Good DAY!
A quarterly publication of the National Grange Vol. 1, Issue 3 l Fall 2017
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A HISTORY ABROAD From rural America to the far ends of the Earth,
the Grange has made a difference for 150 years
‘Catastrophic and Complete Failure’
Grange: Communism’s Insurmountable Obstacle
Estimated $1M bill looms after total loss of national headquarters chiller
One scholar believed a grassroots organization that affects change could cause or deter anything
Legacy Families to be recognized New program will honor membership of generations
Get Ready to Set Sail Lecturer will host a cruise as part of sesquicentennial celebration
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Good DAY!
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NATIONAL NEWS & VIEWS
HQ chiller ‘catastrophic failure’ results in nearly $1M estimated bill How our grassroots structure may have staved off communism in U.S.
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MEMBER RECOGNITION
Granges celebrating milestone anniversaries Members receiving recognition for years of service
STATE & LOCAL GRANGE NEWS
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150th Gala sponsorships, tickets available
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2 grants given for Deaf Awareness projects A look at the Grange trademark & licensees
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JUNIOR GRANGE Tips to make your community more pollinator friendly Junior DIY: Seedballs
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Master’s Recipe: Beet Brownies Russian beet salad enjoyed while member was in Peace Corps
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LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS Legislative Briefs Meetings help raise Grange profile in D.C. Long road ahead for Farm Bill
GRANGE YOUTH & YOUNG ADULTS
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FOOD NEWS & RECIPES Beets are in focus for fall
NC Youth Prepares for American Idol TX Hall will benefit from $20K grant for repairs State Briefs & Session Roundups
GRANGE FOUNDATION Georgia educator honored
Local CA Grange hits the airwaves
Regional Conferences offer fun, insightful experiences
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Read congratulations and announcements & learn how to place your own Across nation, unique fundraising items are on sale
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PERSPECTIVE: Grange Beyond our Borders From exchange programs to present outreach, a look at the broad influence of our Order
HOBBIES New book explores Grange’s economic influence DIY: Fall centerpiece
LAST WORD National Officer Roger Bostwick reflects on inclusivity and utility of Grange for citizenbuilding Opening and Closing side-by-side in English and Spanish
Good Day!™ magazine wants to be a part of your business or Grange’s success. Ad space is available in upcoming issues at low rates for designed ads and classified ads related to Grange events, fundraisers, etc. Email National Grange Communications and Development Director Amanda Leigh Brozana Rios at communications@nationalgrange.org or call (202) 628-3507 ext. 102 or (301) 943-1090 for our ad rate sheet.
GOOD DAY!™ MAGAZINE ®
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From left, National Grange President Betsy Huber, Sales, Programs, Benefits and Membership Recognition Director Loretta Washington and Legislative Director Burton Eller, meet with Sonny Ramaswami from the National Institute of Food Agriculture to discuss agricultural research.
Meetings raise Grange By Ferderica Cobb The National Grange has been meeting with high profile officials from different organizations in D.C. with the goal of advocating for the needs of the people of rural America. National Grange President Betsy Huber said the outreach has been effective so far, especially thanks to the great focus on rural just before and after the 2016 presidential election. She and Legislative Director Burton Eller have contacted a variety of people across business, government and other organizations focused on agriculture and rural issues. “Burton and I are scheduling meetings with leaders in DC to raise our profile and reintroduce the Grange as a source of grassroots opinions and information,” Huber said. In July, Sonny Ramaswami from the National Institute of Food Agriculture met with the National Grange team at the 1616 H St. NW Grange headquarters where they discussed the history of agricultural research and the Grange’s historical support for public research. “Most of the officials we meet with are familiar with the Grange but have not heard from us in a few years,” said Huber. “They are happy to reconnect with us as a source of information and opinions from the heartland. Of course they are impressed that we have been
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around for 150 years and they are somewhat familiar with our rich history of advocacy for the common man and agriculture.” Eller says meetings like this are powerful in building relationships and getting one’s message across. “The electronic age has not replaced face-to-face meetings for delivering messages effectively,” Eller said. “One’s advocacy position is best remembered when there’s a name and face to go with it.” Huber was appointed to the FCC’s Broadband Deployment Advisory Board and as such has a working relationship with Chairman Ajit Pai. She serves on working groups looking at streamlining federal siting and state model code. “He is a huge advocate for expansion of broadband and equality of access to rural areas and he sees the Grange as a partner in this, his priority issue,” Huber said. “Our members have told us examples of their struggles for access, and he has seen many more examples in his travels around the U.S. As a member of the FCC Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee, I am helping to identify barriers to deployment and working on model codes to incentivize companies to work in rural unserved and under-served areas. In early September, Huber will interview Pai for Grange Radio, discussing the digital divide and other issues related to rural
GOOD DAY!™ MAGAZINE www.nationalgrange.org
PROFILE continued on page 67
Farm Bill 101 A Long and Contentious Journey Ahead
By Cait Cady On July 30, eight members of the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture from around the country assembled in a crowded auditorium at Angelo State University in West Texas. The setting surely contrasted with the committee’s elegant, chandeliered hearing room back in Washington, D.C. During the three-hour listening session, lawmakers heard emotional testimony from a local peanut farmer who has helplessly watched his young neighbors lose their farms, a food bank director who confronts entrenched rural food insecurity every day, and a cotton grower who fears for the future of his son who will soon take over the family farm. Yes, it’s that time again when members of Congress are preparing to write a piece of legislation at the very heart of rural America: the 2018 farm bill.
What is the Farm Bill?
The farm bill sets national agriculture and food policy by comprehensively appropriating money to a number of programs and agencies administered by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). It affects all Americans because it touches everything from Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) – formerly known as food stamps – to crop insurance to conservation and forest management. Farm bills have been a major part of American agriculture policy since the 1930s when lawmakers sought to help farmers grapple with the disastrous effects of the Great Depression and a huge legislative priority of the Grange and other rural and agricultural serving organizations. Just like the federal government, itself, the size and scope of the farm bill has grown dramatically over the past nine decades. Today, the farm bill has become a huge omnibus bill, which means it addresses several divergent policy areas, going far beyond its original role of setting agriculture policy. Farm Bills are typically enacted every four or five years; gaps between bills have ranged from one to nine years. The Agriculture Act of 2014 is the most recent rendition of the farm bill and remains in effect today. The 2014 farm bill is set to expire September 30, 2018, giving Congress only one short year to hash out their differences and pass another farm bill.
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The 2018 farm bill’s journey will start in the House and Senate agriculture committees where members from both parties will debate the future of American agriculture, nutrition assistance, and conservation. Throughout the summer, both committees have been holding public hearings in Washington, D.C., and listening sessions around the country in order to get a sense of what policies Americans want to see in 2018. At a recent Senate agriculture hearing, Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS) announced that he hopes the committee can produce a draft of the bill by the end of the year, a pragmatic decision that will get the bill out for ACT NOW a vote well before the September Visit our web page, 2018 deadline. nationalgrange. A year might sound like plenty org/take-action for of time to write a single piece of more information legislation, but the politics of the about how to farm bill are increasingly complex get involved and because it brings together contact your lawmakers representing vastly representatives. different constituencies. Members from cotton growing districts, urban districts, or districts home to active research universities all have very different priorities and visions for the farm bill. When crafting a huge piece of legislation under serious budgetary constraints, lawmakers contentiously compete to ensure that the farm bill meets the specific needs of their constituents.
Budget Battles
As lawmakers negotiate the multibillion-dollar farm bill, they encounter questions always at the center of heated budgetary debates, such as which programs should be prioritized, how much money do they need to run efficiently, and how will we pay for them. Lawmakers writing the 2018 farm bill will already be working with a smaller budget than they had three years ago because the 2014 farm bill cost the federal government less than the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) predicted. This difference can largely be attributed to fewer people signing up for SNAP benefits due to the economic recovery. Congress is increasingly looking to reign in federal spending through drastic budget cuts that touch almost every agency
GOOD DAY!™ MAGAZINE www.nationalgrange.org
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PERSPECTIVE
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The Grange Abroad: International Outreach Overview
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Blazing a Trail: The Grange in Canada
Germany-USA Program: Creating Lasting, Borderless Friendships
The Grange of our Ancestors
Beyond our Borders
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A Trace Remains: ‘Grange’ Student Association active in the Philippines
Taking the Grange of Yesterday and Today to Senegal