PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

by Betsy E. Huber

Autumn is harvest time on the farm and in our Granges. Farmers planted their crops in the spring and anxiously watched them through the growing season. Will there be enough rain, or too much? Will we have an unexpected late or early frost? Will weather events challenge us with hail or wind, hurricanes, or tornadoes? Will we be blessed with a bountiful crop or will this be a year of struggle?

Fall is also harvest time for the Grange. Members have been working all year on projects or produce to enter in our contests—needlework, photographs, wood- or other crafts, vegetables and flowers from the garden. Community service or Lecturer’s notebooks, talent performances, entries and projects for all the Junior and Youth contests. Growing, making, and entering all these can sure keep a Granger busy! Luckily for these crops we don’t have to worry about the weather, just finding the time to devote to them. I’ve found that, even though I am always too busy, I can find the time to do what I want to do, what interests me. I hope you find something in our variety of contests that interests you too.

All our work of the past year culminates at State Grange conventions, most of which happen in September and October each year. This is the Grange harvest season of plenty—plenty of talent possessed by our members and proudly exhibited at the state contests. I love to look at all the Grangers’ entries at the State Sessions I get to visit, and they always inspire me to try some more projects myself.

In addition, it is harvest time for resolutions setting our legislative policy. Throughout the year, members have been composing resolutions to address problems and issues they see around them. By bringing these ideas to the Grange and gaining the support of fellow members, they can have much greater influence in achieving their goals than they could as individuals. State Sessions are the harvest for these efforts, where they are winnowed and refined to be sent on to the National convention in November.

The harvest, the ingathering of products of the year’s labor, is also a time of celebration. Gathering the bounty and gathering with family and friends to view all the beautiful entries - the result of lots of hard work - is a joyous time for all. Besides the fellowship with Grangers, seeing the products produced by them is a wonderful and valued part of our Sessions. Be sure to watch for the next Good Day! issue for a full report of winners and policies from this year’s National Grange convention. Or better yet, why not attend in person? It’s not too late to register at www.nationalgrange.org. See you in Niagara Falls!