranch and the creak and groans of the old metal windmill that pumped water swishing and swirling into

I was saying goodbye to the herd of elk that ran free like the wind in their natural wonder.

the rock cistern or the remnants of the little homesteads in the

I was saying goodbye to place where if I drove on the ATV

canyon walls being swallowed up with the erosion of time; that

a click to the south and two clicks over to the west and rested

it was all built and settled and improved but with preservation

on a bluff just outside the tree line above the upper pond I

and reverence to the land; with the hands of their ancestors.

could just drink up the beauty of the landscape in 360 degrees

And might Richard’s descendants feel through his stories the

and quench my thirst for inspiration for days or weeks; a place

importance of their tales.

that felt so close to Heaven on Earth; a place if I had unlimited

In the past 10 years, I was impacted by this place; where

resources I would have purchased for my time on earth.

often times it felt as if time stood still, and so many memories

This past spring before it all came to an end, I was driving

began flooding in as I drove through the open gate of the

the ATV out across the field below the old barn and the wind

Summer Ranch for the last time, down the lane, past the old

was furious and strong and suddenly, an object landed in front

stone well, past the fences that my own hands had up-righted

of the ATV, and I had to cut hard to the right to avoid running

and fixed one too many times, past the set of hawks swooping

over it.

across the hay fields in search of an evening meal, stopping

When I stopped, got out, and picked up the object it

to lock the gate of many locks, past the lone coyote swaying

appeared to be an old wooden hanging basket someone had

through the grasses looking for a rabbit not too quick for him,

handcrafted.

between the poplar trees in a grouping that must have been

weather. It was intriguing and so I carefully placed it in the

planned generations ago, and turning left unto the main road

back of the ATV and took it home.

Some of the wood was brittle from age and

ever rapidly catching the old Gleaner trudging along to its new

When I strung it back together and was rather pleased at

home beside the other parked farm equipment where it would

how it looked with moss and a plant in it hanging out front, I

be placed with dignity and respect at the hours it had been a

shared its finding with Richard and discovered he had built it in

work horse in the golden wheat hills of the Summer Ranch.

his youth and having no idea why it ended up there in the field

I was saying goodbye to searching for lost cows in the hard

for me to find several decades later; I think it was fate. It shows

environment of the rugged terrain or in equal reflection the

us how history impacts our lives, how it drifts in at times in a

faces of all the cows greeting me at the gate on my weekly

tangible form and we grasp it when we are not able to grasp

trips to check-in on them all summer long. Always wondering

the reality of what is going on all around us.

by their demeanors what they had faced in my absence and

Life is a circle, and it never ends, one generation after the

wishing just one time I could be party to what they had seen. I

next, and although we should not be stuck in the past, we

was saying goodbye to not done enough archaeological hunts

should not be discarding it either.

for old bottles and building foundations to see a glimpse of time gone by.

And as I caught the Gleaner on the Number 12 road just past the old schoolhouse the future filled with new historical

Just the previous week Sara and I had been on the ATV

finds and adventure awaits. Goodbye No.6 Summer Ranch, I

driving out across the prairie in search of the cows when

will miss you deeply, remember you fondly and preserve what

we literally drove over an old barn door with its hinges still

you have given me both in my heart and with my hands through

attached; having rotted in the tumbleweed and hidden in the

my woodwork.

high grasses. Had it blown in from somewhere else or was that the site of yet another old structure? With our imaginations going wild and no time in the preparation of moving the cows

S RA

This is an excerpt from the “Amateur Cow Whisperer’s Diaries” by Claudine Wade, reprinted with permission.

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RALLYING TOGETHER TO PROTECT OUR COMMUNITIES The opioid epidemic continues to sweep through communities across the country. The Rx Abuse Leadership Initiative (RALI) is working with The Grange to increase awareness of prescription drug misuse & connect rural communities with helpful resources to help prevent substance misuse and abuse

Learn more at raliusa.org 36

N & V

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Data shows rural employment has flatlined than in April of 2019, the year before the

By Bill Bishop and Robert Cushing

pandemic hit.

began. The

short-term

story

that

The nation has 96.7 percent of the

most places are getting back to the

jobs that were here in April 2019. And

employment levels they had before

that figure generally holds in both rural

anyone had heard of Covid-19. The long-

and urban America. In April of this year,

term story, however, tells a different tale.

the

rural counties had 97.1% of the jobs

The chart below shows employment

country, the nation has gained back most

they had in April 2019. In the cities of

gains and losses from April 2010 to April

of the jobs lost in the wake of Covid-19.

a million or more people, the figure is

2021 among three different groups of

Daily Yonder Reprinted with permission A year after a strange new disease decimated

workplaces

across

Most, but not all. According to the

slightly smaller. The huge metro areas

counties: counties in metro areas of a

latest federal jobs figures, the nation

had 96.2 percent of the jobs they had in

million or more; counties in all other

still has 5.2 million fewer jobs this April

April 2019, the year before the pandemic

metro areas; rural counties.

Graphic by The Daily Yonder

Data sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics/Office of Management and Budget

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You can see that the huge job gains before the pandemic were found in the mega-cities. By April 2019, the biggest metro areas had added 11.3 million jobs since April 2010, a gain of 15 percent. In the same period, rural counties had gained 618,000 jobs, or 3.1 percent. The pandemic reduced the number of jobs in each geographic category to below April 2010 levels. But the recovery in the last year left the most urban counties with 10.1 percent more jobs in April 2021 than in April 2010. Rural America in April 2021 had essentially the same number of jobs as in 2010, 11 years earlier. Rural America didn’t lose as much employment as the big cities did during the year of the pandemic. And as the Daily Yonder has shown in previous reports, rural areas gained back their lost jobs at a faster pace, at least through last fall. And in April of this year the unemployment rate in rural America was about 4.9 percent. In the central counties of the major metro areas, the unemployment rate in April was 6.9 percent. But the long term trends are that a greater proportion of the nation’s jobs are concentrating in the nation’s largest metro areas. In April 2010, rural counties had 14.1 percent of the nation’s jobs. By April of this year, rural counties had 13

percent of the nation’s jobs. The major metros (those with more than a million people) increased their share of the nation’s jobs from 56.7 percent to 58 percent in the same time period. More than half of all rural counties (56.7 percent) had fewer jobs in April 2021 than they had eleven years earlier. Among metropolitan counties, 31.1 percent had fewer jobs in April of this year compared to April 2010. The map at the top of the page shows job gains and losses among rural and metro counties during this 11-year period. There are often massive differences from one part of the country to another. For example, Cook County, Illinois, (aka Chicago) had nearly 42,000 fewer jobs in

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GOOD DAY!™ MAGAZINE www.nationalgrange.org

April 2021 than it had in April 2010. In that same time period, Maricopa County, Arizona, (Phoenix) gained 468,000 jobs. Northeastern rural counties appear to have lost the most jobs over this 11year time period. Litchfield County, Connecticut, and Chautauqua County, New York, each had 10,000 fewer jobs this April than in April 2010. The biggest job gainer among rural counties was Gallatin County, Montana, which had 18,000 more jobs this April than April of 2010. Bill Bishop is a Daily Yonder contributing editor. Robert Cushing is a retired professor of sociology at the University of Texas Austin.

2020 Census reveals rural loses population By Sean O’Neil National Grange Legislative Assistant 2020 was a major year in American politics – an incumbent President failed to be reelected for the first time since 1992, the Senate became deadlocked in a 50-50 tie following two intense run-off campaigns in Georgia, and the House Democratic majority was left with the smallest voting margin since the early 2000s. Equally momentous, but less paid attention to, in 2020 the United States carried out its census, a nationwide population and demographic count, which occurs every decade. While simple demographic tallying may not seem of great importance, shifts in population determine the apportionment of congressional districts amongst the states and can have major impacts on the redrawing of congressional districts which will happen before the next House and Senate elections in 2022. This article will explore the significance of the 2020 census by first explaining how it works, then describing the results, and finally discussing its political significance. Census stems from country’s founding The census is a foundational element of the American government and one of the few key responsibilities of the federal government laid out by the Constitution when it was ratified in 1788. In Article 1, Section 2, the Constitution mandates that a census shall be taken every ten years so that “Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers”. Thus, every ten years since the first census in 1790, the Federal Government has undertaken a census to count every person living in each state. Over the years the method and specific data collected by the census bureau has changed dramatically and today the census is a massive and lengthy undertaking managed by the US Census Bureau. This

massive and lengthy undertaking was made

Today about 45 million or 15 percent of Graphic by the US Census Bureau

even more difficult for the 2020 census due to the COVID-19 pandemic which made it more difficult to count people, particularly those who are harder to reach such as impoverished and rural populations. In fact, due to difficulties because of the pandemic as well as controversies over proposed citizenship questions, some fear that the 2020 census may have undercounted certain populations such as rural communities and particularly Hispanic communities in the Southwest. Nevertheless, the 2020 census largely met expectations set by population models and other surveys, and so the results will dictate everything from congressional boundaries to federal payments for the next decade. Decreasing rural population matters To begin, the US population grew by 7.4 percent between 2010 and 2020 to a total population of 331,449,281. However, while the country grew overall, this population growth was not spread equally throughout the country. In fact, two-thirds of rural counties decreased in population from 2010 to 2020 following a trend of population decline in rural America since the late 1900s.

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Americans live in counties defined by the census bureau as rural. This unequal population growth has led to seven seats shifting between states due to the 2020 census as some states lost rural populations while others had quickly growing cities. The states which gained seats due to the 2020 census are Texas, which gained two seats, Colorado, Florida, Montana, North Carolina and Oregon, which all gained one. On the other side of the ledger, states which lost seats included California, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia which all lost one. Interestingly, Minnesota almost had to give up a congressional seat instead of New York with the difference being only 89 people. The reasons for these population shifts are largely due to decreasing rural populations in the states which lost seats and rapidly increasing urban populations in those which gained. It is also important to note that prior to the 2020 census it was expected that as many as 10 seats could have shifted with Texas potentially gaining three, Florida gaining two, and Arizona

gaining one and a failure to meet these expectations has increased concerns that Hispanic populations were undercounted. Impact will be felt for decade or more The impact of the census, and the subsequent reapportionment of congressional seats, will have a significant bearing on American politics in the decade to come. To begin, reapportionment would have narrowly benefited Republicans in the 2020 Presidential contest as Joe Biden would have only won 303 electoral college votes instead of 306 (although this would still have not changed the final outcome). More importantly, this shift in population has increased the number of congressional seats in states which will have their districts drawn exclusively by Republicans.

Every decade, after census numbers have been reported, each state draws new lines for their congressional districts so as to match new population requirements. However, because this redistricting process is in many states carried out by politicians oftentimes the boundaries will be drawn so as to advantage the party drawing the lines. This process of drawing district boundaries to advantage one political party over the other is known as gerrymandering. Redistricting following the 2020 census will advantage Republicans because they hold more seats over which they will have exclusive control in gerrymandering. Specifically, Republicans have total control over drawing 187 congressional districts, Democrats have total control over 75 districts, 121 districts will be drawn by some form of bipartisan/non-partisan commission,

and a final 46 districts will be drawn by politicians in states where neither party has final say. In fact, many experts think that by redistricting alone if the 2020 election were to be held again then Republicans would hold a majority in the House, not Democrats. So, with Democrats already facing the challenge of overcoming the traditional slide in popularity which incumbent parties face in midterm elections, the shift in seats due to census reapportionment adds another significant hurdle to maintaining control of the House. While the census may not have been grabbing headlines during the tumultuous political year that was 2020, its results will have major impacts on political power and control in Washington, D.C. for the decade to come.

One big lesson from Census 2020 is people need paper options By Jim Haigh Keep Me Posted The first results of our nation’s latest population count were recently released, and with the slowest population growth in 90 years, will have far-reaching consequences for many aspects of American life. From Congressional representation and federal funding for local communities to allocations for emergency preparedness and business planning, the census will drive decision making on many fronts for the next decade. With so much at stake, was the shift away from paper-based data collection a wise move for Census 2020? Based on the less-than-robust response rate, the answer is a resounding no. For generations, Americans received and overwhelmingly replied to census questionnaires by mail. In 2000 and 2010, 74 percent of households used paper forms to self-report to the U.S. Census Bureau. Historical success notwithstanding, the experts who designed the constitutionally mandated 2020 census (well before the pandemic began) took a giant leap of digital faith. By design, instead of providing every household a paper questionnaire to fill out along with the option to go online, the government decided that eight in 10 households would not be sent a paper questionnaire at the outset. Instead, households were mailed “invitations to participate” online (or by phone) – in envelopes identical in size and external message as those sent to those who received a physical questionnaire to fill out. And then, when most people failed to go online (or call),

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they were mailed reminder after reminder to go online, only finally receiving a paper form with the fourth or fifth correspondence. As a result, hundreds of thousands of government head counters were needed to go door to door – during a pandemic. And if no one was home or couldn’t come to the door, census takers left a notice with information about how to respond, you guessed it, online or by phone. The overall self-response rate for the 2020 census stalled at 67 percent. The Census Bureau reports that there were 128.5 million U.S. households in 2020. That means 33 percent or 42.4 million households and all the people that live in those households needed to be tracked down in person (during a pandemic) or estimated into the 2020 census numbers. We will never know how many Americans among those 42.4 million households failed to self-report to the census because they couldn’t or wouldn’t go online, but the figure is likely more than a rounding error. Nor will we know how significant societal and business decisions will be influenced as a result. Would the loss of congressional seats by some states and gains by others be different if everyone had access to a paper census questionnaire from the start? Will resources for basic community needs – new schools, hospitals, transportation and housing – go where they are most needed? If there is one immediate lesson to take away from Census 2020, it is that people need more options in how they send and receive important information, with the default being the most easily and universally accessible option – paper. Those who cannot or choose not to access the internet, for whatever reason, should not be disadvantaged. The societal costs of exclusion are just too high.

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GRANGE ADVOCACY ADVERTORIAL

Kansas volunteer honored for bringing ag education to students for 20 years By Sasha Secor

National Grange Intern The National Grange Foundation, in collaboration with National Agriculture in the Classroom Organization (NAITCO), selected Kansas agriculture educator Serita Blankenship as the recipient of its 2021 Partnership in Agricultural Literacy (PAL) Award Blankenship was announced the winner in late April and presented the award at the Annual National Ag in the Classroom convention in Des Moines on July 1. National Grange Membership and Leadership Development Director Amanda Brozana Rios was on hand to present the award during a breakfast attended by more than 200 people and many others online. A short video played, highlighting some of Blankenship’s outreach efforts, and the NAITCO President Tammy Maxey assisted with the presentation. The award, formerly the Agricultural Advocate Award, recognizes individuals like Blankenship, who have dedicated themselves to providing students with opportunities to explore agriculture as a subject and a potential career path. Maxey said the work Blankenship has done is just the type of volunteer engagement Ag in the Classroom programs need to be a success throughout the nation, noting these volunteers help to “deliver agricultural literacy outreach to students in innovative ways in their communities.” “Her passion for reaching students with reading programs and involving older students to teach younger students is inspiring,” Maxey said. Blankenship has spent more than 20 years educating Kansas students at the elementary and secondary level about the importance of agriculture with

Submitted Photo Kansas Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom Executive Director Nancy Zenger-Beneda, Partnership in Agriculture Literacy (PAL) award winner Serita Blankenship, National Grange Membership and Leadership Development Director Amanda Brozana Rios and National Ag in the Classroom (NAITCO) President Tammy Maxey stand after the presentation of the PAL award during the 2021 NAITCO convention. programs like “Be Ag Wise” and the rollout of Dan Yunk’s book series Kailey’s Agriculture Adventure and related lesson plans. She helped distribute to educators the series, published by the Kansas Farm Bureau, which follows Kailey as she visits the farm to learn more about agriculture. Each of the seven books in the series includes lesson plans, resources, activities, fun facts, and a glossary. Blankenship was an integral part of putting all of these pieces together, as well as getting the books and resources in the hands of Kansas teachers. “Be Ag Wise” program lasted more than a decade, was one of the largest, most successful projects Blankenship assisted in implementing, was a joint effort between Kansas Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom (KFAC)

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and KFB and provided workshops in four locations across the state each year where 1,000 educators learned agriculture theme-related lessons in a “train-the-trainer” format. National President

Grange

Betsy

Huber

Foundation commended

Blankenship for her work. “The Grange Foundation is proud to present this award each year, and winners like Serita Blankenship keep amazing us with their passion, creativity and impact on both the children and educators they serve.” Huber said. “Her guidance on our education committee and the agriculture education task force has been a big part of our successes,” said Nancy Zenger-Beneda, Kansas Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom Executive Director.

More than $23K raised for Youth, Junior departments to split during virtual telethon On June 5, the first-ever Grange Foundation Virtual Telethon was held to benefit the youngest members of our Order. The live, 8 hour event hosted by National Grange Youth Director Mandy Bostwick and National Junior Grange Director Samantha Wilkins featured recorded testimonies, talent, and live interviews of Grangers from across the country. Bostwick and Wilkins donned their best 80’s attire, complete with neoncolored eyeshadow and teased and crimped side ponytails as they led the way to tell the story of the Youth and Junior Grange and reconnect individuals with programs they cherish. The duo set a goal to raise $20,000, to be evenly split between the departments, which are under the Grange Foundation. “Rural communities produce some

Photo by Kennedy Gwin Junior Director Samantha Wilkins and Youth Director Mandy Bostwick hosted the 8-hour telethon in early June, which raised more than the $20,000 goal amount. instruments and “truly exhibited what Grangers are made of,” according to Bostwick.

of the most hardworking, talented

The many testimonies came in all

individuals, but too many have not

different forms. There were testimonies

been afforded the opportunity for

of specific Grange memories that were

leadership training to develop their

shared, entire Grange life testimonies,

highest potential,” Wilkins said.

even testimonies in the form of pictures.

YOU CAN STILL GIVE Donations can still be made by going to grangefoundation.org/ telethon or by sending a check to Grange Foundation at 1616 H St. NW, Washington, DC 20006 with telethon on the memo line.

The funds raised will continue

“One of my favorite things that

Junior and Youth programming that

we showed several times throughout

“The moment we hit the $20,000

will build leadership skills at Regional

the telethon was a photo compilation

while on live was one of the greatest

Conferences and National conventions

of pictures sent to us from former

moments I have ever experienced, “

that are vital to rural and small-town

National Grange Youth Directors Jeff

Bostwick said. “I was awestricken and

America.

Wetzel (1991-2001) and Cindy Greer

honestly was at a loss for words.”

early

(2002-07),” Bostwick said. “It took so

Bostwick said she and Wilkins are

planning stages of this event, we knew

many people down memory lane of

proud to lead the two programs, but

we wanted Grangers of all ages to

what they did as Grange Youth and

know that they are just small pieces

show off their talents and to share their

reminded them what the Youth and

in the greater puzzle that is the great

testimonies of what their time in the

Junior Departments are truly about.”

organization and its concern for children

“When

were

the

Junior Grange and as Grange Youth has Throughout the event, talented Grangers

danced,

sang,

Throughout the event, three donors pledged significant matching donations

done for them,” Wilkins said. played

to spark a wave of giving. In its last hour the goal was met.

GOOD DAY!™ MAGAZINE www.nationalgrange.org

and young adults. “I know we couldn’t have done it without the support of our Grange family,” Bostwick said. “I can’t express

enough gratitude to everyone who donated.”

telethon.”

For Wilkins, the moment was one to remember as well.

With sponsorships, more than $23,000 was raised with

“It was so great to be on cheering and celebrating with

donations continuing to come in.

everyone when we hit that milestone,” she said. “Thank you to

You can see clips of the telethon on the National Grange

all the wonderful Grangers that took time to record testimonies,

YouTube page or by going to the Junior Grange or Grange

showcased their talents, or came on live with us during the

Youth Facebook pages.

THANK YOU’S TO OUR TALENT Bodie Ballenger, MO Wendy DeWitt, CA Raegan Hartsell, NC Ryleigh Hartsell, NC Jasmine Martinez, TX Kimber Newman, KS Carl Overstreet, TX Karryn Overstreet, TX Leah Overstreet, TX Josie Plakayda, FL Riley Reynolds, OR Cole Settle, NC Katelyn Tarango, TX Colton Tarbell, NY Philip Vonada, PA TO THOSE WHO SUBMITTED TESTIMONIES Jen & Rob Beamon, PA* Karie Blasingame, IL* Barbara Borderieux, FL* Wayne Campbell, PA Bruce & Sharon Croucher, NY Katie Fallon, NY Rylee Furr, NC Brianna Gervais, NC Kennedy Gwin, WA Heidi Henderson, NY Alexis Kudsk, WA Michael Martin, PA Britney Mercado, NY Molly Newman, KS Vince Newman, KS Ryan Orton, NY Pete Pompper, SC Lynette Schaeffer, IL Joe Stefenoni, CA Bailee Steffey, KS*

Emerald Level North Carolina State Grange Sapphire Level Valley Grange #1360, PA Oregon State Grange

Tessa Taft, NY/WA Jomni Tarbell, NY Philip Vonda, PA* Lori Wuest, TX* Gene Zvarick, PA* *Indicates written testimony featured on Facebook pages

TO LIVE INTERVIEWEES Melanie Bostwick, KS Jimmy Gentry, NC Betsy Huber, PA Brittney Oliver, WA Jonny Pittman, WA Tara Plakyada, FL Phil Prelli, CT Joan Smith, NJ Clay Snyder, PA SPECIAL THANKS Visit Wichita Peterson Farm Brothers Burton Eller Sean O’Neil Stephanie Wilkins Amanda Brozana-Rios Kennedy Gwin Loretta Washington Lindsey Sather Claire Wubben Valerie Stewart Claire Loker OUR SPONSORS Agate Level United Business Technology Potomac Grange #1, DC Diamond Level Oklahoma State Grange

OUR DONORS Ann Allen, OK Dawn Anstett, CT Callie Ballenger, MO Lois Barber, KS John Benedik, NJ Lonna Bennett, OR Lurae Benzio, PA Ann Bercher, MN Karie Blasingame, IL Roger Bostwick, FL Mandy Bostwick, KS Amanda Brozana Rios & Victor Barreto Rios, PA Emalee Colver, IL Steve Coye, NY Gail Dale, TX Gene Edelen, IA Lynn Eisele, CO Ekonk Junior Grange, CT Lorri Freeman, NV John Griffin, FL Carrie Griffin, FL Linda Griffin, FL Billy Joe Griffin, FL Glenn & Barb Gross, PA Tom Gwin, WA Chris & Duane Hamp, WA Jim & Nancy Hannon, GA Josh Harper, CA Steven L. Hood, CA Betsy Huber, PA Eileen Javaux, ID

GOOD DAY!™ MAGAZINE www.nationalgrange.org

Jefferson Grange #1384, PA Marilyn Johnson, MT William Kacsur, DC Donna Keeton, OK JackLynn Keeton, OK KeyKeigh Keeton, OK Jeff LaFrance Lonny Leffler, TX Warren Lewis, WA Vonnie Meritt, OK Molly Newman, KS Kimber Newman, KS Vince Newman, KS Susan & Mark Noah, OR Brittney Oliver, WA Buddy & Karen Overstreet, TX Letitia Pickering, NY Jonny Pittman, WA Tara Plakayda, FL Pete Pompper, SC Phil & Maureen Prelli, CT Lynette Schaeffer, IL Martha Shufeldt, OK Joan Smith, NJ Debra Smith, WA Clay & Linda Snyder, PA Joe Stefenoni, CA Martha Stefenoni, CA Kay & Allen Stiles, MD Marie Volz, OK Phil Vonada, PA Vernon Waldren, NE Mike Warner, CA Loretta Washington, VA Sarah Weiss, PA Richard Weiss, DC Jeffrey Wetzel, PA Stephanie Wilkins, MD

As biopharmaceutical researchers keep searching for breakthrough cures they don’t have to look far for inspiration. In this new era of medicine, where breakthroughs are transforming prevention and treatment options, PhRMA is committed to fixing America’s health care system the right way.

www.Innovation.org GRANGE ADVOCACY ADVERTORIAL

GRANGE RESOURCE

PAN Foundation supports patients, advocates for change By Amy Niles Executive Vice President PAN Foundation For Patricia Reeser, managing her multiple sclerosis and affording her medication has been an uphill battle for 25 years. Unfortunately, the medication which has been the most helpful to her also comes with a high price tag. She takes more than 20 prescriptions each day, and with no out-of-pocket limit for people on Medicare, it’s quite a financial burden. Every year, she seeks out co-pay assistance, and in 2020, she found the PAN Foundation. “PAN entered my life when I thought there absolutely was nowhere else to go. When their personnel told me in our conversation that I met the requirements and was approved, right then and there I had a long, heart-felt cry,” she said. “It was divine intervention and the brightest ray of hope I had in many, many months.” Pat endeavors not to let her illness define her, and she has a long bucket list. Thanks in part to co-pay assistance from PAN, she can continue ticking off items and spending time with her four grandchildren with one less financial worry. We hear stories like Pat’s every day. It’s why we are always looking to expand the list of nearly 70 assistance funds offered to help people like Pat afford their medications. It’s why we continue to advocate for Congress to reform Medicare to help the millions of people who are priced out of their prescriptions by out-ofpocket costs. Our grassroots campaigns also offer patients and supporters a way to directly appeal to their representatives for a cap on out-of-pocket costs. Over the last 15 years, PAN has served nearly 1 million patients, providing more than $4 billion in financial support for their medical needs. Whether you’re already familiar with PAN’s work or you’re getting

to know us for the first time, here are a few of the ways you can find help through or get involved with PAN. Apply for assistance PAN provides patient assistance grants for nearly 70 diagnoses, including many cancers and rare diseases. Our eligibility checker lets you find out whether you qualify for any of these funds in minutes. These grants often cover 100 percent of your out-of-pocket prescription medication costs, including deductibles, co-pays, and coinsurance. We cover products that are FDA-approved or listed in official compendia or evidence-based guidelines for each disease. This includes brand and generic medications. Eligible patients can also receive transportation assistance to cover travel expenses to their doctor’s offices and pharmacy. To apply, patients—or caregivers or providers applying on their behalf— complete a paperless application, get

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instant approval, and in most cases, can begin using their grant immediately. You can apply online in minutes and track your grant in our online portals. Our website also features a series of how-to guides to help you navigate the patient portal and apply for grants. Find these guides or search our disease funds at panfoundation.org. Get funding alerts through the wait list We do our best to keep our funds open all year round. If the fund you would like to apply for is closed, we recommend signing up for the wait list. Our wait list system allows prospective grantees to get the first chance to apply for assistance when funding becomes available. Our website also tracks available funding at other charitable organizations, so even if our fund is closed, you’ll be able to quickly see whether help is available somewhere else. Our goal is to help patients in need find help, regardless of the source. Connect with a patient support organization People with serious health conditions—

and their families and caregivers—need support beyond financial assistance. That’s why we partner with more than 20 leading patient advocacy groups to connect people to communities that can offer support with the complex physical, emotional, and practical realities of life-threatening, chronic, and rare diseases. When you apply for a program at PAN, you can sign up to receive follow-up support from a leading patient support organization that specializes in your disease area. Many patients benefit from their resources, including symptom management, educational resources, and even peer support groups or counseling. Sign up for FundFinder to get real-time funding alerts Over the years, we recognized that the process of getting on the wait list and searching the internet for open funds, whether at PAN or another organization like ours, was challenging and time-consuming. It’s why we developed the first patient assistance app, FundFinder, which allows users to sign up for notifications for 200 funds across nine different charitable organizations. Our award-winning app just launched a new addition, which also allows users to search for support organizations that may have peer support, educational resources, and other helpful offerings. It’s free to use, anyone can sign up, and with more than millions of notifications sent out in our first two years, it’s connecting thousands of patients with funding opportunities. Check it out at fundfinder.org.

HOW CAN I BECOME AN ADVOCATE? Medicare Part D provides drug coverage to 45 million older adults and people with disabilities. And yet, Medicare beneficiaries are the only insured group in the U.S. without a cap on their annual out-of-pocket costs. In addition, Medicare beneficiaries are burdened with high out-of-pocket costs at the beginning of each year when deductibles reset. Tell your representatives to cap annual outof-pocket costs for prescription medications in Medicare Part D in just a few clicks, using PAN’s easy form. Fill in your basic information, including your name, address, and email, and then you’ll have the option to customize a prewritten email. Making your appeal personal is always recommended, but not required. Your email will be sent to your representatives automatically, based on where you live. Become an advocate today. Start here: panfoundation.org/ask-congress-to-lowerout-of-pocket-costs

BRIGHT IDEA FOR PROGRAMMING

Teach members, visitors 4 ways to reducing plastic footprint Courtesy of Brandpoint Plastic contributes to climate change and is a major pollutant, harming wildlife and people. With Earth Day around the corner, here are a few tips for reducing your plastic footprint at home that will also contribute to a healthier planet. Start a Garden From cartons of berries and tomatoes to individually-wrapped cucumbers, it can be difficult to avoid plastic in the produce aisle of your supermarket. By growing your favorite fruits, vegetables and herbs at home, you may avoid some of this waste and reduce your carbon footprint at the same time, as foods found in the store are often shipped from distant places. Keep Your Produce Green When you do have to grab a staple that’s not in your garden, bring some reusable produce bags with you. Check out this cute set from Food52’s shop: food52.com. Then, stick to the loose fruits and veggies not already wrapped in plastic. Green Your Hydration In the pursuit of having a constant source of great-tasting,

healthy water at home, you may be stocking your fridge with bottled water. However, bottled water contains microplastics and is a significant part of the global plastic waste problem. To stay hydrated healthfully and sustainably, use a water filter pitcher. One great option is the LifeStraw Home Glass Water Filter Pitcher, which protects against over 30 contaminants, including bacteria, parasites, microplastics, lead, mercury and chemicals, including PFAS and chlorine. To shop or learn more, visit LifeStraw.com, Target.com, or CrateandBarrel.com. Rethink Garbage Collection Plastic garbage bags may seem necessary, but there are reusable alternatives available today that can help to drastically reduce your plastic waste. For example, Bagito makes durable, washable, water-resistant garbage can liners from 100 percent post-consumer recycled plastics. They are available in three sizes that are ideal for bathroom wastebaskets, kitchen-sized trash cans and outdoor yard debris bins. By doing your part to find sustainable alternatives to singleuse plastic, you can reduce your contribution to a global environmental crisis right at home.

GOOD DAY!™ MAGAZINE www.nationalgrange.org

BRIGHT IDEA FOR GRANGE PROGRAMMING

Granges can continue tradition of storytelling By Ethan Edwards Lecturer, Illinois State Grange It is a perpetual challenge to come up with new ideas for the literary program for each meeting, especially when the same individual might be serving as Lecturer for a number of years. Bringing in outside speakers and creating programs around a particular theme are always good options. But there is another option always available that I think we tend to overlook: it is making use of storytelling by our members. Storytelling is an ancient art form that has been making a resurgence in recent years with special radio programs and contests elevating the practice. But there’s more to storytelling than just talking. Good storytelling educates, entertains, and builds community—all excellent goals for a Grange program. And with some preparation, it might provide a wonderful way to include members who might

otherwise be disengaged. Good storytelling does involve preparation and structure. It isn’t something you want to treat too casually. If you do plan to seek storytellers from your membership, your whole program might benefit from you sharing some preparatory guidelines to help each story be the best possible. A couple things first: · Storytelling is interactive. Unlike theater, there is no “fourth wall” separating the speaker from the audience. The story should create reactions in the audience, and those reactions should become part of the storytelling as appropriate. · Storytelling relies on words, but it should also include actions to enhance the experience, like vocalization, actions, and physical gestures. The storyteller inserts his whole presence into the act and encourages the audience to become part of it as well. · Storytelling requires imagination.

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The listener must imagine the story. This is unlike theater or movies where the audience observes the story. Your words as a storyteller allow the listener to imagine what you are telling them. It is important to plan out a story ahead of time. One framework for storytelling that I find useful is to consider The Four P’s: People, Places, Plot, and Purpose. There are, of course, far more detailed guidelines for telling a good story, but the simplicity of this structure is powerful and easy to implement. People. Characters are what make us interested in a story. It is the people we tell about that build the emotional connection with the audience. Names, descriptions, backgrounds are all important elements that might on the surface seem irrelevant, but are often the specific details to catch the listener’s attention. It is the rare story that doesn’t revolve around a person, or at least a human situation. Sometimes a main character might be an animal or

even a thing. One can imagine telling the adventures undertaken in a special car that could develop as a sort of character in the story. The character is the unifying thread throughout. Places. Where the action occurs is a vital element in weaving a tale. Especially if the story takes place in an exotic or unfamiliar location, details that add color and specificity can engage the imagination of the listeners. Take the time to make even an ordinary location specific and memorable. Sometimes the most important aspect of place could be “time.” How ever you do it, you must paint a memorable and meaningful context for the story. Plot. Story plots are almost always driven by conflict and ultimate resolution. It doesn’t hurt to withhold some details until the end. You want the audience to keep listening for some payoff you have hinted at. Usually, you introduce the goal or conflict early, account for actions around that problem, and then resolve it. Conflict need not be violent or painful in any way. But there must be some sort of obstacle preventing the character from directly achieving the goal. The pleasure in storytelling plot is the journey that you are taking with the audience. Purpose. There needs to be a reason to tell the story: an outcome, a memory, a wish, an intention, an emotion that you hope to trigger in the hearer. It need not be grand or tragic or hilarious, or even that significant; it needs to be sincere and relatable to your shared existence. The best stories are not just that they are entertaining, but also let the listener discover or remember something of their own experience. Know what your purpose is, repeat it to yourself before you start speaking, and guide the details you share toward that end. An awareness of these facets of storytelling will elevate the significance for everyone if you were to have an evening of storytelling. Stories benefit from being concise and this guide helps to eliminate rambling and unfocused tales that do not hold the audience’s attention. Everyone has a host of seeds of stories

in their experience, but examples are a good way to start ideas. If I were faced with this challenge, here’s a story I might tell, trying to remember the 4 P’s. The importance of family is something the world talks about a lot. Usually that is a perspective we gain with age. I was lucky enough to have this idea imprinted on me when I was a very young child. Our family took its first ever vacation in 1967. I was five years old; my parents had been married fifteen years and raised a family of five children, of which I was the youngest. In those 15 years, due to my Dad’s teaching schedule and the pressures of dealing with a house full of young children, my parents had never once ventured away from home on a trip that required them to stay anywhere overnight. But being schoolteachers, my parents yearned for the chance of going significant places and exposing their children to the world and decided that the time for a vacation had come. So, that August we set off in our 1960 Pontiac Catalina, my siblings in the back seat and me in the front between my parents (perched on a pillow so I could see out over the hood), on a 3-day excursion through the neighboring states of Indiana, Kentucky, andTennessee, with the main goal of seeing the historical sites linked to the childhood of Abe Lincoln. I believe we were all having a wonderful time on our journey, and for my young eyes, I had never imagined such delights were even possible: log cabins, hikes through the woods, hearing an owl for the first time, staying in a roadside motel. It’s an odd thing to say, but it was a voyage of discovery even for my parents, as they didn’t really know how normal people went about vacationing. We just let the experience evolve. This collective naivete caught up with us on our last night, though. It had never occurred to my parents to plan out where we would be at any particular time nor to worry about motel reservations. We rolled into Nashville, Tennessee quite late in the evening. There must have been a big event going on in Nashville as there was

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not a motel room to be found. We drove from the city in all directions to no avail. There just were no empty rooms. It was well after midnight and we were still driving around aimlessly trying to pass the time. My siblings were all asleep in the back, but I was wide awake sharing this predicament with my parents. Our main purpose in visiting Nashville was to visit the Hermitage, President Andrew Jackson’s home, a magnificent ante-bellum mansion that had been one of the very first historic home museums in the nation. Mom suggested we drive over in that direction to at least to be close to our destination in the morning. Dad found the Hermitage and pulled into the little driveway leading up to the house, secured by a wrought iron gate. We sat there in the hot August night, all the windows rolled down, listening to the chirping of the crickets and katydids, smelling the aroma of cedars and boxwoods. We knew the mansion should be visible down the lane, but it was too dark to make anything out. All at once the clouds parted and the cool moonlight gleamed down through the tall cedar trees and revealed the glorious white façade of the huge house, its tall Greek columns massive in the distance. I think all three of us were struck by the magic and wonder of such an unexpected sight. We froze in silence for a moment peering down that dark lane until the moonlight disappeared as quickly as it had come, and we were once again just sitting in a hot car, in the middle of the night, exhausted as we listened to the gentle sounds of children sleeping coming from the rear, and the resumption of the rhythmic cadence of the insects in the woods. After a time we drove away and ultimately just slept in the car. As silly as it sounds, I knew in that moment in the night that my bond with my Mom and Dad was cast forever as something that really mattered in the world. My parents are both gone now, but even in their last days, I (and they, too, I believe) always felt a palpable connection to that brief moment in the moonlight in the middle of that August night, far, far away from Illinois but very much at home.

IDEA FOR GRANGE SUCCESS

Move to digital recordkeeping encouraged to preserve history By Kennedy Gwin National Grange Communications Manager Every Grange across the nation has someone keeping notes, taking minutes and holding a history of his or her area in their hands - but often the importance of these records goes unrecognized. For Lecturers, the minutes and documents kept by your Grange’s Secretary can make for some fascinating programming, assist with display set-ups and help you talk to your local media about the tremendous impact of the Grange in your area over the years. But that requires being able to access those records - something many Granges are finding out the hard way is a bit more challenging than it should be. Historically, many records were lost to the attics of former members or in fires or floods in Grange Halls. Several Granges have tried to stem the tide of lost records by moving to digital platforms for recording and archiving their history - but sometimes these plans didn’t come with as much planning as they should and modern records have also been lost. If you’re tech-savvy, consider offering your Secretary assistance to digitize your records and modernize your practices or find someone else who can help. Today, storing records doesn’t require space or climate control – it just requires a computer and some forethought. Even hand-written notes should be digitized at some point – whether that’s by someone taking the handwritten documents and typing them into a document or scanning the pages of handwritten notes and saving the file. One of the easiest things you can do if you are taking handwritten notes but have a computer and internet access available is to type the minutes after you return home from your meeting and email them to your members. This provides a digital copy to the members and allows even those who didn’t attend a glimpse into what is happening in the Grange. Many Secretaries report higher attendance, not less, when they provide minutes electronically between meetings. People know the Grange is doing something and want to be part of the next decisions. They know they cannot do that if they are not there – in person or virtually depending on your Grange’s bylaws. These minutes and other records should be shared with several members of your Grange, along with the minutes of years past – there is a lot of wisdom hiding in those pages! You should work with a local library, historical society or university to store these records for future generations of members, residents of your town or scholars to look at. The Grange’s legacy is in your hands.

10 Tips for Record Keeping: 1. Keep them legible! If you are handwriting your notes make sure people can read them because at some point, they will be historical documents 2. If you are typing your notes for your meeting avoid using abbreviations or text language. 3. Share your notes with all your members! If that means emailing them from your laptop to fellow members or scanning them at your local library and then sending them out, just get the word out so your members know what their Grange is doing. 4. Make sure you have your notes saved in more than one place! Things happen to computers all the time, like crashes or power surges. You do not want to lose your notes because of this. 5. Make sure other people have access to your files for future Grange members or an office transition. 6. If you have physical copies and are not sure what to do with them contact your local library or archivist for help. They will have many resources that can assist you in the preservation process. 7. Keep copies of your records on thumb drives or external hard drives. This helps keep a secondary copy on an external resource. 8. Utilize youth in your community to assist with technology literacy or to help you convert old documents into PDFs (portable digital files). This is a great way for them to earn community service as well as a great learning opportunity for you. 9. If you have questions about technology there are many resources online such as videos or articles that can teach how to do things like upload files, and so much more. 10. If you keep notes physically store them in your Grange hall in a safe place where they won’t get wet or exposed to extreme weather. These are historical documents in the making and should be treated as such.

GOOD DAY!™ MAGAZINE www.nationalgrange.org

GRANGE RESOURCE

Brochure gives new, prospective members idea of what to expect at Grange meetings By Amanda Brozana-Rios Membership, Leadership Development & Communications Director Have you begun meeting again at your hall and had individuals express interest in attending or joining your Grange? Do you meet in a traditional fashion with a full opening and the hall fully set up? Do you find yourself explaining much of what just happened to prospective members not used to our language or ritual work? If so, a new brochure available through the Membership Department may be of use to you. The file is set to print on 8.5” x 14” legal-size paper – something most home printers will be able to handle or

The new brochure called “Sneak Peek: What to Expect when you Visit a Grange Meeting” is printed in color on legal paper, 8.5” x 14” and includes information about the traditional layout of a Grange Hall, the Order of Business and a glossary of some terms visitors or new members may not be familiar with.

that can be done at great discount at your local Office Depot/Office Max with

because of suggestions of Cultivator

following: Name of Grange (and number);

your Grange member benefit discount

teams around the country.

where your meetings are held (including

“This is a great tool to introduce

card.

address), on what day and time (and if it

The brochure, called “Sneak Peek:

visitors and prospective members to

What to Expect when you Visit a Grange

the parts of our meeting that we do

Meeting,” includes a glossary of terms,

automatically, but may be unusual or

to the public); contact name, number

the layout of a traditional Grange

strange to them,” National Grange

and email for someone in your Grange

meeting, the order of business and some

President Betsy Huber said. “I hope all

who will be responsive to potential

basic explanation for the process of our

Granges will download and print a few of

member inquiries. If you do not include

work.

these brochures to keep on hand for use

The idea came about thanks to

when needed.”

starts or ends with a potluck that is open

this information, the space on the back of the brochure will be left blank for you to

suggestions from a team of Grange

Of course, there’s still work to be done

Cultivators from the Northeast region.

by you – to get prospective members in

Cultivators

hand-

the doors to see the good your Grange

selected to help find new ideas for the

does that is planned in your meetings

account

membership department and Good of

and to welcome them with open arms

the Order who have been meeting over

into their new Grange family.

website to access the Office Depot

are

individuals

place a sticker with the information. You may sign into your member on

the

nationalgrange.org

discount card or contact Benefits Director

the past few months to identify areas

You may request a copy of the brochure

that the Grange can address large and

as a PDF digital download by emailing

small to encourage growth. More tools

me at membership@nationalgrange.org.

nationalgrange.org or by calling (202)

and opportunities will be available soon

In your request, make sure to include the

628-3507 ext. 109.

GOOD DAY!™ MAGAZINE www.nationalgrange.org

Loretta Washington at lwashington@

Honoring THE BUILDERS OF OUR

MEMBERSHIP ANNIVERSARIES

L egacy

80 YEARS CONTINUOUS MEMBERSHIP

75 YEARS CONTINUOUS MEMBERSHIP

Illinios • Donald Sanford, Guilford Hope #6 • Harold McLarty, Guilford Hope #6 Massachussets • Bernice Skinner, Easton #196

Massachusetts • Betty Holmberg, Easton #196 Maine • William Hatch, Danville Junction #65

Michigan • Roland Winter, Home #129

New Hampshire • Maxine Tyler, Mt. Hope #77 • Marguenta Yeaton, Rochester #86

New Hampshire • Wallace Hooper, Joe English #53 • Frances Towne, Joe English #53

New York • Jesse Kent, Veteran #1108

Pennsylvania • Myrtle Horning, Seipstown #1657 • Jane Snider, South Buffalo #1908 • Ilene Kightlinger, Rundells #871 • Norman Reifsnyder, Bernville #1887 • Carroll Snyder, Bernville #1887 Rhode Island • Barbara Pallas, Kickemuit #24 Washington • Mary Louise Loe, Molson #1069

Pennsylvania • Leanna Schafer, North Strabane #1434

50 YEARS CONTINUOUS MEMBERSHIP Connecticut • Chevee-Ann Miner, North Stonington #138 • Roland L. Chapman, North Stonington #138 Idaho • Arlene Ankenman, Kuna #59 Illinios • Karl Kindberg, Prairie #1832 Kansas • Jamie L. Klenklen, Pleasant View #1459 • William Voights, Jr., Gardner #68 Maine • William Morton Baird, Valley #144 • Sherrill French, Valley #144 • Joan Wright, Valley #144 • Judith Brann, Evening Star #183 • Debbie Johnston, Evening Star #183 • Thomas Johnston, Evening Star #183 • Ann B. Burns, Maple Grove #148 • Judy Dunn, Mill Stream #574

Massachusetts • Susan Bourdages, Central Community #22 • Douglas Hall, Central Community #22 • Patricia Gibson, Central Community #22 • Shirley Brigham, Easton #196 • Alan Caldwell, Easton #196 • Beverly Caldwell, Easton #196 • Edward Cederholm Jr., Easton #196 New Hampshire • Bruce Heath, Centennial #185 • B. Richard Bailey, Hudson #11 • Wayne Brown, Mohawk #217 • Leta Brown, Mohawk #217 • Eldonna Brooks, Mohawk #217 • Dennis Hyde, Mohawk #217 • Russell Woodard, Mohawk #217 New York • Eleanor Doty, Veteran #1108 • Linda Batsford, Cuyler #449 • Ina Jo Clawson, Lodi #213 Ohio • Sherry Cognion, Blue Ridge #1448 • Donna J. McKinniss, Jugs Corner #2680

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• Ernest E. McKinniss, Jugs Corner #2680 Oregon • James Voss, Columbia #867 • Doris Reid, Columbia #867 • Steven Reid, Columbia #867 Pennsylvania • Thomas Bechtel, Virginville #1832 • Jean Beck, Virginville #1832 • Leo Beck, Virginville #1832 • Jean Dietrich, Virginville #1832 • Lynn Dietrich, Virginville #1832 • Marlin Dietrich, Virginville #1832 • Verna Dietrich, Virginville #1832 • Candace Epting, Virginville #1832 • Barry Hamm, Virginville #1832 • Suzanne Hamm, Virginville #1832 • Jane Reppert, Virginville #1832 • Rodney Treichler, Virginville #1832 • Cindy Weist, Virginville #1832 • David Williams, Virginville #1832 • Mary Elizabeth Werner, Hillcrest #1657 • Lyla Derr, Seipstown #1657 • Mark Miller, Seipstown #1657 • Richard Hausman, Seipstown #1657 • Dennis Haas, Seipstown #1657

• Kathy Haas, Seipstown #1657 • Kathleen Sickenberger, South Buffalo #1908 • Beverly Waibel, Little Gap #1882 • Scott O. Setta, Hayfield #800 • Pauline Mosier, Hayfield #800

Washington • Gloria “Dolly” Engelbretson, Molson #1069 • Nadra Betcher, Molson #1069 • Roberta DeFord, Manor #1101 • William Girard, Fargher Lake #853 • Greg Allen, Columbia Valley #938

• • • • • •

Sandra Peterson, Columbia Valley #938 Robert Stallings Jr., Columbia Valley #938 Nola Duvall, Olympic View #774 Carl Hagen, Olympic View #774 Donna Hagen, Olympic View #774 Archie Morrison, Olympic View #774

Welcome New Members to the Grange Family Addy #603, WA • Duane Johnson • Luke Johnson • Adelyn Johnson • Briuella Gates • Joshua Sperling • Heather Sperling • Dennis Bartlett • Carol Bartlett • Eleora Dasko • Heather Friess • Wyatt Friess • Natalia Collier • Selisha Payne • Ted Birklid • Cindy Birklid • Finley King • Alissa Ebert • Rylan King • Mason Ebert • Travis Phelps • Renate Phelps • Lane Phelps • Rylee Andrews • Keziah Colvin • Maddie Maxwell • Doug Lambert • Bonnie Lambert • Linda White • Nathaniel Payne • Kristina Payne Big Knob #2008, PA • Nancy Schaffer Brighton Park #163, WA • Chloe Johnson Broadway #647, WA • Magda Szteke • Scott Hilliard • Susan Lattomus • Mary Lou Shean • Blair Shean • Cheryl Cannon • Brett Cannon • Shelly Jenkins • Dave Kirk • Leonard Richey

HAS YOUR GRANGE RECENTLY WELCOMED A NEW MEMBER? Make sure they are recognized!

Anyone may submit the names of new members so they can be recognized in Good Day! magazine. The easiest way to submit information is by using the online form found at tiny. cc/NewGranger (case sensitive). You may also send the information to membership@ nationalgrange.org or call Amanda at (301) 943-1090. NEXT ISSUE DEADLINE: OCTOBER 1

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Midge Richey Will Yates Melody Westmoreland Ulla Whitmont James Boyd Susan Boyd Dalia Maraoulaite Kathy Medford Lois Paul Louise Smart Sharon Grant Lynnel Rowan Stan Helmka Jenifer Pacsons Ken Jones Sylvia Vanourek Corinna Michels Ed Whitlock Cindy Whitlock Joy McKinney Steven Gottlieb Randie Gottlieb Jonelle Mejica Kara Lolley Steve Manske Linda Manske Amelia Rutter Terry Ann Carkner Julie Conley William Bosch Nancy Chott Ron Beaudry Elain Beaudry Randy Nordneim

Capital City #2111, PA • Claudia Phillips Columbia #87, WA • Chloe Johnson • Michael Maguire • Kenneth Barrepski Jr. • Ann Barrepski • Jocelyn Burns • Kris Burns • Paige Turner • Charlie Deach • Kathi Green • Theresa Kimmes • Eric Sloan • Reoberta Cloan • Sara Wade • Claudine Wade • Erin Stelljes Cowlitz Prairie #737, WA • Lawrence Davidson Cumberland Valley #2104, PA • Ferne Dietrich Deer Lagoon #846, WA • James Breilling Jr. • James Canby • Tara Hammons • Dave Mathews • Rebecca Rudy • Dave W. Smith • Joanna Spagnolini • Jacob Anderson • Kaylee Deisher

GOOD DAY!™ MAGAZINE www.nationalgrange.org

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Lois Anderson Allison Harter Zac Harter Luca Harter Dawn Tarantino Edward Tarantino Trevor Wilmoth Dale Hagglund Robert Rose Maureen Green William Szczepaniak David King Margaret King Larry Christianson James Sheldon Michael Thorp Judy Thorp Kelly Wrightson Kara Mathina David Hardesty Jennifer Hardesty Serenity Hardesty

Dry Creek #646, WA • Josh Borte • Joe Reynolds • Amie Reynolds • William Paquin • Terri Paquin Eagle #1, PA • David Bittner • Keri Boyer • Serena Fisher • Tristin Kitchens

East Spokane #148, WA • Lindsay Urso • Tairra Brandon Elma #26, WA • Scott Bondurant Fairview #1351, PA • Allison Parrish Fern Prairie #866, WA • Jan Friedrich • Debbie Friedrich Fertile Valley #1094, WA • Laura Coppock Frankfort Springs #1989, PA • William Nilon Jr. • Marjorie Smitsky • Jill Vehar

• • • • •

Caden Williams (+1) Reed Williams Adam Zimmerman (+1) Michelle Zimmerman Paige Zimmerman (+1)

Kenova #566, WA • Jessica Kile

Lincoln Creek #407, WA • Tracy Redmon • Charles Redmon

Fredonia #545, WA • Linda Tunstall Ginger Hill #1549, PA • Lori Shoemaker

Manor #1001, WA • Josh Riches

Glenwood #94, WA • Jerrold Dean • Kara Griffin

McIntosh #1001, WA • Ellie Roibal

Jefferson #1373, PA • Marlo Troup • Amy Shuffstall • Alivia Shuffstall Jefferson #1384, PA (Reorganized Grange) • Victor Barreto Rios • Marie Bildheiser • Valerie Bildheiser • Vanessa Bildheiser (+1) • William Bildheiser • Rachel Brobst • Karl Brobst • Stanley Brozana • Amanda Brozana Rios • Amy Burke • Hannah Burke • Brach Gibbons • Jerry Heim • Dave Jenkins • Elizabeth Kattner • Abigail Konkus • Victoria Konkus • Mykal McCulloch • Natalie McCulloch • Reagan McCulloch (+1) • Taylor McCulloch (+1) • Barb Peters • Brianna Prince • Sharon Thomas • Barbara Weller

Middletown #684, PA • Paul Delp Jr. • Marilyn Franckowiak Minnehaha #164, WA • David Marston Minnequa #754, PA • Patsy Baxter • Karen Clark • Angela Jackson • Tammy Tillotson Mountain View #98 • Charlie Kitchings • Sue Kusch • Barbara Bailey

Pine Grove #115,WA • Tadd Davis

Rose Valley #953, WA • Cheryl Lewis • Krystal Marriott • Paul Marriott • Kathryn Jobst • Kelsie Collins • Hadlee Marriott • Boylie Collins • Tegan Marriott • Stephanie Clark McNally Roy #702, WA • Matt Marshall • Jessica Marshall • Athena Marshall • Michael Lindsay • Holly Lindsay • Tristan Lindsay • Robert Burwell • Johnathan Pierre • Kenisha Pierre • Olivia Pierre • Orastasy Pierre • Patrick Nelson • Jolene Alpert • Marian Sova • Ashley Sova • Mary Sova • Robert Sova • Randy Chambers • Lori Chambers Sallal #955, WA • Julie Lester • Rich King • Wynter Elwood • Brendon Elwood • Becky Steidle

Oakview #311 • Cary Williams • Regina Keller • Cathy Garske • Robert Genzel • Aleta Genzel Ontelaunee #1617, PA • Sierra Merkel Orchardvale #334, WA • Ramon Reyes • Alejandra Munoz • Lisa Valencia • Naomi Valencia • Candy Arroyo • Fantasia Ryes • Bobby Saiz • Pedro Armenta • Juan Correa • Monica Silva

Kimberly Silva Manuel Andrade Joel Rasmussen Jose Juan Alvarez

Ridgeview #1948, PA • Al Vallozzi

Liberty #1780, PA • Carleigh Seeley • Rylynn Seeley • Kari Thompson • John Thompson

Lopez Island #1060, WA • Susannah Dunlap • Suzanne Walker • Norene Ignelzi

Honey Brook #1688, PA • Barry Witmer • Doris Witmer

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Samish Valley #926, WA • Debra Suthers • Alina Ramey Satsop #183, WA • Carol Jones • Georgina Delorme • Harry Delorme • Virginia Krikava • Patricia Fox • John Fox • George Welch • Janice Danker Scrubgrass #1705, PA • Olivia Drake

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• • •

Scott Gianoglio George Honchar Matthew McSparren

Sequim Prairie #1108, WA • Michael Lowe • Heather Cerutti • John Cerutti Jr. • Weston Opdyke • Tanya Opdyke • Katherine Gould • Mike Richer • Jean Pratschner Skamokawa #425, WA • Lorraine Deitz • Denise Subramaniam • Lynn Campbell • Andy Cristaldi • Christine Darby South Auburn #1133, PA • Jess Tyler • Scott Tyler Steptoe #1005, WA • Spencer Scholz • Geraldine Scholz • Sarah Therien • Colton Therien • Amanda Ronstadt • Jose Ronstadt • Bec Cochran • Taylor Cochran • Codi Claussen • Allison LaRose • Shannon LaRose • Steve Doak Tuscarora #774, PA • Floyd Rowles • Corinne Hostetter The Valley #1048, WA • Terry Annett • Virginia Annett • Rion Annett • Brittany Annett • Jennifer Dixon Virginville #1832, PA • John Epting • Brayden Heckman • Catherine Moatz • Michael Moatz • Pamela Moatz • Jasmine Wolfe Walker #786, PA • Korinne Kauffman Waller Road #1111, WA • Garrett Hedrick • Crystal Schmidt • Aaron DeLaTorre • Cebra Schmidt

MEMORIAL NOTICES ARLENE MILLER

Past National Pomona Arlene Kell Miller, Past National Pomona and National Delegate representing Maryland State Grange passed away May 5 at the age of 93. Arlene, of North East, Maryland, was born in York, Pennsylvania, on September 19, 1927, the daughter of the late Alfred and Arlene Drenning Kell. She worked for Cecil County Public Schools

and was a recruiter for the Agriculture Department at University of Delaware. She was a proud member of the Red Hat Society and belonged to the Daughters of the American Revolution. Arlene volunteered and was a member of the Ladies Auxiliary at Union Hospital, was active in the Cecil County Fair, Farm Bureau, Calvert Grange, National Grange, and in the

Homemakers Club. Survivors include her beloved husband of 73 years, Francis Grove Miller; children, Ken Miller (Kay), Milton, DE, Dianne Russell (Bill), and Al Miller (Karen), both of North East; grandchildren, Kiersten Sponaugle (Paul), Korin Parks (Chris), Brian Russell (Cheryl), Nicki Eyman (Brad), Katie Williams (Lonnie), Mike Miller

(Emily), and Robbie Miller (Christy), Laura Moss(Kurt); and 17 great- grandchildren.

JOHN THOMPSON SR.

Past National Executive Committee Member John Leonard Thompson Sr, Past National delegate reprenting Maryland State Grange and past National Executive Committee, 91, passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving wife of 67 years, Betty Ann Lease Thompson and his family on June 8, at the home of his daughter with whom he had recently gone to live. He was born at home on October 27, 1929 in New Market, Maryland, to the late Roy James and Mildred Florence Miller Thompson. In addition to his wife he is survived by four children - John L Thompson Jr. and wife Susan; Joel Lease Thompson and wife Catherine; Jennifer Lou Cliber Smith and Jan Devin Stitley and husband Chip. He is also survived by 11 grandchildren and 5

great grandchildren. John was a graduate of Frederick High School in 1947, the University of Maryland in 1951 and later obtained his Master’s Degree. John served in the medic unit of the US Army during the Korean War. He began a long career with the Frederick County Board of Education as an agriculture teacher, drivers education supervisor, principal, area director and assistant superintendent

retiring in 1991. He served as the Frederick County Teachers Association President. John was a lifelong active member of the Bush Creek Church of the Brethren, living his faith through serving in many capacities. He was an active member and officer of the Libertytown-New Market Lions Club. He was an active member and officer of New Market Grange #362. He served the Grange as Frederick County Pomona President, Maryland State Grange President and Delegate and member of the National Grange Executive Committee. Cards and condolences may be sent to Betty and the family, 11009 Bennie Duncan Road, Frederick, Maryland 21701.

GOOD DAY!™ MAGAZINE www.nationalgrange.org

MEMORIAL NOTICE POLICY The information about the passing of Past Delegates and Officers of the National Grange, as well as substantial National figures is provided by the National Chaplain upon receipt of the information from informed members in State Granges. If you know of a memorial that should be included, please email communications@ nationalgrange.org and the information will be forwarded to the National Chaplain. You may also call (202) 628-3507 ext. 113 and provide the information to Samantha who will forward it to the National Chaplain.

Quarterly National Grange

Legislative Update

Did you ever wonder... “what’s National Grange doing to help communities like mine?” The answer is a lot, especially on the legislative front. Here is a look at actions taken recently on behalf of our members. for a clean traditional roads-bridges-

pipeline that do not have enough votes

waterways type bill. That meant the large

yet to pass and not enough agreement

package must be broken up into smaller

on the pay-for proposals to implement

Sean O’Neil

and more germane pieces. So various

those that might pass.

Legislative Assistant

Senate

By Burton Eller Legislative Director

over

committees

separate

with

parts

jurisdiction the

plans

The

emerging

compromise

necessity major

legislative

This spring, President Biden signed

began discussions along with hearings

initiatives is threatening Democratic unity

the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan

on various aspects of the package.

heading into a turbulent summer stretch

relief package. It included funding

Bipartisan negotiations took place in

on Capitol Hill. The progressive wing

to strengthen the food supply chain,

the Senate and with the White House

of the Democratic party is increasingly

increase food assistance, assist minority

on a $1.2 trillion infrastructure proposal

restless several months into the party’s

farmers to pay off USDA loans, expand

but there was no immediate agreement

control

broadband

reimburse

on the compromise. Following lengthy

Progressive wing’s legislative priorities

schools and libraries for providing free

negotiations in the Senate, a $1 trillion

are still waiting action.

broadband during the pandemic, and

hard

fund state and local water and sewer

in mid-August, but awaits action in

infrastructure.

the House which is likely to come in

There may be enough political will

In April, President Biden unveiled his

September. This bill is almost entirely

in Congress to attempt passage of a

American Jobs Plan and American Family

paid for through repurposed funds and

compromise infrastructure package by

Plan to address broad infrastructure

other non-tax methods, and is supported

Labor Day. It’s something important

needs, education, health care, tax credits

by a large bipartisan group of Senators

to all states and practically all House

and more. But Congress will need to

and the White House.

districts. Governors, mayors and county

deployment,

infrastructure

bill

was

Congress.

Most

the

passed

Along with the huge increase in

pass all the individual provisions in these

The Road Ahead

governments

are

hoping

for

funds

spending for these proposed packages,

to repair and rebuild their crumbling

It became immediately obvious that

the administration floated proposed

infrastructure. This has led to a bipartisan

Congress would not be able to pass the

changes to the tax code. A firestorm

infrastructure compromise agreement

entire package en masse. The Senate is

erupted in opposition to many of the

that addresses traditional infrastructure

split 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans

proposed tax increases particularly the

needs. More difficult, in the fall Congress

which means that to pass a bill, the

increase in capital gains tax rates and

can adopt a separate package with 50

leadership must hold all party’s votes and

the elimination of the step-up in basis

“go it alone” Democratic votes in the

get one or more votes from the other

for capital gains. Several Democratic

Senate by a process known as budget

party. On infrastructure, Senators Joe

senators joined the Republican chorus

reconciliation which is exempt from

Manchin (D-WVA) and Kyrsten Sinema

of tax push-back. So now we have

normal Senate rules that could be used to

(D-AZ) announced they would only vote

several major legislative proposals in the

block the package. This second package

plans before any funding is authorized.

GOOD DAY!™ MAGAZINE www.nationalgrange.org

is likely to contain non-infrastructure

a “major” threat. Those expressing

the producer and consumer. Expect

spending on social and welfare programs,

concern were highest in Italy (77 percent)

the Senate Agriculture Committee to

education, minority and family initiatives

and lowest in the United States (50

schedule hearings on price discovery,

plus items on the progressive’s agenda.

percent).

market

If the “two-track” effort fails, there is the

Watch for additional issues to emerge

possibility of wrapping both packages

in Washington over the summer and

together under budget reconciliation

fall months. Some of these will require

without bipartisan support.

legislative action while others can be

Climate

change

still

the

administration’s centerpiece initiative; all departments and agencies of the federal

implemented through the regulatory process. Waters of the United States Rule

transparency

and

processor

concentration this summer. The USDA plans to take three rulemaking actions in the months ahead to strengthen enforcement

the

Packers

and

Stockyards Act. ·

Broadband

buildout.

Congress

government are focusing on climate

(WOTUS).

has

authorized lots of money for broadband

change in their mission areas of regulation

announced plans to revise the definition

in pandemic relief packages. More

and oversight. The objective is to reduce

of “waters of the United States” under

broadband funding is expected in an

greenhouse gas emissions (CO2 and

the Clean Water Act. EPA Administrator

eventual infrastructure bill. The challenge

methane) and sequester carbon. At the

Regan continues to emphasize that he

will be to assure broadband funds are

recent Group of Seven Nations Summit

will involve farmers, ranchers, forest

prioritized to connect unserved and

President

June,

owners and other landowners in the

underserved rural and urban residents

climate change was prominent on the

process, but the agriculture community is

first as intended by Congress. Rights of

agenda. A recent Morning Consult poll

nervous because of past EPA experience.

of Italy, France, Spain, Germany, United

WOTUS could turn into a long war.

Biden

attended

Kingdom, Canada, Australia and the

The

Livestock

administration

markets.

Congress

United States found that most adults in

concerned with the wide price margins

these countries consider climate change

of meat and poultry products between

way access for broadband expansion will slow down the buildout. ·

Drug

pricing.

The

price

prescription drugs is still a top-of-mind health care issue. Lots of legislative and regulatory ideas to lower drug prices are

GRANGERS’ “MAN IN WASHINGTON”

on the table awaiting consideration.

Burton Eller has been the Legislative Director at the National Grange since 2014 and previously worked at many agriculturally-based organizations, including the USDA and the Farm Service Agency.

pandemic relief funds, infrastructure,

Contact Burton by email at beller@nationalgrange.org or by phone at (202) 628-3507 ext. 114.

DO YOUR PART TO MAKE GRASSROOTS EFFORTS WORK Remember, our advocacy is only as good as our policies - researched and well-written, debated with passion and civility - and our members’ grassroots efforts. Be part of the campaign to keep rural America moving forward by staying informed and answering the calls to action sent by your State and National Grange. Make sure you’re receiving the View from the Hill monthly e-newsletter and other legislative alerts by email from the National Grange and take part. Make sure to take a copy with you to your Grange meetings so other members can stay informed as well. To ensure you’re on our email list, provide your name, Grange name, number and state and your email to National Grange IT Director Stephanie Wilkins at swilkins@nationalgrange.org today and thank you.

· Taxes. The trillions of dollars in broadband,

emergency

programs

and other initiatives will need to be replenished to the Treasury. Will congress raise taxes, what new taxes come into play and upon whom will these new taxes be levied? · Inflation and the economy. As America’s economy opens again and citizens emerge from lock-down, demand for goods and services is surging and the supply chain is way behind. The result is higher prices and increasing inflation. Look for these concerns to grow. What policies will the federal government put into place to combat increasing inflation?

GOOD DAY!™ MAGAZINE www.nationalgrange.org

RURAL HEALTH

The Future of Rural Libraries Could Be Healthcare By Craig Settles Courtesy of the Daily Yonder Reprinted with permission Libraries are in the vanguard of transforming healthcare delivery. Libraries reach out and touch virtually everyone in their communities across the entire economic spectrum. The same way libraries brought high-speed Internet to the underserved communities, so they will deploy telehealth to bring affordable healthcare where it’s most needed. In October 2020, the Daily Yonder spotlighted Pottsboro, Texas’ public library and its director, Dianne Connery, who had plans to open a telehealth center in the library. Connery seems to have unleashed significant pent-up desire to replicate telehealth in libraries nationwide. She rolled out her telehealth center in January 2021 and in February she was promoted to rural special projects librarian. “Manage your expectations because it takes a while to build the crowd to telehealth services,” she said. “We only set appointments for two days a week. Our partner, the University of North Texas Health Science Center, will keep our growth steady and controlled.” A lot of libraries right now are struggling to keep up with everything that’s going on,” said Henry Stokes, library technology consultant at Texas State Library and Archives. “But as they move forward and see their peers push telehealth initiatives, we’ll see health become prominently featured in libraries. Telehealth is such a great fit!” The Federal Communications Commission’s $7.1 billion E-rate grant program for libraries and schools will move many libraries sooner rather than later. Move Quickly But Be Smart Telehealth became suddenly popular in the first couple of weeks of the pandemic as both doctors and patients wanted to avoid in-person visits. Although libraries might have been closed, they kept busy. “In 2020, many courts required virtual online attendance,” said Lucinda Nord, executive director for the Indiana Library Federation. “Librarians learned effective virtual meeting skills that will help us expedite telehealth work.” These projects had librarians setting up spaces with high quality video and audio connections that may be used for telehealth appointments. There also were transition costs for training technology, buying sound baffling, and developing new skills. Libraries had to be creative on the fly to ensure patrons’ privacy, as well as the sanitation of equipment and space. As several small rural communities in Texas and elsewhere consider telehealth, clinicians are realizing that they short-change themselves in thinking of libraries only as spaces where you store equipment. Library staff can play an important role supporting the health information needs of their community. There are medical

databases they can learn how to use. They can be trained to act in an adjunct capacity. That brings us to what it is, exactly, that libraries could be doing if they move into telehealth. What Happens When Your Library Goes “All In” for Telehealth? The official definition states that: Telehealth uses intranets and Internet networks to observe, diagnose, initiate or otherwise medically intervene, administer, monitor, record, and/or report on the continuum of care people receive when ill, injured, or wanting to stay well. I’ll take it one step further and differentiate between: 1) realtime telehealth, 2) store-and-forward telehealth, and 3) “passive” telehealth. Real-time telehealth are activities happening “right here and now,” and often involve medical or healthcare professionals. In a library setting, a patron would be video chatting with a doctor from a study room or other enclosed private space. A traveling nurse could set up in a room to do hypertension screening with patrons and video conference with a doctor in another location should patrons have questions. Store-and-forward telehealth is collecting medical data and sending it electronically to another site for later evaluation. Patrons who don’t want to go over their data limit) might use library’s Wi-Fi to send medical records, test results or digital images. For maximum privacy and security, telehealth applications receive and send data using HIPAA-compliant software. “Passive” telehealth refers to educational web content, digital knowledge bases, and software applications that help us understand, prevent, treat, or recover from threats to our physical and mental health. Few entities are as competent as libraries for making knowledge easy to find and sort through. Can Telehealth Surpass the Challenges It Faces? There are plenty of rewards and challenges facing telehealth success in rural areas. Often these challenges are nothing that

GOOD DAY!™ MAGAZINE www.nationalgrange.org

money can’t cure. But will the Federal Government’s plan to lay out billions of dollars be enough? Of the $7.1 billion proposed by the FCC, E-rate program targeting libraries and schools (plus the $200 million from the Institute of Museums & Library Services’), a lot will go to libraries to boost infrastructure in their facilities. But also, much will be spent for mobile hotspots and laptops that give library patrons a way to have telehealth and other apps at home. “On the one hand, mobile hotspots are an incredible stopgap solution while we wait to build out broadband infrastructure,” said Lucinda Nord, Executive Director of the Indiana Library Federation. “On the other hand, mobile hotspots are limited in quantity and reach, and should be

considered only a stopgap solution.” While the bulk of American residents use 4G wireless networks and devices such as smartphones, many rural residents, the elderly and the disabled use nearly out-of-date 3G networks and devices such as flip phones. The giant cellular companies are abandoning 3G networks, and manufactures are abandoning flip phones as well as hearing aids and other consumer electronics. Telehealth vendors are hard pressed to support these older technologies as well. The lack of digital literacy is a barrier to rural broadband adoption. Library employees are the digital navigators who assess Internet users’ access to technology and baseline digital skills, and advise how to get free or affordable solutions to meet

their needs. Shauna Edson, Digital Inclusion Coordinator for the Salt Lake City Public Library, with a grant from IMLS and in partnership with the NDIA, has built a digital navigator operations model for organizations and libraries to use nationwide. Telehealth is being touted as a great potential equalizer in the battle for healthcare equity. Broadband and libraries are two main vehicles enabling communities to deliver that telehealth. Craig Settles, saved from a stroke by telehealth, pays it forward by uniting community broadband teams and healthcare stakeholders through telehealth initiatives.

Consumer protection jeopardized when providers end paper delivery By Jim Haigh Keep Me Posted The recent passage of the “No Surprises Act,” for which the National Grange lobbied, is being hailed as a major victory for patients and consumers. Effective January 1, 2022, the new federal law will prevent patients from receiving surprise medical bills resulting from gaps in coverage for emergency services and certain services provided by out-of-network doctors and other providers at innetwork facilities. Unfortunately, critical documentation that medical consumers rely on to catch and dispute these surprises might not be where they’ve always found it: in their mailbox. Explanation of Benefits (EOBs) are essential notices that help patients understand how much each service costs, how much their insurance plan will cover, and how much they will have to pay their doctor or hospital. Until very recently, it had been a universal health insurance industry best practice to mail paper EOBs to plan members by default. Over the course of the pandemic, Keep Me Posted (KMP) - a group with which the Grange is affiliated - has received multiple complaints of major insurance companies automatically switching their customers from paper EOBs to digital communications without receiving clear permissions or express consent. The potential harms from forcing consumers into electronic delivery of EOBs — rather than asking beneficiaries to voluntarily opt in to new communications preferences – are serious and numerous. Without traditional access to itemized claim details of

healthcare services displayed in an easy-to-read, printed format, surprise medical bills will be much harder to spot. This is true for both simple accounting errors and potential fraud, all of which could go unnoticed and unchallenged. When insurers send information to beneficiaries electronically without consent and without confirming current email addresses, confidential HIPAA-covered information could potentially be at risk. And beyond the consumer rights and liabilities, the basic and essential knowledge of how much has been paid towards plan deductibles, out-of-pocket limits, the amount saved and still owed could be jeopardized, along with information necessary for tax purposes. In addition, many consumers who have difficulty accessing online technologies, have concerns about online security or require paper communications for practical reasons are disadvantaged by EOBs that are delivered electronically by default. Among those most at risk are older adults, people with disabilities, those in low-income households who cannot afford computers or broadband service, and people in rural areas where unreliable internet access is common. Because EOBs have statutory, regulatory, tax, fraud prevention and consumer rights implications – including new protections against surprise medical bills – electronic delivery by default poses real and unnecessary harm to our most vulnerable populations. To protect all consumers, Keep Me Posted urges health insurance providers and regulators to assure default access to EOBs free of charge, using the most easily accessible and universally available option: paper delivered through the mail. The costs to consumers for not doing so are far greater than the cost of a postage stamp.

GOOD DAY!™ MAGAZINE www.nationalgrange.org

EMEREGENCY BROADBAND BENEFIT WHAT I S I T?

3 WAYS TO APPLY

A temporary FCC program to help households struggling to afford internet

service during the pandemic.

The benefit provides:

Contact your preferred participating provider directly to

Up to $50/month discount for broadband

learn about their application process.

service A one-time discount of up to $100 for a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet

purchased through a participating provider.

WHO I S ELI GI BLE?

Go to GetEmergencyBroadband.org

to submit an application and to find participating providers near you.

A household is eligible if one member of the household: Has an income that is at or below 135% of

the Federal Poverty Guidelines or participates in certain government assistance programs; Receives benefits under the free and

Complete a mail-in application and

send it along with proof of eligibility to:

reduced-price school lunch or breakfast program; Received a Federal Pell Grant during the current award year;

Emergency Broadband Support Center P.O. Box 7081 London, KY 40742

Expereienced a substantial loss of income due to job loss or furlough since February 29, 2020; or

LEARN MORE

Meets the eligibility criteria for a participating provider's existing low-income

Call 833-511-0311, or

or COVID-19 program.

Visit fcc.gov/broadbandbenefit

Information current as of 6/16. Provided by the National Grange

Study: Big-city approaches to legal aid don’t work in rural settings By Olivia Weeks Courtesy of the Daily Yonder Reprinted with permission Many legal-aid programs don’t work in rural areas because they are designed to serve large cities, a new research study says. The result is that low-income rural residents aren’t getting equal access to justice, according to a new paper published in the paper in the Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law Policy. Researchers Michele Statz, Robert Friday, and Jon Bredeson say that accessto-justice programs built on urban models fail rural people on three fronts: · They do not account for the lack of infrastructure like broadband that is available to rural people—especially low income ones. · They incorrectly presume that anyone in a crisis can effectively be their own attorney. · And their standards for justice do not line up with rural Americans’ own expectations. The authors use northern Minnesota and northern Wisconsin—locally nicknamed the Northland—as a case study in rural justice access. “The Northland region evidences many of the socioeconomic and spatial trends that characterize rural U.S. regions more broadly,” they wrote. The majority of Wisconsin’s highest poverty rates are concentrated in its northernmost, rural areas. The state’s Northland economies are largely reliant on the extraction and manufacturing industries, which have drastically reduced employment in recent decades. The area suffers from an absence of large legal firms, limited social services, and rural lawyer shortages that are accelerated by a graying pool of local attorneys. “Legal deserts” like this one significantly reduce the efficacy of state and federal legal aid funding. Even if the cash support is there, the practitioners aren’t around to take advantage of it. In rural areas, only 14% of civil litigants receive legal assistance. The other 86%

are left to defend themselves in court. This rate of civil representation is less than half the national average. In Wisconsin, rural criminal defendants can wait as long as four months to be assigned a public defender. Rural tribal courts fare no better, with most defendants self-representing. According to the authors, there are critical gaps between the perceptions of metropolitan lawmakers and the experiences of rural litigants when it comes to access-to-justice solutions. “Most simply, the initiatives touted as advancing ‘equal administration of justice for all’ often prove to be the very same self-help forms, helplines, and online resources that low-income rural residents identify as barriers to justice,” stated the study. Lack of internet access, lagging technological literacy, and a dearth of legal guidance all inhibit the chances of a just legal result for the rural poor, the report says. Technological fixes are inadequate, wrote the authors, because they presume access both to smartphones and broadband, both of which are disproportionately inaccessible to rural residents. “Without addressing the rural digital divide, the ability of technology to close rural civil justice gaps remains limited.” While lack of access to technology can be a barrier, rural people trying to access the legal system are rarely surprised by the struggles it creates. “For rural low-income individuals who are already acutely aware of how public policies actively and inequitably disadvantage rural livelihoods, infrastructure, and health and welfare,” they wrote, “it is simply ‘normal’ that current [access-to-justice] initiatives would be experienced as stressful, insufficient, and even humiliating. We call this sense of loss and distrust the ‘hegemony of defeat.’” Throughout the paper, the authors argued that an insufficient standard for “justice” is being used. They gave the example of two people navigating

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a complicated custody case in rural Minnesota without attorneys. In this case, each party successfully navigated the forms they were required to complete, and each gave about a paragraph’s worth of testimony. While the parents were each able to perform an attorney’s technical role, neither were able to fully represent themselves

through

non-required

evidence and narrative. But a lawyer’s role is not simply to perform administrative tasks, the authors wrote. It’s also to gain a deep understanding of their client’s story. In this case, the stakes were high: the futures of a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old hung in the balance. “Why I need your help,” said one Northland attorney in an interview for the study, “is probably based on several things that led up to this, which may or may not involve chemicals, or mental illness, or child sexual abuse, or current or recent or past mental, physical, emotional or financial abuse by a partner. You have to know [a client’s] backstory. Sometimes as far back as when they were 3.” The paper questions the abandonment of

traditional

standards

within

rural

courts. “Why is it that we have given up on the gold standard of both parties being represented by attorneys to settle for something less, particularly for rural communities?” The authors called on the American Bar Association, state bar associations, local bar associations, law schools, and the judiciary to act. “The inability of the [legal] profession to mobilize in support of [access to justice] as a necessary component places the profession at risk of being unneeded, or more likely unwanted, as disparities increase,” they wrote. This article first appeared in the Daily Yonder on March 31, 2021.

PERSPECTIVE

64 Photos by Kimberly Stefanick

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To Stay... or Go?

A decision is looming about the fate of 1616 H

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Where does the Grange live? Leaders, members asked to consider millions in repairs or sale of HQ By Kimberly Stefanick Member, New Jersey State Grange

and Amanda Brozana Rios National Membership & Leadership Development Director The sun rose high in the sky as the morning of June 29, 1960, began. It was a big day for the National Grange Building – dedication day – and the first of many special moments that would take place at 1616 H Street NW. With more than 1,500 in attendance at the ceremony, President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Secretary of Agriculture Ezra Taft Benson dedicated the second D.C.

headquarters

the

National

Grange, a gleaming new structure just around the corner from the White House. Thousands of people have visited the building and walked the halls since that morning in 1960, a fact that National Grange President Betsy Huber does not take lightly. “It was very intimidating to think that I was now managing this 11-story building with all these people in it,” Huber said of her first time walking in the Grange building after being elected National President. “It is pretty special to be here.” With

eyes

Pennsylvania

peeled

Avenue,

high the

over

National

Grange has had a front row seat to the best and worst of times in our Nation’s Capital over the last nearly 80 years 61 of which have been spent at 1616 H Street. Grangers know all too well, though, with age comes complications, and the National Grange building is showing its

A photo taken not long after the building was opened offers a glimpse into the past when the National Grange had staff members of various departments on several floors throughout the building including the basement where the printshop and mailroom were housed. Today, the Grange occupies only the 11th floor, with less square footage than any other floor in the building, as well as half the basement for the mailroom, copiers and Grange Supply Store. Historical archives are stored in half of the subbasement, while the other half has storage lockers rented by tenants.

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many years. Peeling paint, water stains, and outdated drapes are the least of the issues the Grange building is currently facing, but they are just the most visible symptoms of much greater concerns that

THE FIRST PERMANENT GRANGE HEADQUARTERS IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

lie within its walls and have essentially

From its inception, the O National Grange fought an uphill X battle to have its headquarters located so close to the action of legislation and democracy. Former National Grange President Albert S. Goss was the mastermind behind the acquisition of a property in Washington, D.C. from which to base the national operations of the Grange, but this idea was not without opposition A map shows the location of the first National and Goss had to convince his Grange headquarters (X; labeled as the predecessors that the future of current White House Historical Society) and the organization belonged in our present headquarers (O) at 1616 H. St the Nation’s Capital. NW. in Washington, D.C. “Although there had been occasional resistance from some of his predecessors about locating permanent administrative headquarters in Washington, D.C., (National President) Goss felt it was essential to the future of the Grange that a national office be acquired there…” David Howard wrote in his book People, Pride and Progress. “The permanent headquarters, owned by the organization, gave added credibility to the group; locating in Washington, D.C., placed it right where Goss and others felt it best belonged. The fraternity had finally evolved into the institutionalized legislative force Kelley envisioned, even though its policies and strategies were closer to those recommended by the less ebullient Saunders.” It was in 1943 when Goss’ dream became a reality, and the Grange could finally call Washington home. “In 1943 the decision was made to purchase an eight-story building at 744 Jackson Place Northwest, fronting Lafayette Square (located across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House),” Howard wrote. “The purchase price of $292,000 was quickly seen as a bargain and rental of much of the space helped pay the mortgage payments.” The idea paid off very quickly as the National Grange building became very profitable for the organization and gave the stature that leaders had been looking for. Again, though, the building faced another battle just years after being purchased. “Our first headquarters was on Jackson Place, which is right around the corner,” Huber said. “When the government took over that space through eminent domain, they gave us this property in return. There was a mortgage, but that was paid off pretty quickly with fundraising, rents, and donations from members.” Thus, 1616 H Street NW became the new home of the Grange in the Nation’s

called the question: “Will the Grange’s headquarters remain at 1616 H?” Long List of Needed Repairs Means an Uncertain Future

“The building is 61 years old now and hasn’t always had the ongoing maintenance that it needed,” Huber said while detailing the improvements that are needed to the historical structure. “After 60 years there are a lot of little problems like leaking pipes, an aging electrical system, and lots of other big things that are needing attention.” Recent updates include new roof, new boiler and a new air conditioning system. Even with these improvements, other necessary repairs weigh heavy on the aging building and the budget

reduced each year with fewer members’ dues dollars and contributions from partners such as Grange Insurance Association. Huber said engineers have provided a

variety

estimates

and

urgent

versus important updates to maintain the building’s safety, status, and its justification for rental rates. Overall engineers have submitted a list of must-do projects that range from immediate to within 5 to 7 years that total more than $2 million. A more extensive report shows complete repairs could top $7-9 million over the next 10 years but would require us to vacate the building for about two years – both of tenants and contents, including the National Grange. There is no way to do all the of the anticipated repairs without substantially interfering with day-to-day operations for the Grange and its tenants, said Samantha

Capital in 1960 and has remained so since.

Wilkins, Operations Coordinator for the headquarters.

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And then, there’s the money.

With the pandemic came a swift shift

“To do any of those other projects like

to telework for many, and that change

the piping, wiring, and elevators, would

allowed both companies and individuals

require borrowing a lot of money, which is

to assess the need for physical office

of course a concern,” Huber said. “How

space.

will we repay the loans? It’s a concern

budget relies heavily on rental income,

because we live off our income. We are saving a little bit of money, but nothing close to what it would take to make the needed improvements.” A huge piece of the pie Mechanical issues are not the only problem facing the building, as outdated décor and a changing style of work brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic risks the ability of the Grange to find suitable tenants. “The building is a huge piece of the pie when it comes to the budget,”

For

organization

whose

the cultural shift causes concern for the bottom line. “The building brings in a lot of income and if we don’t have the tenants then that is reduced funding for the operation of the National Grange,” Huber said. Wilkins recently reported the building is nearing its first 100 percent occupancy rate in many years this fall – though several spaces are in negotiations for rent. Additionally, some tenants are nearing the end of their leases in 2022 and it’s unclear if they will renew.

Huber said about the aging structure.

However, many prospective tenants

“We get nearly $400,000 net income

have chosen other more modern spaces

from the building which funds a lot of our

in the city and some tenants have moved

operations. It funds the staff and some

because of the lack of modern facilities

programs, it’s a big source of income that

and

allows us to pay staff and not rely on dues

headquarters that they can find in nearby

for the salaries and benefits.”

buildings, Wilkins said.

conveniences

our

National

The ashes of the original mortgage for the 1616 H St. Headquarters building sit in a glass vase in the President’s Office. Location, location, location “It brings the organization prestige to have an office in D.C., and when you tell people we look out at the White House, they are very impressed,” Huber said of the importance of owning a building in Washington, D.C. “Since we are the only privately-owned building in the White House district, it is very impressive that we are here. It is important to our influence in the government and with other groups in D.C.” In addition to the prestige and financial benefits of renting out space in the building to tenants, Huber said the importance of having a central location for national staff members cannot be overlooked. “There is a lot to do in overseeing all these local Granges and state Granges so you really need one central place

The cornerstone of the Headquarters building in Washington D.C. reminds passersby of the age of the structure. Much of what’s inside in the mechanical and electrical rooms has remained unchainged.

where the staff can gather,” Huber said. “We (staff) all just realized again how important it is to toss ideas back and forth after we all haven’t been able to

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The view of Pennsylvania Ave from the top of the Grange Building in Washington, D.C. meet in person for a year. You really need

see us. Our members are rightfully proud

a headquarters to do that and having it in

that we are based here.”

D.C. is also important for the legislative

In addition to the occasional visits

work that we do. It’s important to be near

from members, the Grange building

the seat of power where all the lawmaking

serves as the central location for the

happens.”

Legislative Fly-In, held every spring where

By virtue of its location, the building

Grange members travel to Washington,

has also seen history made within the halls

D.C. to meet with Members of Congress

and has catered to leaders from around

and discuss agricultural issues that are

the world through the years. Recently,

important to their communities. The

Huber said the Minister of Foreign Affairs

Grange Advocacy board also meets at

and International Cooperation from the

the headquarters along with the National

Federal Republic of Somalia visited the

Grange Executive Committee.

building to “get some advice to improve

Events and celebrations have also

the plight of the farmers in Somalia

been held at the building over the years

because they have had a disastrous

and the history of the organization has

couple years with drought and locusts.”

been stored within the walls. Today half

A beacon to some and a point of pride

of the sub-basement houses the archives,

for others, the building also serves the

part of which is in a room that has a mold

needs of Grangers around the country.

remediation light. Other cherished and

“I know that our members have a lot

historical items can be found throughout

of pride in having this space next to the

the half of the basement still occupied

White House,” Huber said. “Once in a

by the Grange, as well as the conference

while, not as often as you would hope,

room on the first floor and much of the

All are original and not energy

members stop in to see the building and

11th floor where staff offices are found.

efficient.

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Some of the windows in the building are cracked and need to be replaced.

Office Building Classification in D.C.

“It’s a tight squeeze, but it allows

to be done to meet the needs of

us to get as much rental income out

prospective tenants or the companies

of the building as possible,” Wilkins

or individuals renting from us.

said. “We don’t all have our own office

The 26 rentable spaces in the

spaces and when we all come into

building range in size greatly, from 55

town for events or meetings, you can

sq. ft. to nearly 3,200 sq. ft. and bring

corners and offer great city

find some staff working on laptops in

in anywhere from about $36/sq. ft to

their laps on the couch in Betsy’s office

$50/sq. ft.

Trophy

buildings

are

views. They have all modern, high-end

amenities

and

are

typically less than five years old. They are luxury from start to finish with rooftop terraces for events, floor-to-9’ ceiling glass windows, and offer parking and easy Metro access.

or the lobby area or we take over the

“When we go into negotiations

conference room. Sometimes we’re

with tenants, we know that every dollar

doubled up when we have interns, so

counts,” Wilkins said. “I work the best

it’s hard to have private conversations

I can to create an agreement that is

with tenants or vendors.”

not only fair to us but responsive to the market we know we’re in. The rate

Class status matters

we charge is really the top end of what

Over the years, the Grange has

we can charge as a Class C building,

Class A buildings typically

reconfigured many floors to take down

meaning a building without modern

are fairly new construction and

walls, build individual office spaces,

amenities

have flexible infrastructure with

create conference rooms or storage

Wilkins said.

columns spaced more than 20

spaces – basically doing what needs

and

accommodations,”

In between each tenant, Wilkins

feet by 20 feet apart. They have things such as locally controlled heating and air for each rental space, parking, concierge and security service, workout space, coffee

shops

and

prominent

locations. Class B buildings are more dated and less flexible. Typically, they are less than 40 years old and have been well maintained in fixtures as well as infrastructure. Class C buildings – which is the current rating of the National Grange headquarters – are older, dated, no frills spaces with little or no on-site amenities that are often in less desirable locations. They offer a low-rent option but often have fewer potential tenants in cities such as D.C. where a large part of business is providing potential clients and partners the impression of luxury and security.

Not enough offices are available for on-site staff. In the former Executive Assistant office, filing cabinets are being emptied to make room for a desk to be added to make a shared workspace.

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said the Grange paints and addresses flooring – sometimes updating carpeting or installing vinyl flooring. Recently lighting has also been addressed as spaces become unoccupied. “The new LED lighting is more cost effective, but we are still working off a very dated electrical system overall,” Wilkins said. Wilkins

said

something

many

tenants and prospective tenants have commented on is the feeling of family atmosphere when renting with us. “That’s what drew them to rent with us, or kept them with us,” Wilkins said. “It’s really one of the best selling points for renting the spaces along with our location, which has definitely helped us, but it isn’t the only factor. As our building becomes more and more dated, especially our mechanical systems, we can’t expect a family feeling or great location here to surpass the spacious glass and marble and extra amenities offered by other buildings-- location isn’t enough.” Completing the required maintenance – things necessary just to operate safely within code – would not increase the value or raise the building’s class status, but not doing so can certainly diminish it. “We’re working to make updates and renovations-- the aesthetic changes come slowly, and the mechanical and structural issues are things we can’t do without large scale borrowing,” Wilkins said.

Learning from the ‘Million-Dollar Monster’ Many

Grange

members

were

charitable when the building faced an unexpected large-budget repair in 2017 when the chiller system failed and required immediate replacement. With this more than $1 million project – what some of the staff have called the “million-dollar monster” - came some electrical upgrades and a variety of other work to meet the challenges that kept popping up.

New equipment installed during the chiller project in 2017-18 required several other upgrades. was

also

when

the

National

that construction can take a while to

Grange Executive Committee engaged

complete. There were many hidden

engineers and real estate management

obstacles and challenges we had to

companies to assess the overall needs

overcome, and many lessons learned,”

of the building and get a better look at

Wilkins said.

projects on the horizon.

From

this

project

there

still

Ultimately the project took more than

outstanding debt, though a large one-

a year for chillers to get back online, but

time gift from the Washington State

basement work continued through 2021

Grange Foundation helped cover a

and the new boiler installation was finally

substantial part of the work.

completed earlier this year. “This was no exception to the rule

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“Donations were extremely welcome, and we are so thankful, but overall

contributions to this project from individual Granges or Grange members totaled about only 2 percent of the overall cost,” Wilkins said. “With these giant numbers for renovations and repairs now on the wall, it’s hard to fathom donations would come close to solving the financial piece of this puzzle,” Wilkins said. The conversation then turns to return on investment – which even with the best-case scenario would take years to pay off given the length of the anticipated repair list – or finding another way to fund the work such as a one-time or multi-year member assessment or dues increase. “Let’s not even talk about that,” Wilkins said. “Not that it can’t happen, but as a member, I know how hard that is to swallow for any reason. Dues is such a sticky subject and especially for a building most people never see or visit that is supposed to generate money, not take it out of their pockets. It’s a part of

The Grange has reduced its footprint over the past several years, outsourcing some of the Grange Store items and keeping only a limited amount of items on hand for Granges to order through the Grange Supply Store in the basement.

the equation, sure, but I know that’s a part no one wants to even think about unless it’s as a last resort.”

members means opinions are often emotional rather than grounded in some of the more intricate and tangled details

‘A Catch 22’

of infrastructure and budget, prestige, historical preservation

With a building valued at $13 million according to a 2018 appraisal, and a budget that relies heavily on the nearly $400,000 a year rental income nets for the organization, clearly 1616 H Street is a great asset. WATCH Watch a short video for an inside look at the National Grange headquarters (Link is case sensitive). https://bit. ly/1616h-hq

and housing invaluable records, staff space and even where our mail will go. “It’s not as simple as if we care or not to be in this landmark. It’s every component that will be affected by staying the course

The question, though: “Is it worth

and borrowing to do so or moving and changing what we are

it? Should we mortgage the future just

used to,” Coye said, relating to concerns he has even with

to have an office close to the White

his State Grange’s headquarters building that has served to

House? When does an asset become

generate revenue but will soon need maintenance and repairs.

a liability because of the scope of work necessary?”

In the meantime, new flooring and lighting in the lobby, cleaning of aged brass on the front doors and elevators, an

Grange leadership is struggling to make a decision that has been called

updated conference room and more are being done or have been completed.

“anything but easy” and “a Catch 22”

“Even while we’re waiting on the delegates to help us make

as they look towards the future of the

this decision, we need to keep the building appealing and

organization.

operable for our tenants and ourselves, so we’ve invested in

Executive Committee Member Steve Coye, who also serves as President of New York State Grange, said an added element

a few areas that we can, but we know once a decision is made where we go from here,” Coye said.

to making any decision is history and respect. “We’ve got a lot of blood, sweat and tears invested in that over the last 60 years. It’s a tough decision because you have to

All options are on the table For Coye, “all options are on the table.”

respect all the people who put into that building over the last 60

Those include borrowing and making necessary repairs in

years and the financial stuff that they did to make this property

a well-planned, systematic way; to sell the building outright

viable and serve us so well for so long.”

and find a new building to purchase that is large enough to

However, Coye said that cannot stand in the way of progress.

produce rental income or small enough to house only necessary

“Things change and paradigms change, and you have to

operations and put the remaining sale profits into investments

adjust or you’re gone.”

with hopes for good returns; to sell and then rent back a floor

While he is seeking input from members of his State Grange,

or few offices from the new owners of 1616 H; or to enter an

he said the distance felt between the national entity and local

agreement with another company that will profit share with the

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Grange and allow us to maintain some space in 1616 H while investing their own capital into repair projects. “We’ve gotten a few different options put to us by the real estate company we work with and at this point, none are being ruled out.” Huber, too, said nothing is off the table, but hopes delegates can help narrow the options or make a decision

“There is no right decision here. there is no easy decision. it’s more than a building - emotionally, financially, our visibility... We have to make a decision, but it certainly, at times, feels like an impossible choice.”

this fall. “As we work through this decision, no one takes it lightly,” Huber said.

State Grange, said the decision is one

necessarily what my opinion or anyone

“There are lots of details, questions and

that cannot be made solely on personal

else’s individual opinion would be based

big and small decisions that have to be

opinion.

on all the information available for the

made, no matter what path we take. In

“There is no right decision here.

good of the organization. We have to

the meantime, we are spending money

there is no easy decision. it’s more than

make a decision, but it certainly, at times,

and hoping nothing else catastrophic

a building - emotionally, financially, our

feels impossible choice.”

happens until we know where our

visibility,” Schaeffer said. “We were

For Wilkins, who has heard from many

elected to make the hard choice, and

members and leaders of State Granges,

member

we try really hard to make the right

it all comes down to: “Where does the

Lynette Schaeffer, President of the Illinois

decisions for the Grange as a whole, not

Grange live? At 1616 H Street, or can it

delegates want us to go from here.” Executive

Committee

survive beyond the D.C. office?” She reminds people that no matter the decision, a headquarters is not the Grange – even though this one serves the organization on so many fronts. Huber said, “Past National Grange President Kermit Richardson once said ‘The Grange lives in your hometowns all across America, not in Washington D.C.’ It’s true. No matter if we have a headquarters near the White House, outside of D.C. or somewhere else, the Grange is more than any one building, The Grange is inside of us and in our hometowns where our members do good work. The leaders today are weighing that and the decisions they make about this building all go to ensuring that future for every Grange in the nation.” Wilkins said whatever decision is made must be done “in the best interest of the organization.” Bathrooms in the building, including this single stall on the first floor for visitors and tenants to use, are dated and in some cases have fixtures that don’t work. In this dimly lit bathroom, a utility sink is hidden behind a stall door, walls have peeling paint and the ceiling and light fixture show signs of a past flood from the upper floors.

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“Grange is so near and dear to all of us, and so important as an institution in this country, that we know we have to set a course for the organization’s success, whatever that may be,” Wilkins said.

™

74 plaque with the Grange Motto adorns the front ofGOOD DAY! MAGAZINE A brass the headquarters building. www.nationalgrange.org

Kansas couple uses year as Outstanding Young Patrons to talk to peers about Grange relevance By Kennedy Gwin Grange Communications Manager Molly and Vince Newman from Kansas have had quite a year. In November 2020, the couple was named Outstanding Young Patrons at the National Grange convention held virtually in Washington DC. Since being named Outstanding Young Patrons, the couple wants nothing more than to share the Grange with other young families. “This is a family organization, there is something for both Molly and I, as well as for our daughter Kimber,” Vince said, referring to their very involved 7-year-old Junior Granger. Over their term they hope to accomplish many different goals. The first is to get the word out to young families that the Grange is an organization that allows parents, children, grandchildren and the entire family to participate together. The second: that the Grange is as relevant or more so today than ever. “We want to tell people that the Grange is still around and ready with open arms to welcome them,” Molly said. As a couple, they have a shared road to travel in Grange. But as individuals, they come to the organization on different paths. Molly grew up in the Grange, then Molly Bostwick, with generations of Grangers in her family tree. Her father Roger Bostwick, current President of the Kansas State Grange and officer of the Assembly of Demeter, and mother, Melanie Bostwick, Grange Foundation Board Member, met in the Grange as children. Her younger sister, Mandy, is National Grange Youth Director and previously served as National Outstanding Young Patron. “The list could really go on and on,”

Submitted Photo Molly and Vince Newman of Kansas were selected as the Outstanding Young Patrons for 2021. While Molly’s Grange roots run generations back, Vince came to Grange when he started dating Molly and talks about the “invaluable” skills he has learned as part of the organization. Molly said of her family’s involvement and accomplishments in Grange. “Clearly, it’s a huge part of all of our lives, so having a partner who became involved wasn’t even a question. It’s a part of my life. The Grange is my family.” She didn’t find that partner in Grange, but instead brought him to it. Vince said he learned about the Grange because of Molly, but came to love it all on his own. He said he has “friends all around the country. I can call anyone from anywhere and be helped within the hour, there is no other network like it.” Vince said the life skills he has gained from it have been “invaluable.” From contests to a variety of other programs and opportunities, Vince said the Grange offers many options to learn and grow.

He especially emphasized the opportunity given members who participate in things such as the impromptu speech contest. “In the real world, you need to think on the spot and be collected,” Vince said. “Impromptu speeches teach people that.” Molly credits the Grange with instilling her with self-confidence. It’s that confidence, she said, that has advanced her personally and in the organization, where she is today. As a high school math teacher, the ability to command the attention of others while speaking is important, and something central to her Grange experience. Now it’s at the heart of her daughter’s growth in Grange and beyond. “To see that confidence start to build in my daughter at such a young age is a very rewarding experience,”Submitted Molly said. She Photo The altar of Little Brown Church

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recently watched as her daughter collected blue ribbons for reading a short story at the Great Plains Leaders Conference and for her Sign-A-Song entry. “She couldn’t even see over the podium, but she was loud and clear and read confidently,” Vince said. “It was such a proud moment, a moment we wouldn’t have without the Grange.” Kimber is not the only one making the family proud. Director Mandy Bostwick said having the opportunity to work with her sister and brother-in-law on the Youth Team has been an incredible experience.

“Growing up, and still today, Molly and I were side-by-side at every Grange function together. She has always been my biggest sounding board when I have Grange ideas, and so it’s like nothing has changed,” Mandy Bostwick said. She credits Vince with bringing “a different perspective to Grange.” “He has been a member for quite a while but wasn’t born into the Grange like Molly and me. He can bring that ‘outsider’ perspective to the table to help build better programming for our Youth,” she said. Even through this very untraditional year, the entire Youth team is excited to talk

to other members and those interested in the Grange around the country. Molly and Vince will travel to Idaho in August for the Western Regional and find other opportunities to bring the Grange message to a broader audience. “We are passionate about the people and opportunities it provides,” Molly said. “Every opportunity we get to speak to those who aren’t members about the Grange or to our own members and remind them of how special our organization is, we’re happy to take it.”

Look into options for lifting burden of college debt which positively impact society but don’t typically provide a large paycheck.”

Courtesy of Brandpoint Higher education has become synonymous with debt. The Federal Reserve reported more than $1.7 trillion in outstanding student loans as of Q4 2020 while nearly $120 billion in student loans were in default, according to Statista. Whether you’re fresh out of high school or returning as an adult student, nobody wants to graduate owing more than they can afford to repay - and run the risk of becoming yet another cautionary tale. Instead, you’re forced to make sacrifices to make college happen. You opt for a less expensive school that offers you the best possible financial aid package, even though it might not be your top choice. You may eventually abandon your dream career in favor of a more lucrative course of study. Maybe you even decide college isn’t worth it. Don’t give up just yet. There’s a program that can give you the freedom to invest in yourself. Help with repaying student loans To help students and their parents overcome both the fear and burden of student loan debt, Ardeo Education Solutions has collaborated with over 200 colleges and universities nationwide to offer students the protection of its Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP), at no cost to the student. LRAP awards can help you and your family repay your student loans after graduation. LRAPs have been providing a financial safety net to students for more than 30 years, with over 20,000 students covered by Ardeo’s program. The program makes college possible for students across the country and helps the schools offering it improve access to education on their campus. Josh David, Vice President of Student Service at Ardeo Education Solutions said the LRAP is well-suited “for students who pursue service-oriented careers, such as working for a nonprofit,

How LRAPs work A growing number of colleges and universities nationwide are using LRAPs to reinforce their commitment to improve access to higher education, student success and graduate outcomes. By committing their own resources, these colleges and universities are putting their own “skin in the game” to ensure their students have successful outcomes. LRAPs cover federal student, private alternative and parent PLUS loans. Students must graduate with a bachelor’s degree from the school where they received their LRAP Award. If your income is typically less than $45,000-$50,000 an LRAP will help you and your family repay your loans until your income exceeds the threshold or the loans are paid off entirely. LRAPs provide 3 primary benefits to students: * School choice: Students can attend their preferred college or university, because they are able to focus less on cost and more on the value of their education. * Graduation rate: Students covered by an LRAP may be more likely to graduate, because they know they’ll have help repaying loans once they do. * Career path: Thanks to having an LRAP, students feel empowered to follow their dreams. With an LRAP to help when they graduate, they can follow their passions rather than a paycheck. Assistance for parents For parents who take out parent PLUS loans or for co-signers of student loans, an LRAP will help repay those loans based solely on the graduate’s income, not yours. Want to learn more? Talk to your admissions office or financial aid counselor to find out if an LRAP is an option for you.

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CREATED BY LILLIAN SHARPE

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CONNECTING AMERICA’S HEARTLAND “From investing in future-proof technology to supporting community groups, the Totelcom team is committed to making a difference in the lives of our customers.” JENNIFER PRATHER, VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER, TOTELCOM COMMUNICATIONS

amily-owned Totelcom has been connecting residents and businesses in Central Texas for over half a century. The technology may have changed, but today that commitment to bringing innovative connectivity solutions—high-speed broadband over a fiber optic network—is stronger than ever. Community-based Totelcom is focused on keeping their neighbors connected. Under the leadership of Vice President and General Manager Jennifer Prather, the Totelcom team is dedicated to deploying 21st

century communications solutions to power their rural, central Texas service area and help their customers thrive. Thank you, Jennifer, and all of our nation’s broadband providers, for connecting America’s heartland to today’s opportunities and tomorrow’s dreams. Learn more at USTelecom.org

GRANGE ADVOCACY ADVERTORIAL

NOTES FROM A SMALL TOWN

Some Things the pandemic Taught Me Column by Christopher Dean Massachusetts Grange Member When COVID first hit last March, I was working in an office about a 75-minute drive from my house. The drive and the traffic were brutal, every single day, into the city, then out, about two-and-a-half hours total. I used to listen to CDs of books in the car to pass the time, they kept my mind occupied but were also a bit of a distraction, or rather the drive was a distraction from the books, I often had to skip back because I was focused on the road and missed part of the story. I was well paid and the work was engaging though stressful. Then came the lockdown. In the office, we were given a day’s notice before clearing out, taking our computers, other tools, and reference books so we could work from home. There was a settling-in period. Then, after four months, I lost my high-paying job as the company started to collapse, went on unemployment and after three months of that, I got a job that can be done from home, involves no intense input from me, pays me just about half what I was making, is only 30-hours a week (maximum), and has no paid benefits - not the best situation overall, but it had a silver lining that I would not have predicted: I

discovered that I had really hated my commute, like, really hated it and didn’t miss it at all. And that was a major part of the discontent I had with my old, preCOVID life, even though I didn’t know it until it was too late. Money mattered to me less than I’d thought it would, I was stopping judging my life by the money I was making. And, over the whole period, I fell into a routine that turned out to be quite perfect for me. I can get out of bed now whenever I want to, I’ve not been awakened by my alarm clock since the last day at the office in the middle of last March. I can have breakfast on the back porch or walk down to a neighborhood coffee shop and take my coffee over to the nearby beach and relax while I watch the waves on the sand. If I oversleep, I can get out of bed and go right to our home office and start working. I don’t have to “dress for work,” I can wear whatever I want, I can wear the

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same T-shirt all week if I want (of course, that also means that thousands of dollars spent on clothes for work weren’t spent as I might’ve wished). When I want a break from work, I can pick up a picture book and look at photographs for a while, I can go downstairs and have a cup of tea or walk out for a chocolate bar around the corner, I can sit on the back porch and watch the shadows move until I decide that the break is over. Finally, at 60, I discovered something that my hippy brother had been haranguing me about for years: the Rat Race had been taking a lot out of me every day and not giving me much actual personal fulfillment in return. Now I can still make enough money to pay my bills (though there’s no longer enough left over for trips to Europe) and I don’t have to sit in a car for what amounts to a whole extra workday every single week. My workday used to start at 7:15 a.m. when I got in the car to go to work and

it ended at about 7 p.m. to 12 hours out of every day. In the winter I would get up, go to work, and go home when it was cold and dark out, but in the summer, I would get up, go to work, and go home when it was sunny out. I didn’t have the energy to do much once I got out of the car in my own driveway, so it didn’t really matter what time of year it was; winter was only an impediment to my commute, summer made it easier, but it was never rewarding. I was left with a waking day at home that amounted to about three hours, four if I was lucky, there wasn’t time for much beyond a quick dinner and some TV, if we had movie or theater plans, I had to leave early which meant an abbreviated lunch or getting to the office early. None of that makes for a fulfilled life, it seems to be a life that many people complain about having, and I realized that I, like them, wanted something more, something bigger and beyond what I was experiencing every day. I live in a lovely old town by the sea; the town I lived in for the first part of my life will be the town I live in for the last part of my life - not a bad prospect, actually.

I’m getting known around town, bit by bit, by people I walk with every Sunday morning along what’s called the Atlantic Path, a footpath along the rocks at the shore, by people I’ve shopped next to at local stores and markets. I’m learning to get into small talk conversations with strangers that make the town look and feel friendly and accessible, it shapes my time now. My days aren’t filled with excitement and variety, they’re a simple series of sometimes predictable events, sometimes new ones. It’s like being retired sounds like it should be like. I used to ride the subway every day, to and from work. There was always something to see, some interesting interaction between riders and other riders, or riders and their environment. The subway was dirty and even a little depressing, but it was filled with stories and what I might make of them. My car commute was just depressing, I kept telling myself that listening to CDs in the car was a worthy way to pass the time, but that wasn’t really true and I kind of knew it. When I didn’t have to do it anymore, there was an adjustment period, and then I wholeheartedly embraced the experiences

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that I was having, the ordinary day-today things, a cup of coffee, watching the waves, ducking from door to door when it rained, hearing birds through my bedroom window in the spring, and hearing crickets from my back porch in the late summer. I’m aging, I’m learning more and more about who I am, who I can be. I’ve always hoped that I might be a good person, someone who’s a member of the Grange, say, someone who could be counted on to follow through with what I’d said I’d do for people. Twenty years ago, a friend told me that even though he was a doctor, what he really wanted, in his deepest heart, was to get into bed at night and look back and say, “This was a good day.” As soon as he told me that, I knew that he was right. I knew that I, too, wanted to be able to say that; to say I’d done the right thing, that I’d made someone’s day a little bit nicer. And at this point in my life, it’s strange to admit, that’s how I actually feel sometimes. I’m content or getting there. Contentment is wealth, the rest is just frosting.

New AI-based game teaches families basics of ASL By Chase DiBenedetto Singing along to the ABC’s is one of the first lessons we get as kids (whether or not you stick to the original or new-fangled version). For families with deaf and hard of hearing children, that lesson isn’t any less important, with visual languages replacing auditory stimulus as a crucial part of early development. Digital creative studio Hello Monday, in collaboration with the American Society for Deaf Children, wants to address this through its new online game, Fingerspelling.xyz. Using machine learning, the game hopes to provide families with the building blocks of a signed language. “We created this fingerspelling tool with Hello Monday to help parents support their child’s mastery of sign language, and so parents can share the joy of communicating and connecting with their deaf child,” said Cheri Dowling, director of outreach and programs for the American Society for Deaf Children. The game is a free, browser-based app accessible to anyone with a computer and webcam. The technology tracks the users hand movements to teach them the ABCs (known as fingerspelling) of American Sign Language (ASL) in a competitive game format: Over three levels, players are challenged to make correct hand motions as quickly as possible, racking up points for accuracy. Anders Jessen, founding partner of Hello Monday, says the game is a fun and playful take on traditional learning. “The game leverages advanced hand recognition technology, matched with machine learning, to give you real time feedback via the webcam for each sign and word you spell correctly,” he explained. The AI creates an in-game 3-D model of the player’s hand. Based on points along the hand and finger joints, the tech recognizes each attempt at a letter and scores you for accuracy. While it was designed with parents in mind, as a resource to teach

their own children ASL, fingerspelling.xyz is simple enough for children to practice fingerspelling as well. Let the AI know if you’re left or righthanded and choose between four different levels to start practicing your hand placements. The game will give you ten words to master. You’re timed and get points for accuracy, so try to line up your hand as closely as possible with the example on the screen (this might take some finessing to make sure hand is fully visible). As you successfully spell each letter, the game shows your accuracy score from zero to 100 percent. After you spell all ten words, move to the next level or try to beat your score. The organizations hope the new tool will incentivize hearing parents and families to begin teaching themselves and their children the fundamentals of language, empowering deaf children to communicate before they have access to ASL courses in school settings. It provides families with the opportunity to learn an “essential part” of ASL as soon as possible, the game’s creators explain. The American Society of Deaf Children explains that 90 percent of deaf or hard of hearing children are born to hearing parents. Many of these families have never communicated or even been exposed to American Sign Language, a barrier than can frequently leave these

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children behind in language and other cognitive skills. “Without being introduced to sign language at an early stage, a deaf child may miss out on learning language. This can lead to language delay or deprivation, which has long-term negative impacts on a child’s life,” a representative of Fingerspelling.xyz explained. The National Association for the Deaf says that early access to a visual language like ASL helps children’s attention, vocabulary, and more. Free, online tools like Fingerspelling. xyz encourages this exposure — hopefully empowering parents to build multi-lingual households and giving children visual skills to communicate with their surroundings. In line with this, Jessen says that after mastering fingerspelling.xyz, the next step for parents of deaf children is to sign up for in-person or online ASL courses. For more digital ASL resources, the American Society of Deaf Children also offers paid online courses, like ASL book readings, beginner, intermediate, and advanced ASL courses for parents and children, and other educational talks. The organization also has a directory of children’s stories translated into ASL, free to download, as well as an interactive map of state-specific ASL resources, such as early intervention and youth programs.

A Grange Love Story By an anonymous Granger Most love stories start off with, once upon a time there was a girl who fell in love with a boy, and so goes the story. But this Grange Love Story is different and unique, especially since neither boy nor girl saw what would bring them together. If you know anything about The Grange, you know that usually food is involved and hard-working volunteer hours, which can usually bring out the best or the worst in people. This being the key factors in a Grange Love Story, helped to cultivate this couple. So, let us get on with the story, shall we?! Once upon a Grange, there was this girl, who was looking for something fun to do in her spare time from work, housework, and a stressful homelife. The girl had a great friend named Jay, who had been her friend for many years. Jay was always busy but very happy and would tell the girl how much fun she would have at her Grange. Jay

would meet with the girl and tell her the amazing adventures of Bingo Nights, or the death-defying County Fair Project and how lucky the Grange was to survive such an endeavor. The girl would always listen so intently at the amazing stories, and always wondered if she had enough courage like her friend Jay. One day Jay messaged the girl and said come with me to dinner and meet some of my Grange Adventurers, you will love it. So, the girl finished her workday and went to meet her friend Jay at the Grange Building. When she got there, the hall was filled with people laughing and greeting one another like family. Jay embraced her with a large hug and said we are about to eat before the meet-ing, which is tradition around here, grab a seat. As the evening progressed the girl found that this felt like a second home, like family and joined that night. As time went on the girl experienced

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so many great adventures with her new Grange family, the death-defying County Fair, Kitchen duty during Friday Night Bingo, and her favorite helping with the Juniors program. As the girl spent more time with her new family, things started to change with the girl. She found herself, that she was capable of so many things, that she became independent from her home life struggles. Little did she know she was going to find a friendship she never expected. As the girl became more involved with the Grange, she became friends and almost like family to the Grange Master and his family. The girl found that his family was so welcoming and caring and was invited to many family events. This could be said for many of the other members of the Grange because everyone worked together to help one another in need. One Friday night Bingo, while volunteering in the kitchen the

Grange Master and the girl were working together to feed the masses. The Grange Master’s son came in to visit and found himself working alongside his father. The son and the girl became friends and found common ground of their life situations. They used this commonness to counsel and console one another through their homelife issues. Soon the son and the girl were running into each other at many other Grange adventures, the girl became the Junior Leader and started spending time with the younger Grange Adventurers. She found that the son would bring his daughter to many of the Junior Adventures and was super happy to see the little girl. As time progressed and the friendship grew stronger, the girl found herself liking the son more and more, seeing great Grange attributes. On a bright sunny morning at the cheerful Breakfast with the Bunny Bash, the girl provided activities for the young children who came to greet the Easter Bunny. Of course, the son volunteered to act as Bunny for the communities’ young children since the Easter Bunny was over booked for the day. Everyone that was present had their opportunity to take photos sitting with the Bunny, so the girl took her opportunity at the end of the day, to allow all others to have their turn.

The son’s mother took their photo and made sure to hold on to the photo till the right moment in the future, motherly planning on her part, but unbeknownst to the girl. A week later the girl messaged her friend, the son, and nervously told him she liked him. He replied he liked her too and asked if they could spend some time together away from the Grange Adventures. The two kept their time together a secret, to make sure that if there was love there that they would not have the influence from others. Three months later, the two told those closest to them that they were spending time together. The mother gave the girl the photo from the Bash and said, “I knew then that the two of you liked each other and this is proof, I am so happy you both found each other.” The girl treasured the photo and made sure to keep the photo safe. Although the girl and the son had their ups and downs in getting to know one another, on the Fourth of July Cookout, where they both volunteered, the son sat with the girl during the fireworks display and whispered in her ear, “I love you” for the first time. The girl was so happy and hugged him tight and whispered back, “I love you too.” A year and many Grange Adventures

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later, it was Fourth of July again and the Grange was serving the community again with another Cookout. Just before the fireworks display, the son and Grange Master created a distraction for the girl. As the girl had her back turned to the son, the Grange Master yelled at her to turn around. As the girl turned around the son was on one knee and asked her to marry him. Even though the girl had lost her voice earlier in the week due to bronchitis, she whispered yes with tears in her eyes. All the Grange Adventurers screamed in delight as the couple hugged and kissed. You may think that the end should read, “and they lived happily ever after”, but this is a Grange Love Story. The end has not been written for the couple, they did get married, even during a pandemic, and have still been a part of the Grange in many ways. One thing is for sure, that the attributes and willingness to help others was at the center of this love story. The Grange can help those within the community, but it can also help those who dare to join the Adventure. So, I guess this was not a love story after all, but the truths of what a Grange can do for its community and its members, even though the love story part is true.

Book Review Struggle to achieve the American Dream in rural America is focus of new memoir By Claire Wubben National Grange Intern Often it is the less glamorous parts of the country that get overlooked, despite these areas being integral to America as a whole. In her new book, “Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth,” author Sarah Smarsh draws attention to the importance of the “flyover country” and shows the world that those who live there and whose voices are often ignored, are a large part of the American culture, and are often in most need of help. Sarah Smarsh is the embodiment of what is known as the “American Dream.” Having grown up in rural Kansas in poverty, surrounded by addicts, and from

SARAH SMARSH Author of “Heartland: A memoir of working hard and being broke in the richest country on Earth”

a lineage of single teenage mothers, she managed to work herself through college

tag on it. The cost changes depending

a person doesn’t have money doesn’t

and is now a respected professional in

on where you’re born and to whom,

mean she is lazy, a bad person, or below

her field and a member of the middle

with what color skin and with how much

one’s notice.

class. However, this narrative is one that

money in your parents’ bank account,”

Smarsh puts her life on display in order

Smarsh writes her memoir specifically to

Smarsh says in her account. “The poorer

to call attention to issues of economics,

disprove.

you are, the higher the price. You can

race, and class. “Even though no one

explains

pay an entire life in labor, it turns out, and

complained or maybe even realized it,

how her life has been guided by forces

have nothing to show for it. Less than

I could feel that the people around me

beyond her control, and how all of the

nothing, even: debt, injury, abject need.”

knew they were viewed as dispensable,”

blessings she currently possesses are

Smarsh brings the audience into

mainly through chance and the way she

a world that is generally only known

The audience is given a front-row

was raised. This book is more than just

through cartoonish stereotypes. A man

seat in experiencing a way of life that is

Smarsh’s own life story, but every aspect

in a wife-beater tank top drinking a

generally not envied, and we are shown

of herself is traced back generations to

cheap beer and a woman learning out

a side of it that is often overlooked. In

its roots in various members of her family,

of a trailer door with a baby on her hip

Heartland, the world is finally able to

as she shows the paths that led them to

and a cigarette hanging from her lips.

see poor rural America for what it truly

the lives they had when she met them.

She redefines the slur “white trash” and

is, and while you don’t have to like it, it’s

shows her audience that just because

not something to be ignored anymore.

“Heartland,”

Smarsh

“The American Dream has a price

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she writes.

Fall’s must-see TV focuses on food By Elizabeth Hiner Senior Communications Fellow Member, Florida Grange #306, CO This fall’s must-watch TV may just tell a story Grangers are very familiar with. Set your DVRs or mark your calendars for the premier of “Where Our Food Comes From,” a 39-episode multi-season series that will air on RFD TV starting in late September/early October. As each new episode of the series, a brainchild of Chip Carter, is released, it will air four times throughout the week. Carter – who grew up a farm town preacher’s son in Georgia and Texas - said he spent years researching and developing the show. “TV shows don’t come about by accident. Usually, they’re typically the result of years of work and research and planning, and this one is no different,” Carter said. “I grew up with farms and farmers, then ran away to go have a big city media career… that lasted 20 years. But I came home to tell the stories of my roots to all of America -- and I found that they’re more amazing than ever.” Carter remembers his father’s congregations consisted mostly of farmers,

and as such, he grew up “speaking their language.” He said he knew the families, understood their challenges and would come to realize that their stories should be heard and honored. “People talk about ‘farm-to-fork’ -- we never say that around here, we always say the true facts: It’s ‘Laboratory to legislature.’ And I truly believe there is no more honest or humble calling than to have the opportunity to tell the stories of the people who keep us fed to an audience that’s literally hungry for that kind of information.” During his media career, when he was publishing a magazine in Tampa Bay on the side, he found that the stories that fascinated him most, and seemed to resonate with their audience, were the stories harkening back to his farm roots. The stories included such topics as going out in the orange groves and talking about how all of it works or going to see hydroponic strawberry growers and getting the ins and out of that. People just seemed to love it, he said. There was another clue though that

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where our food comes from was going to be a big topic of conversation in the coming years. That came when his own son, then in his mid-teens, started rejecting things with high fructose corn syrup like Coca-Cola. The conversations he and his friends were having were a tip off for Carter. This led him to his first endeavor to bring the sotry of the origin of our food to the public in 2009 when he pitched his first TV show. While it received a warm response from places like PBS, it was never picked up. It did not deter Carter, though. He knew he was onto something, he said. “I believe in the concept. And I knew that to really make it work I had to get my feet on the ground and learn what these people were doing now and get out there and travel and see it all from coast to coast,” Carter said. “So, I signed on with a produce industry trade publication as an editor and video producer. I spent the next seven years traveling the country almost non-stop for them and seeing all of this amazing industry literally from the dirt up.” Carter finalized his research in 2016 after learning enough to speak

authoritatively on the subject and started his own media company with the end goal of producing this series. “But to give you an idea of just how this was a dual-track, I actually purchased the domain name WhereTheFoodComesFrom. com in 2013!” Carter said. “So, it has been

SELECTED EPISODES A few of the episodes you can tune in to see tell stories of agriculture across different landscapes. Here are a few episode synopses: A Little T&L Where the Food Comes From doesn’t matter if it doesn’t reach us… we’ll examine the incredible network that moves food from the farm to our plates.

a work in progress. And then I had to build a company to work towards producing the show. I knew we had to maintain creative control, so I knew we had to pay for it ourselves and not have some network controlling it.” Today, one and a half percent of Americans can trace their living to the farm. This has been on a steady and steep decline from the times when most Americans made their living directly from agriculture. The work of those who feed us should not go un-honored, Carter says. These growers, farmers and ranchers who feed us labor in obscurity, but Carter believes they are and should be rock stars. He said the work honors his own heritage,

which

includes

maternal

grandparents who were sharecroppers and lost everything to the boll weevil, and paternal grandparents and greatgrandparents

who

were

“gentlemen

farmers,” who also eventually lost it all – “but that’s another story,” Carter says. “So, it’s totally in my blood.” Carter said he plans to make “Where Our Food Comes From” available on streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu and looks forward to partnering with the Grange to allow use of the series to educate individuals in our

Deadline: Florida Citrus A deadly disease threatens the Florida citrus industry and by extension the world citrus industry at large. In fact, in a few years, it could all be gone. This is how they’re coping and pivoting and learning to deal with an existential threat. This is a two-part episode. Nat Bradford: Farming Like It’s 1699 A South Carolina farmer does it like his ancestors did -- he and his family farm exactly the way his predecessors did, with the exact same seed stock and with the exact same methods on the exact same land. Watermelon, kale, okra, hemp, a wide variety of crops -- so far, the whole venture has been a wild success. Alternative Agriculture Most of the food we eat is still grown on conventional farms, but other ways are making an impact. We’ll visit an urban farm in Florida, that’s partnered up with a major retail chain to grow lettuce and microgreens in repurposed shipping containers in those stores’ parking lots. We’ll also meet a career firefighter who’s started a $200,000 a year gourmet mushroom business in his garage in his spare time. And we’ll head to North Carolina to see a hothouse that might just redefine the way many veg crops are grown in the very near future. Tomato Time From field grown to heirloom to hothouse to custom-engineered. Tomatoes are America’s second-favorite vegetable (even though they’re technically some fruit, a berry in fact) behind only King Potato. But American growers are under intense pressure from foreign competitors. How will they survive? We’ll wrap up with a scientist who has developed a new tomato variety that might just provide that answer. A Sweet Circle Another two-part episode that ends Season 1. The Vidalia onion industry is an amazing microcosm of U.S. agriculture as a whole. It’s entirely self-contained and has managed to turn a five-month crop into a 12-month business that has created empires. Before Vidalia arrived in the 1980s, there was no such thing as a “sweet onion” at the supermarket. The success of what actually began in the 1930s as a very happy accident lets us put the entirety of agriculture as an industry under the microscope and show people the best-case scenario for success in farming. Plus, they’re just really awesome people!

hometowns and beyond.

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Refresh kids’ social skills before returning to school Courtesy of Family Features While adults may joke about needing to relearn how to be around others in a post-pandemic world, children can also benefit from a refresh of certain soft skills – especially young children who may not remember pre-pandemic life. Building on these skills can also help children prepare for a successful return to school. In fact, data from Mintel shows parents’ top learning priorities for their children prior to entering grade school are how to play well with others (67%) and good manners (66%). “Summertime is a great time for families to help their children focus on social skills that may not have gotten much attention this past year, particularly if families were social distancing or in quarantine,” said Taunya Banta, inclusion services

manager

for

KinderCare

Learning Centers. “Parents can set their children up for success when school starts again in the fall by helping them

It’s not OK to hit, but I can punch a pillow

together, observe their interactions and

or stomp my feet to get the feelings out

talk with your children (in the moment or

of my body.” As a family, try practicing some

simple

emotion

regulation

later) about how they felt. If they had fun, ask what they enjoyed. If disagreements

work on these soft skills in relaxed

strategies like deep breathing. To help

settings like family gatherings and on the

younger children breathe deep, hold up

or awkward moments came up, help your

neighborhood playground.”

two fingers and ask them to smell the

children problem-solve ways they could

flower as they inhale (one finger) and

address those situations next time.

Consider these ways parents can help

blow out the candle as they exhale (the

their children build social skills. Name emotions: Naming emotions

other).

“Most

importantly,

remember

children of all ages have an incredible

is an important part of learning how to

Play With other children: Play gives

regulate them. If your children don’t

children an opportunity to freely express

capacity for resiliency,” Banta said. “Just

understand

they’re

their emotions and thoughts, work

knowing they have a steady base to

experiencing, they may be confused or

out feelings and explore relationships

upset by how they feel and that could

in a safe, lighthearted way. If you feel

amplify the feelings and make it more

comfortable and can follow health and

difficult to regulate the emotions.

safety guidelines, visit a playground or

give children the courage they need to

Talk with your children about your

set up play dates with other children

face the challenge of a new or uncertain

own feelings, or the feelings of characters

of similar ages then take a step back

social situation with self-confidence and

in books, to help them learn to identify

to let the children play together. If your

emotions and appropriate ways to

children aren’t ready to play with others,

address those feelings. For example,

allow them to stay close to you until they

“I’m sad, but I know a hug will help me

feel ready to join the other children.

what

emotions

feel better,” or “I’m mad and that’s OK.

Once

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the

children

are

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return to, a safe place where they’re loved and appreciated for who they are, can

courage.” For more tips to help your children build or improve their social skills, visit kindercare.com.

The artistry of By Ann Olson Bercher

Pork

President, Minnesota State Grange Certified Culinary Specialist Having grown up in Iowa the descendant of dairy farmers, a commercial dairy owner, a milk delivery man, and a maintenance engineer at a milk processing plant, I remember very clearly the news on the radio, early, every morning, while my dad was eating breakfast. While listening, I would hear all the details of the hog report with words like barrows and gilts, sows and slaughter weight. It wasn’t until I was working at the Oliver Kelley Farm that I discovered what a gilt and barrow was. They are hogs; gilts are females before having babies and barrows are castrated males. Slaughter weight, well today that happens at around 250 pounds, and that is where it gets interesting. Hogs arrived in the New World along with the colonists and the many different types provided them with pork, lard, and pest control. Hernando Desoto brought 13 pigs with him when arrived in America in 1529. Within three years, the hog population had grown to 700 hogs resulting in the development of the pork industry, and the feral hog problem. Oliver Kelley raised hogs; the exact breed is unknown, but he was an early proponent of fencing in his hogs so he could control their diet better and prevent them from breeding with the free range and feral hogs around the countryside. For Kelley and farmers like him, hogs and all their products were indispensable for survival in the mid-19th century. Hogs were slaughtered beginning in late October when the weather was cooler,

and the meat could be cured by drying, smoking, or salting and stored for use all winter. Today people still enjoy pork products such as ham, bacon, ribs, chops, and tenderloin. Pork can also add remarkable flavors and textures to soups, stews, salads, vegetable dishes, and we have all seen bacon in some form of dessert. With so many cuts of pork on the market to choose from, it is helpful to understand some basic information about how a hog is butchered. Interestingly, pork is not graded by the USDA the same way beef is (prime, choice, select, etc.). Pork is graded by two factors: acceptable grade and utility grade. Acceptable grade is the only fresh pork sold in supermarkets and should have a high proportion of lean meat to fat and bone. Utility grade pork is used in processed products and is not available in supermarkets. That makes selection a little easier. The production of all those lovely cuts of pork begins with what the industry calls the Four Primal Cuts. These are generally sold at the wholesale level, and then your local meat packing plant or local market butcher will break them down into purchasable sized portions.

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Those portions often have conflicting names in different parts of the country, or even across town from market to market. Following is a breakdown of the Four Primal Cuts and the resulting retail cuts, with a few extra names of them thrown in. Primal One: The Shoulder This comes from the upper portion of the shoulder and is well marbled with fat and contains a lot of connective tissue, making the resulting cuts great for slowcooking. Retail Cuts from the shoulder are: Pork Butt Roast, a large flavorful cut also called Boston shoulder, pork butt, or Boston butt, best cooked by slow roasting, barbecuing, stewing or braising. Pork Shoulder is affordable and can purchased bone-in or boneless. Rich in fat and connective tissue is best cooked by grilling, barbecuing, roasting or braising. It is also called Shoulder arm picnic, picnic shoulder, fresh picnic, or picnic roast. Primal Two: The Loin This cut comes from the area between the shoulder and the back legs. It is the leanest and most tender part of the hog. Retail cuts from the Loin are:

Blade Chop, from the shoulder end can be hard to find in the market, and are tough and fatty, but juicy and delicious when braised or barbecued. It is also known as a pork chop end cut. Rib chops are cut from the rib section of the loin and have a high fat content making them very flavorful. They are easily identified by the bone that runs along one side of the chop and the one large eye of loin muscle. These may also be sold boneless, and most boneless porkchops you find in your supermarket are from the rib chop. Best cooked by grilling, pan searing or braising, they are also called rib cut chops, pork chops end cut. Center cut chops, also known as top loin chops or loin chops, are identified by the bone that divides the loin from the tenderloin muscles. These two sections cook at different rates which makes them a culinary challenge and are best cooked carefully by searing or grilling. Baby back ribs are cut from the section of the rib cage closest to the backbone. This area of the hog is at a premium for use, which explains why these cuts are so expensive. Best way to cook these ribs, also known as Loin, back ribs or riblets, is grilling or barbecuing. Country-Style Ribs are the meaty, tender, boneless ribs cut from the upper side of the rib cage at the fatty end of the loin. Also called Country ribs, they are best cooked by braising, grilling or pan searing. Boneless Blade-end Roast is cut from the shoulder end of the loin and has more fat than the boneless center-cut loin roast. This cut may also be hard to find in your supermarket. Also known as a blade roast or blade loin roast. Center-Cut Loin Roast, as mentioned above, is a leaner cut, but still juicy and tender. Use the same cooking methods as the Boneless Blade-End. You may also find it called a center-cut pork roast. Center-Cut Rib Roast is like a prime rib of beef, or rack of lamb and is a mild, fairly lean roast that consists of a single muscle with a layer of fat. Also known as a

rack of pork, pork loin rib half, center-cut pork roast, it is best cooked by roasting or grill roasting. Tenderloin Roast is a lean, delicate, boneless roast that cooks very quickly because it is so small. It is a versatile cut that can be roasted, pan-seared, sautéed or even stir-fried. With so little marbling, is can easily be overcooked. Tenderloin roast is it’s only name. Crown Roast results when a butcher ties two bone-in center cut rib or centercut loin roasts together to create an impressing-looking roast which is why it is sometimes called a Crown Rib Roast. The best way to cook this cut is to roast it. Primal Cut Three: Leg Cuts from this primal are from the back legs, often referred to as “ham.” Before we go too far into this cut, I just want to mention that there is a lot of confusion about what a “ham” is. There are whole hams, picnic hams, ham steaks, ham hocks, cured ham (wet and dry) country hams, Virginia hams, Black Forest hams, Honey-baked hams, Smithfield hams, spiral cut hams, deli hams, canned hams (just no), and air-dried hams. This will require a whole other article. The ones I am choosing to mention at this time are as follows: Fresh Ham, Shank End, or Shank End Fresh Ham. The leg is divided into two cuts, the shank end, which is tapered a bit, and the more rounded sirloin end. The shank end is usually covered with a thick layer of fat and skin which is scored before roasting, which is the best way of cooking, but grill roasting is fun too. Fresh Ham, Sirloin Half is almost as good as the shank end, but the bone structure makes it more difficult to carve. Spiral-Sliced Bone-In Half Ham, a wet cured ham, is not pumped up with water, but with ham “natural juices.” It’s very easy to carve, but look for the shank end (more conical shaped) and be sure to get bone in, because they taste better. Roast this ham. Country Ham is a Southern favorite with a meaty, nutty flavor. Best cooking

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method is to roast it. Primal Cut Four: Side/Belly This is the fattiest part of the hog. Bacon. Again, this might need to be another article. St. Louis-Style Spareribs are cut close to the belly. Whole spareribs contain brisket bone and surrounding meat which can get really heavy. This cut is more manageable for home cooks. Spareribs are the same thing. Looking back over the different retail cuts from the four primal cuts, it is revealed that those big hogs are limited in the specific cuts they produce, and why some cuts are more expensive than others. A 250-pound hog will provide about 150 pounds of retail cuts; 37 pounds in ham, 15 pounds of cured bacon, 11 pounds of Boston butts (from the shoulder), 8 pounds of spareribs, 4 pounds of baby back ribs, and 2 pounds of tenderloin. Where to go from here? Pork is like a blank canvas upon which the culinary artist can create a great masterpiece. It is also a great meat product that lends itself to some simple cooking methods and some dressing up that I hope you will experiment with and enjoy. I have selected retail cuts from each of the four Primal Cuts and am offering some recipes and cooking techniques. Everyone has their favorite porkchop cooking method and recipe, and their favorite roasted or baked ham. Explore the artistry that you can place upon the pork. One last thing. Remember the pork chops of our youth (the other white meat?) that were overcooked and dry? Were they boneless with no fat or connective tissue? Prior to 2011, the USDA recommended that pork be cooked to a temperature of 160 degrees for safety. Trichinosis was the main culprit, which the USDA has determined can be killed off at lower cooking temperatures. Today, the recommended temperature is 145 degrees, so yes, a little pink and juicy is okay. Have some delicious fun!

FROM THE LOIN

Grilled

Pork Chops

6 Tbsp table salt 6 Tbsp sugar

4 bone-in rib or center cut pork chops 1 ½ inches thick (12 oz each) Lots of ground black pepper

Dissolve salt and sugar in 3 quarts cold water in a 2-gallon zipper-lock bag. Add the chops and seal the bag, pressing out as much air as possible.Refrigerate, turning the bag once for one hour. Remove chops from the brine and pat dry. Season generously with ground pepper. Now, choose your grill type and follow the remainder of the recipe.

GAS GRILL

CHARCOAL GRILL Light charcoal and burn until all charcoal is covered with a layer of fine ash.

Turn all burners to high, close the lid and

Stack most of the coals on one side of the grill and arrange the remaining coals

heat grill until very hot (15 minutes). Scrape

in a single layer on the other side of the grill. Set cooking rack on grill, cover

the grill grates clean. Leave one burner on

and let heat for 5 minutes. Scrape and oil grill rack. Grill chops uncovered

high and turn the others to medium-low.

over the hotter part of the fire until browned on each side, 2 ½ to 3 minutes

Cook the chops 2 ½ to 3 minutes per side

per side. Move the chops to the cooler side of the grill and cover with a

with the lid down over the hottest part of the

disposable aluminum roasting pan. Continue grilling, turning once, until an

grill, then move to the cooler part. Continue

instant read thermometer inserted in the side of the chop away from the bone

grilling until an instant-read thermometer

registers 135 degrees, 7 to 9 minutes longer. Transfer chops to a platter, cover

registers 135 degrees, grill an additional 7 to

with the foil pan, and let rest for 5 minutes. (The internal temperature should

9 minutes, then remove to a platter and cover

rise to 145 degrees.) Serve immediately.

for 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

DRESS IT UP

PEACH SALSA

MANGO SALSA

2 ripe but not mushy peaches (or nectarines) pitted and

2 medium mangoes, peeled, pitted and diced ¼ inch

chopped coarse

½ medium red onion, minced

1 small red bell pepper, diced

½ medium jalapeno chili, minced

¼ c chopped fresh parsley leaves

2 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro leaves

¼ c pineapple juice

2 scallions, sliced thin

1 small red onion, diced

1 Tbsp fresh lime juice

1 medium garlic clove, minced

Salt and pepper

6 Tbsp lime juice

Mix all of the ingredients together in small bowl. Salt

Salt

1 medium jalapeno chili minced

and pepper to taste. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate at least one hour or up to four days.

Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl. Salt to

taste. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate at least one hour or up to four days.

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FROM THE BELLY

Spareribs

BBQ

with Spice Rubs

2 full racks of spareribs (6 pounds total) ¾ c Dry Rub 2 3-inch wood chunks or 2 cups of wood chips 2 c of barbeque sauce Rub both sides of ribs with the dry rub and let stand at room temperature for one hour. (Or for stronger flavor, wrap in plastic and refrigerate up to 24 hours.) Now, choose your grill type and follow the remainder of the recipe.

CHARCOAL GRILLED SPARERIBS

SPICE IT UP

Soak wood chunks/chips for one hour, drain and place in a foil pan (or in a foil packet with punctures from a fork to allow the smoke to escape.) Light 40 charcoal

BASIC SPICE RUB

briquettes in a chimney starter and allow to burn until covered with a light layer of

1 Tbsp cumin

gray ash. Empty onto one side of the grill piling in a mound 2-3 briquettes high. Keep

1 Tbsp chili powder

bottom vents open. Place wood chunks or packet on top of the coals. Put cooking

1 Tbsp curry powder

grate in place, open top grill vents completely and cover grill with vents opposite

1 tsp ground black pepper

the wood chunks or chips. Let grate heat for 5 minutes, then clean with a wire brush.

2 tsp brown sugar

Position ribs over the cool part of the grill. Cook turning ribs every 30 minutes until the meat starts to pull away from the bones and has a rosy glow on the exterior (2-3

INDIAN SPICE RUB

hours). [The initial temperature inside the grill will be about 350 degrees but will cool

1 Tbsp fennel seeds

to 250 after 2 hours.} Remove ribs from grill and wrap each slab complexly in foil.

1 Tbsp ground cumin

Place inside a brown paper bag and crimp the top shut. Allow to sit for one hour.

1 tsp ground coriander

Unwrap the ribs and brush with barbeque sauce or serve with sauce on the side.

1 tsp ground cardamon ¼ tsp ground cloves

GAS GRILLED SPARERIBS Soak 2 cups of wood chips for 15 minutes in a bowl of water to cover. Drain and place wood chips in a foil tray. Place tray on top of the primary burner. Turn all burners to high and preheat with the lid down until chips are smoking (20 minutes). Scrape grate clean with wire brush. Turn primary burner down to medium and turn off other burners. Position ribs over the cool part of the grill and close the lid. Cook turning ribs every 30 minutes until the meat starts to pull away from the bones and has a rosy glow on the exterior (2-3 hours). [The temperature inside the grill should be a constant 275 degrees. Adjust the lit burner, as necessary.]. Proceed with the recipe from step 7, wrapping and resting the ribs as directed.

2 tsp brown sugar

HERB RUB 1 ½ tsp dried thyme 1 ½ tsp dried rosemary 1 ½ tsp black peppercorns 2 bay leaves, crumbled 2 whole cloves or allspice berries ½ tsp salt

MUSTARD SAUCE Combine

1 c yellow mustard

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

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sugar,

chili

powder,

over medium heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until

1 tsp chili powder

brown

Worcestershire sauce and liquid smoke in a small saucepan

½ c dark brown sugar

1 tsp liquid smoke

mustard,

bubbly, thickened and reduced almost by half, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and serve or store in an airtight container and refrigerate. Reheat before serving.

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PRESIDENT’S RECIPE

A favorite recipe shared by Betsy E. Huber

Slow Cooker

Pulled Pork PORK BUTT FROM THE SHOULDER 1 medium onion, chopped

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 c ketchup

1 1/4 tsp pepper

1/3 c cider vinegar

4 lbs boneless pork shoulder

1/4 c packed brown sugar 1/4 c tomato paste 2 Tbsp sweet paprika 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

blade roast (fresh pork butt) cut into 4 pieces 12 soft sandwich buns, warmed Hot sauce (optional)

2 Tbsp yellow mustard In 4-6 quart slow cooker, stir in the first 10 ingredients. Add pork to sauce mixture and turn to coat well with sauce. Cover slow cooker with lid and cook on low setting 8-10 hours until pork is very tender. With tongs, transfer pork to large bowl. Turn setting on slow cooker to high, cover and heat sauce to boiling to thicken and reduce slightly. While sauce boils, with 2 forks, pull pork into shreds. Return shredded pork to slow cooker and toss with sauce to combine. Cover slow cooker and heat through on high setting if necessary. Spoon pork mixture onto buns and serve.

A FEW COOKING TIPS FOR PORK • Barbecuing refers to cooking meat low and slow, either on a grill or a smoker. The meat is cooked over indirect heat (away from the flame) for at least a few hours and often the entire day, until very tender and falling off the bone. Low temperature for barbecuing are often 225°F and 275°F, and requires the food be surrounded by wood smoke for at least part of the cooking time. • Grilling is what you’re likely doing more often on your grill: cooking food quickly over direct heat at high temperatures, hot and fast to give a quick sear • Braising is just cooking a tougher cut of meat gently in liquid

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until it turns the chewy sinews, well-worked muscles and connective tissue into a tender, succulent,fall-off-thebone masterpiece. • Always try to use bone-in meat: It will impart better flavor to the braising liquid and sauce. • A fully cooked wet cured ham does not need additional cooking. It can be eaten right out of the package but heating it properly will bring out its natural flavor and juiciness. There are many variations as to how to heat a fully cooked ham. I will once again remind you that another full article could be devoted to ham.

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It’s in your power. Help reduce food Waste. PLAN YOUR MENU & Make a Store List

Take a minute to think through your week - will you cook each day? Will there be a night for leftovers? What will be served with each meal? Planning helps to curb purchasing excess items that just become waste. With a list, you’re also less likely to impulse buy (saving money and the potential for items that will end up in your trash).

Check Your Recipes & Your Cupboards

Know how much of each item your recipes call for and see if you have something already on hand that you can use or substitute (you never know what a little tweak of ingredients may add to your beloved dishes). If you can, cross unnecessary items off your grocery list. You may also be able to avoid the dreaded half-used container by choosing a second recipe for the week that will allow you to use the rest of the product or buy a more appropriate size.

Be Selective at the Store

If you’re going to use produce right away, a bump or ding may be OK, and you may be the only one to see the product’s value and save it from becoming waste. But, if it is for use later in the week, that bruise may lead to rot and you’ll end up throwing it away. If you think you may not use all of the product or may not get to make the meal you’re planning, choose a product with an expiration date farther in the future.

Start with Small Helpings

You can always add more to your plate, but scraping uneaten food back to the communal bowl is definitely frowned upon and often finds its way to the garbage instead. You may even see an added benefit. If you have to choose to get more food, you’ll also have to assess if you are still hungry, and it could reduce overeating.

Share, Repurpose or Store

Have food left even after preparing lunch leftovers for your family? Consider packaging it as a dinner for an elderly neighbor or asking a coworker if they’d like a homecooked leftover option for lunch the next day. If you have an item left over from a meal already prepared, add it as another side option or find a way to incorporate it into a snack or other dish you’re making. Freeze or store food that won’t be eaten before it may spoil. Find ways to make the food you prepare find its way to where it should be - into someone’s diet, not someone’s trash.

Stick to your Meal Plan

If you purchased food for six dinners but decide to skip one, you may start down a slippery slope of letting food spoil.

Talk to Your household

Don’t stock up on items that no one will eat. Know what people in your household want and avoid purchasing perishable items at times when they won’t be used before they go bad.

GRANGE

values

This ad was produced by the National Grange as part of our public service announcement series. This ad may be replicated so long as the Grange Values logo appears.

THE LAST By Susan Noah President, Oregon State Grange National Grange Executive Committee Member

Having just wrapped up our 148th annual Oregon State Grange convention, I have to confess that I am always struck by the lift I get from being around my fellow Patrons. This year especially we ended up having some extra time for visiting and sharing ideas, and it was just what the doctor ordered as a remedy to the last year of separation. Following the example of our 2020 annual meeting, we continued on with the hybrid session of in-person and Zoom but the overwhelming response to those options was in-person! I think we were all looking for that face-to-face connection that is so special to our organization, and perhaps it is that face-to-face connection that sends me home feeling as though I could accomplish anything in the Grange. I think the exchange of ideas that comes from a group of similar-minded people gathering together generates an energy that keeps growing within each of us, even as we close the Grange for the final time and make our way back home. Being together for the week reminds all of us of the ideals we aspire to as an organization. Our Declaration of Purposes states in part, “We propose meeting together, talking together, working together, and in general, acting together for our mutual protection and advancement.” Words we may read for the first time as new members, but it is only through the actual actions that I came to understand what this statement could mean to me as a member, for it is through all of these actions that we will truly recognize our motto of “Esto Perpetua.” That section of our Declaration goes on to state, “We shall constantly strive to secure harmony, good will and brotherhood,

Word

and to make our Order perpetual. We shall earnestly endeavor to suppress personal, local, sectional, and national prejudices, all unhealthy rivalry and all selfish ambition. Faithful adherence to these principles will insure our mental, moral, social and material advancement.” I can tell you that none of this entered into my mind as I set the schedule for our 148th annual convention, but as I read the words now, I can see why I always come home feeling more uplifted. We strive to make our convention more than just a venue for setting policy. The Oregon convention is longer than most because of the extra we pack into the week. Of course, setting our policy is important, but we also make a place for our Youth and Juniors to take the floor before the delegates, for talent and public speaking contests, we make time for the Program Directors to show off their programs in a trade show format. This year early morning conferences or discussions also covered topics like “celebrating your 100th anniversary” or “Fundraising for your Grange” as well as showcasing community service and membership growth. Other states may hold some of these events at a different time and place, but I believe that by combining the process of discussing policy and enjoying the other programs we actually end up with a more civil discussion over hard topics. As we get to know each other as friends and family at meals and by visiting, we in turn are more considerate in our discussions on the floor. We may not agree ideologically on every resolution, and we do have long

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deliberations, but they are civil and friendly and at the end of the day we agree to disagree and as policy is adopted, we all know that we have done the best we can for the longevity of the Grange organization. The phrase “you can disagree without being disagreeable” seems to be our watchword. As our session closed this year, we heard several comments for the record about the positive spirit of fraternalism that members experienced during the week. There are so many examples of close friendships between brother and sister Grangers of widely divergent political opinions. Grange is all about helping others, working towards a greater goal, whether it is a fundraiser breakfast or dinner, a community service project or just hall and grounds improvement, and I think we appreciate each other’s strengths and talents and efforts in these regards before we even discover their political leanings, so that those areas where we might disagree assume a proper perspective in relation to the whole brother or sister whom we have worked alongside for the betterment of our Grange. One of our newest members, a first-time attendee at our state convention, expressed her feelings on social media upon returning home. She wrote about how impressed she was that Grange members were able to have heated discussions about resolutions but remain courteous and respectful of opposing opinions, abiding unfavorable decisions with good humor and then leaving differences behind while participating in meals and social activities outside the meeting. She said her membership in the Grange and

association with Grange members she has met make her want to become a better person. Those are inspiring words that reveal the power of the Grange as an example of how civil discourse is supposed to work. Her words reinforce to me the importance of our adherence to proper rules of order, not as a blunt instrument of control but as a friendly guide to fair and equal civil discourse, and of making time for what some call the ‘frills,’ the meals and activities, social niceties and recognitions, that promote fellowship among all our members. Once you know someone as a friend, it is hard to be anything less than kind and tolerant when discussing any issue. And at our annual Memorial Service, when we recite the names of those who have passed on to the Great Grange above, we do

Photo by Amanda Brozana Rios

not recall their political persuasion or whether we agreed on issues,

Every Grange in Oregon received a banner during their State Convention to hang at their hall welcoming the community back. Here it hangs at Hurricane Creek Grange #608.

we simply mourn the loss of a friend, a mentor, a Brother or Sister Granger. Many times, I have seen two people who are diametrically opposed over some issues, sitting down at the next luncheon together having a great time. I have been a member for more than 50 years, and I love all aspects of the Grange, but the part that keeps me engaged as a member will always be the friends and family I have within the Grange.

All of this is the foundation for our Order. Again, remember the words, “meeting together, working together and in general acting together.” All organizations have business meetings, but our Fraternal

Friendships that were formed when I joined in 1968 continue to

bonds bring us together to meet, to work and to serve as a family

this day. But along the way, new friends have been added, and the

of individuals who are recognizing their higher worth through

circle continues to grow even larger.

fraternalism.

For one officer, great responsibility comes with great fun in the Grange Madame President, Brothers, and Sisters of the Greatest Grange Below, Two things of major significance have happened to me in the month of August. On the ninth day in 1941, I was born. On the second Tuesday of 1970 at Sams Valley Grange #666, I was obligated in the First and Second Degrees, starting my Grange journey. Following the first date mentioned, I often wonder why my mother did not drown me in that old galvanized wash tub she bathed me in. From the second date, I have experienced nearly 51 years of growth. The Grange has broadened me, inspired me, and softened me. It has made me a better citizen who glories in the Faith, Hope, Charity and Fidelity of our Order. And possibly most importantly, it has made me realize on that day in August

1941, I hit the biggest, most valuable lottery in the history of the world by being born in the United States of America! Being elected Assistant Steward of the greatest Grange Below last October in Klamath Falls reminded me I was elected Assistant Steward of Sams Valley at my third Grange meeting. At my first meeting as Assistant Steward, I was faced with 50-plus visitors from other Granges – including three Masters and a County Deputy – to present and the Charter to drape. After being thrown into the fire and stumbling and staggering through that meeting, I received only praise and encouragement for my efforts. I was also Assistant Steward for Jackson Pomona’s Third and Fourth Degree Team for many years. Linda and I served a term as Jackson Pomona Assistant Stewards. I mention this just so you know I have

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considerable experience at mucking it up on the Grange floor. And I will endeavor to improve and do better. I thank you each and every one for the many years of fun, fellowship and growth I have experienced being a member of the Greatest Grange Below. In closing I must say regarding that unfortunate incident of the Steward’s staff being taped to its stand at closing last night, Madame President, Brothers and Sisters, I had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with it. And furthermore, I will never do it again!

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I love you Oregon State Grange! Fraternally, Wayne Cabler Assistant Steward Oregon State Grange

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