Good Day! Volume 5, Issue 4, Spring 2022

Good DAY!

A quarterly publication of the National Grange Vol. 5, Issue 4 l Spring 2022

America’s growing agritourism industry From hayrides and wineries to barn weddings and apple-picking, curiosity in the “quaintness” of farming is growing, and so is the business of agritourism. More than ever, rural America is on spotlight as a tourist attraction for all to enjoy.

™

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 Lenovo, UPS Saving and TicketsatWork. 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

HEALTH

R/

X

PHARMACY

INSURANCE

With discounts from Choice Hotels, Wyndham Hotels, Worldwide Hotel, and Avis, Budget, Hertz, and Enterprise rental car services, as well as RV accommodations with Harvest Hosts, these exclusive Grange benefits are sure to help you when planning your next vacation.

Our partnerships with Life Line, Hear in America, American Hearing Benefits, Comfort Keepers, and eHealth Medicare are sure to give you peace of mind about your health.

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.

We have partnerships with United of Omaha Life Insurance Company, AFLAC, Farmers Insurance, and pet insurance through Nationwide to give our members discounts on insurance rates and deals. Clouse Insurance Agency can help find the coverage you need to protect your Grange Halls.

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

Good DAY!

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GRANGE NEWS & VIEWS

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LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS

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THE STATE OF RURAL AMERICA

22

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IDEAS FOR GRANGE PROGRAMS & ACTION

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FOUNDATION

42

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MEMBERSHIP NEWS & RECOGNITION

44

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Y H & L

F & R

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JUNIOR GRANGE

63

GRANGE YOUTH

66 69

HOBBIES & LIFESTYLE

75

FOOD & RECIPES

81

LAST WORD

Photo credit: Jessica Horton

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Cover Photo 54

AGRITOURISM Rural America’s growing industry For hundreds of years, rural America has been a location of curiosity for those from urban areas.

But now, vineyards, pumpkin patches, barnyard weddings, and more are bringing visitors to local farms far and wide.

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 pvonada@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

3

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

William “Chip” Narvel, DE, National Steward

Chris Hamp, WA, Vice President champ@grange.org

John Plank, IN, National Assistant Steward

lschaeffer@grange.org Susan Noah, OR

Executive Committee Member snoah@grange.org Leroy Watson, NH Executive Committee Member & Grange Advocacy Board Chair leroyawatson@nationalgrange.org William “Buddy” Overstreet, TX, Executive Committee Member boverstreet@grange.org Ann Bercher, MN, National Lecturer

lecturer@nationalgrange.org

Philip J. Vonada, Editor Communications Director pvonada@nationalgrange.org Amanda Leigh Brozana Rios, Co-Editor Membership & Leadership Development Director & Grange Foundation Associate abrozana@nationalgrange.org

Burton Eller, Advertising Partner Legislative Director Executive Director, Grange Advocacy beller@nationalgrange.org

Betsy Huber, PA, President betsy@nationalgrange.org

Executive Committee Chair

Betsy E. Huber, Publisher National Grange President President, Grange Foundation President, Grange Advocacy betsy@nationalgrange.org

Stephanie Wilkins, Subscriptions Manager IT Director swilkins@nationalgrange.org

Officers

Lynette Schaeffer, IL,

OUR

Loretta Washington Sales, Benefits, Programs & Membership Recognition Director lwashington@nationalgrange.org Samantha Wilkins Operations Coordinator & National Junior Grange Director samantha@nationalgrange.org

Kathy Gibson, MA, National Lady Assistant Steward Barbara Borderieux, FL, National Chaplain

Sean O’Neil Legislative Assistant soneil@nationalgrange.org

Joe Goodrich, VT, National Treasurer Debbie Campbell, PA, National Secretary Christopher Johnston, MI, National Gatekeeper

Mandy Bostwick Youth & Young Adults Development Director youth@nationalgrange.org Pete Pompper Community Service Director communityservice@nationalgrange.org

Cindy Greer, CO, National Ceres Kay Stiles, MD, National Pomona Welina Shufeldt, OK, National Flora

Mujo Mrkonjic Building Engineer HEADQUARTERS PHONE (202) 628-3507

GOOD DAY!™ MAGAZINE

4 ®

www.nationalgrange.org

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Betsy E. Huber

RAISED

RIGHT

HERE – the

National Grange theme for 2021-

for consumers, farmers, and healthy nutrition for families.

23 can have several meanings as I

In addition to on-farm sales, more

described in my President’s address at

and more farmers are expanding their

the 2021 National Grange convention.

businesses even further to include

RAISED - grown, trained, educated

agritourism -- a form of commercial

RIGHT

enterprise

-

correct,

law-abiding,

morally straight

production

that

links

and/or

agricultural processing

HERE - at home, local

with tourism in order to attract

This Good Day! issue explores one

visitors onto a farm, ranch, or other

of the meanings, supporting local

agricultural business for the purposes

agriculture and how the local Grange

of entertaining and/or educating the

can encourage our current and future farmer members in the community.

The

pandemic

has

brought

attention to the complicated supply chain that brings food to our homes or grocery stores. When store shelves were

looking

empty,

consumers

searched their communities and found farmers markets and on-farm sources of fresh, wholesome foods that were readily available.

These local sources were also struggling to get their products to market through the same supply chain problems, so it was a win-win situation

visitors and generating income for the farm, ranch, or business owner.

Agritourism presents a unique opportunity to combine aspects of the tourism and agriculture industries to provide a number of financial, educational, and social benefits to tourists, producers, and communities.

increasing the volume of visitors to an area and the length of their stay.

Agritourism also benefits the local municipalities with the potential to increase their local tax bases and new

employment

opportunities.

Additionally, it helps to preserve agricultural lands, another issue the Grange strongly supports.

an

More than ever now, families are

opportunity to generate additional

looking for fun activities they can

income and an avenue for direct

do together, especially outdoors, so

marketing to consumers. Importantly,

agritourism can fulfill this need too.

agritourism

educational

Look around your community and

opportunities to the public which is

see the many agricultural, educational

generations removed from the farm

experiences available to your family.

Agritourism

gives

producers

provides

and has no knowledge of modern farming practices.

It benefits the entire community by enhancing the tourism industry,

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GOOD DAY!™ MAGAZINE www.nationalgrange.org

You can have lots of fun and support the farmers in your area that provide the open spaces and beautiful views that you enjoy.

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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 2022 Issue

Due Date

V6, I2

June 30

V6, I4

November 30

V6, I1 V6, I3

Hits Mailboxes

April 30

June 2022

August 15

October 2022

August 2022

January 2023

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 Philip Vonada by email at pvonada@nationalgrange.org or by phone at (814) 404-7985 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.

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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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GOOD DAY!™ MAGAZINE 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

is

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 pvonada@nationalgrange.org.

From the desk of the PHILIP J. VONADA “Where there is change, there is opportunity.” - Jack Welch, CEO, General Electric

Editor

changes, Covid can no longer be an excuse for not changing, either. The time has come to get back into our Grange Halls and back into our communities.

If the past two years of pandemic times and of social and

The Grange was founded as an agent of change for farmers

political unrest and upheaval have taught us anything, it’s that

and communities nationwide and for many years has continued to

change is inevitable, uneasy and necessary. Everywhere you look,

change itself and the world around it.

people are talking about the “new normal” or the way things have to happen now.

Is your Grange still changing or has it grown stagnant and stale? As the quote from Jack Welch at the top of this column

Some people used the past two years for personal growth -

says, change brings opportunity – opportunities for new life, new

discovering new hobbies or reconnecting with old ones, taking

growth, renewed energy and maybe even a shift of focus. The

control of physical or mental health, learning skills or diving

slightest change in direction can have massive effects on the

deep into topics of interest or reclaiming their time and making

depth and breadth of your Grange’s work.

themselves and their family a priority.

In the meantime, I’ve heard many Grange members say their

I did a mix of those things, and I also decided to embark on a

Grange is on the verge of closing due to lack of membership, that

new career, switching from theatre management to this new role

the same people are leading the Grange and its programming

- talk about a change!

today that led it 20 years ago, or that ‘nothing works’ to bring

Although I’ve been a Grange member my whole life, the past few months stepping into a dream job with an organization

in new members. I’ve heard that Granges can’t meet due to pandemic restrictions and that Grange Halls can’t be used.

that I have loved forever did not come without a fair amount of

But I’ve also seen examples of Granges nationwide who have

apprehension, but I am incredibly grateful to be here, growing

adapted to the challenges facing us - showing they’ve heeded

and adapting.

the lesson of the Installing Officer when

How have you adapted during the past two years? How has this adaptation changed

your

relationship

with

the

Grange… or has it at all? Throughout the pandemic-times, many people realized the importance of connection and belonging to a strong community of people. For

“Changes and transformations are constantly passing before us.”

Grangers, this connection comes through

they say “You may encounter difficulties.

Overcome

them,

remembering

that

difficulties are but opportunities to test our abilities.” (Installation Ceremony; Installing Officer to President) They are holding their meetings via Zoom or other online sources when it’s necessary (and in-person when it’s not),

(Second Degree; Ceres)

our ritual, meetings, and the work we do in

Granges coming together to support local

our community, building hometown pride

food banks or holding clothing drives, and

and resilience. Have you adapted to help

membership booming in Granges where

strengthen these connections?

new members are listened to and respected; Granges where new

Now I have to ask, how has your Grange adapted?

ideas are being attempted with success and old ideas are being

As you look at your schedule, is everything the same as it was in

revisited and adapted for today’s world.

2019, or have you changed things up? Has your Grange identified

Nationwide, there have been drive-thru meals, trunk-or-

new means of outreach and service to meet new or different needs

treats and socially-distanced or online game nights; I have

in your community? Have you realized that some “old” programs

also witnessed political forums, virtual or in-person classes

are more important than your Grange ever realized? As the world

and programs reconnecting members and non-members to

continues to open up and become “normal” again, what are you

homemaking, gardening and other life skills, and Granges finding

doing to ensure your Grange is relevant and active?

ways to support the small businesses and other nonprofits in their

The past two years have shown us that we must adapt and grow, and though Covid was the impetus for many of these

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communities.

As we have been doing for more than 150 years, Granges

GOOD DAY!™ MAGAZINE www.nationalgrange.org

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are finding ways to get involved in their communities. They

If you are a local Grange leader and the idea of all this change

are adapting, growing and becoming bastions of strength and

scares you, or if your first reaction is “we can’t,” “we won’t,” or

community belonging in their hometowns.

“we don’t know how to,” maybe it’s time for a change there, too.

Change isn’t easy - don’t get me wrong. However, “we’ve

Mentor and empower someone else, then help them to build a

always done it this way” isn’t an answer anymore, and it probably

bridge from the Grange of today to the Grange of tomorrow.

never was.

Seek opportunities for growth and change. Try something

Everywhere you look there are opportunities for Granges to

new or different. Encourage new members to take part in your

be involved in their communities - fundraising or collecting items

business - not just filling in during meetings, but in true leadership

for families or causes in need, beautifying parks and picking up

roles, fostering growth for the future. Let new ideas flow through

litter on local roads, and supporting small businesses and local

your Grange Hall and into the community and see how you

restaurants.

change because of it.

It’s important to remember that changing for the sake of

The Grange has always been an agent of change, but you also

changing might not be the answer, but change is inevitable and

have to be willing to change with it.

also brings opportunities for growth.

President named to Alliance Board of Directors

By Philip J. Vonada

of important resources and services.

“I am honored to serve on the Board

Communications Director

of Directors for the Alliance for Aviation

On January 26th, it was announced

Across America,” Huber said. “General

that National Grange President Betsy

aviation is critical for agriculture, access

Huber joined the Board of Directors of

to services like medical care and disaster

the Alliance for Aviation Across America

relief, our nation’s food supply, and the

(AAAA).

economy as a whole.”

Formed in 2007, AAAA is a non-

Many

agricultural

operators

use

profit, non-partisan coalition of over

general aviation to transport goods,

6,300 individuals, businesses, agricultural

personnel, and oversee and treat crops

groups,

leading

and land. There are about 5,000 public-

businesses and aviation groups. Their

use airports in towns across the country, yet

goal is to raise awareness about the value

the majority of airline traffic goes through

of general aviation and local airports,

30 of them. All told, general aviation

particularly for rural communities.

supports over 1.1 million jobs and over

small

airports,

and

“We are thrilled that Betsy Huber has

$246 billion in economic impact, according

joined the Alliance Board of Directors,”

partnered to launch futureofaviation.org,

to a 2018 PricewaterhouseCoopers study.

which

said Ed Bolen, President and CEO of the

Additionally, of the nearly 600,000 pilots

general aviation and the benefits of the

National Business Aviation Association

in the United States, the vast majority fly

development and use of sustainable fuel

(NBAA) and the President of the Alliance’s

general aviation aircraft.

and potential new technologies, such as

highlights

the

importance

of

Board of Directors. “Betsy brings a wealth

Huber continued, “As our nation

vertical and landing aircraft, which have

of invaluable experience and perspectives

continues to recover, we are also pleased

the potential to transport goods and

on behalf of rural communities and our

to support the commitments of the

people between rural and urban areas in

agricultural sector, which rely extensively

general aviation industry in critical areas

a more efficient manner.

on general aviation, local airports, and our

of growth, such as the development and

Huber brings a wealth of knowledge

aviation infrastructure.”

use of sustainable fuel and emerging

and experience in business and rural

technologies.”

America, and intends to speak on behalf

Rural America depends on their local airports for business activities,

Recently, the Alliance for Aviation

medical care, disaster relief, firefighting,

Across

agriculture, law enforcement, and a host

many other national and local groups

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America,

the

Grange,

and

GOOD DAY!™ MAGAZINE www.nationalgrange.org

of farmers and others who depend on the ability to use general aviation practices in their hometowns.

Vice President chosen for Quilts of Valor Board On March 1, Christine E. “Chris” Hamp,

The National Grange is a recognized

Vice President of the National Grange,

“Under Our Wings” program partner

was named to the Board of Directors of

in the mission of the Quilts of Valor

the Quilts of Valor Foundation, with a

Foundation. This program allows Grange

term lasting through 2025.

members to create quilts and award them

Hamp a fourth-generation Grange

to veterans in their communities or in the

member from Nine Mile Falls, Washington,

organization and teach the art of quilting

was elected Vice President of the nation’s

to novices and young people while

oldest agricultural and rural service

completing this meaningful community

fraternity in November. Previously, she

service.

had served as National Grange Lecturer

Hamp earned a bachelor’s degree

since 2016.

in Public Policy & Administration from

One of the major pillars of Hamp’s tenure

as

Lecturer

was

creating

a

partnership with the Quilts of Valor Foundation. In 2017, Hamp introduced the program at the National Grange Session in Spokane. “I wanted a way for

Western and I especially look forward to meeting, learning from, and growing with their dedicated members,” Hamp said.

The Quilts of Valor Foundation was founded by Catherine Roberts in 2003,

Washington

University

in

Bellingham, Washington; a Master of Public The

Administration George

degree

Washington

from

University

in Washington, DC; and an associate degree of technical arts in Fire Command

the Grange to honor veterans, and this

while her son was stationed in Iraq. The

Administration from Edmonds Community

program seemed like a natural fit with the

mission of the Quilts of Valor is to bring

College in Edmonds, Washington.

Grange’s background and our popular

comfort and healing to those who have

She is currently employed by Spokane

quilt block contest,” Hamp said. Since

been touched by war, through physically

County Fire District 9 as the Division Chief

then, hundreds of Granges across the

wrapping members in the warmth of

of Administrative Services. She also serves

country have presented Quilts of Valor to

a quilt and a hug. Since 2003, nearly

the Fire District as a volunteer Lieutenant

Grange and community members.

300,000 quilts have been given to

firefighter/EMT and is a Certified Fire

veterans and service members.

Investigator.

“I am excited to join this organization

Let’s hear your story

Indeed, being a Grange member is one of the most rewarding experiences.

For many, the story of how they came to join the Grange does not capture the essence of how they came to be a Granger and what that means in their lives.

We want to hear from you!

What is your #Grangestory that tells how you became a Granger? Did you see application of degree lessons to your daily life and relate them to friends and coworkers? Did you find yourself embracing new ideas and finding ways to overcome differences?

Submit your story of no more than 650 words and a photo, if applicable, to Philip at pvonada@nationalgrange.org by May 1 for potential inclusion in a future issue of Good Day! or use on our social media.

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Grange Hall of Fame seeks new inductees

By Philip J. Vonada Communications Director While Grange Halls have been establishing themselves around the country for over 150 years, filled with members from their local communities, a different kind of “Hall” is seeking new members – the Grange Hall of Fame.

In his address at the 148th session of the National Grange in 2014, President Ed Luttrell suggested the formation of a virtual Hall of Fame to honor the history of the Grange as a part of the National Grange’s sesquicentennial celebration.

“The history of the Grange is filled with great achievements and occasional errors. A truthful study of our history shows people, not angels, doing the best that they could,” Luttrell said. “…The actions of our organization, the actions of our members are truly something that we can be proud of. I challenge every member to not only celebrate our history but face the challenges of today with an understanding of the legacy passed to us. We must always look forward into the future while remembering the lessons of the past.”

In 2015, the Hall of Fame Committee made its first report, honoring three of the Founders of the National Grange – Oliver H. Kelley, Francis McDowell and William Saunders as well as Caroline Hall, Kelley’s niece and secretary, the first woman to hold a National Grange office (Ceres) and the “eighth Founder” of the National Grange.

The remaining Founders – Aaron Grosh, William Ireland, John Thompson and John Trimble – were inducted at the 150th session of the National Grange in 2016.

In 2017, the Virtual Hall of Fame began accepting applications to “recognize Grange members who had a significant role in the history of the National Grange.”

According to the application, the inductees must be deceased, and must have been “instrumental in the origins, growth, success and evolution of the Grange… beyond the county level,” or have been

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a Grange member who made significant impact in their community, state, nation or the world, with a “level of uniqueness.”

Previous National Grange Virtual Hall of Fame inductees include Eugene A. Eckert and Charles M. Gardner (2017), James William Abert Wright (2018), Leonard Rhone and Oliver Wilson (2019), and J. Luther Snyder and John W. Scott (2020).

The 2021 inductees were announced this past November. They were Albert S. Goss from Washington state, 14th President of the National Grange and member of President Truman’s Advisory

Board for the Office or War Mobilization and Reconversion in Washington, D.C.; and Ira E. Shea, past President of Washington State Grange, National Grange Deputy, and one of the most prolific Grange organizers across the west, with 143 Granges organized in six states.

The 2021 inductees were introduced

by Chris Hamp, National Grange Vice President, a Washington native. “I encourage all members to make the effort to do the research and nominate a deserving Grange leader for induction in the Grange Hall of Fame,” she said.

Hamp submitted Goss and Shea for their induction, stating “The process was so rewarding – not only did I learn more, much more, about each of these titans of our organization, but I gained a greater understanding of the Grange as a whole.

The Grange Hall of Fame is a fantastic way to remember and honor the great work that was done by members from your home state, and beyond.”

Now, the Grange Hall of Fame Committee is soliciting applications and nominations to for the next inductee class in the Virtual Hall of Fame. The two-

On Saturday, February 26, 2022, the family of Ira E. Shea was presented with a certificate and plaque by Christine Hamp, Vice President of the National

Grange, to commemorate Brother Shea’s induction into the National Grange

Hall of Fame.

Photo provided

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GOOD DAY!™ MAGAZINE www.nationalgrange.org

step process includes an initial Short Form for screening by the committee. If the nominee is deemed to have met the threshold for induction, the Long Form of biographical material is the next step. The application criteria and current Hall of Fame members can be found at www.nationalgrange.org/grange-hall-fame.

National Grange President Betsy Huber says “Those who have been inducted so far are men (and a woman) who have dedicated their lives to the Order. They not only served for a few years in State or National office, but throughout their entire lives worked for the improvement and expansion of the Grange. There are many more of these members whose names are not recognized

by us today but whom we should remember and honor for their lifelong dedication to the Order.”

The committee also “strongly suggests that State Granges establish their own State Grange Halls of Fame,” and to include prominent members from State Grange history.

Inductees are announced each year at the National Grange session, with the inductee’s descendants and members of their State Granges invited to celebrate the new Hall of Famer.

The Grange Hall of Fame is also seeking volunteers to serve on the commitee. Anyone interested should email betsy@ nationalgrange.org to be a part of this committee.

Legislative Fly-In provides opportunity to connect Set your travel schedule to include a

democracy. That means we have a voice in

trip to Washington, DC for the National

how our country runs. This is our chance

Grange Legislative Fly-In this April!

to exercise that right.”

From

April

24-27,

join

Grange

The Fly-In is one of the greatest ways

members from around the country in

members can engage in Grange advocacy

promoting Grange policy priorities and

and remind legislators and regulators of

participating in advocacy training. Then, put your training to use as you present your community’s concerns to elected officials and their staff.

The four-day event schedule includes issues briefings, agency meetings, and Hill appointments to meet with Senators and Representatives in Congress.

On

Tuesday

evening,

attendees

are also invited to the National Grange Champions of Rural America ceremony

the unique grassroots way in which our policy is developed. Participants will help to tell the story of an organization that is relevant, vibrant, and speaks from and for the heart of America.

“Continue the Grange legacy of advocacy for grassroots America; attend

PLAN TO ATTEND Register online by April 1 at bit.ly/DCE22 (case sensitive).

Registration is FREE, but most meals will be at your own cost.

Call 703-344-8020 to make your reservations with the event hotel, the Quality Inn Tysons Corner, for just $79/ night plus tax by April 1 using hotel block code National Grange.

the National Grange Fly-In,” Eller says.

Register by April 1 to be a part of this cornerstone of the Grange’s legacy.

and reception.

A virtual option available on Monday, April 25 will provide access to issues briefings and speakers from the National Grange Headquarters.

“Face-to-face

meetings

with

our

elected officials are the most effective way to advocate for issues important to Grangers.,” says National Grange Legislative Director Burton Eller. “We are looking forward to meeting with our legislators on the Hill, either in-person or via Zoom during the Fly-In. We live in a

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Dogs for Better Lives opens Northeast Campus

By Elizabeth Hiner Senior Communications Fellow In 1981, Oregon’s Clackamas County Granges made a $2,800 donation to Dogs for the Deaf, a relatively new organization that trained assistance dogs for people in the Deaf and hard of hearing communities. Later that year, Junior Granges across the country joined in on the fundraising efforts, raising nearly $9,500 for the training and placement of several dogs.

Most notably was the dog Rascal, trained at the Dogs for the Deaf facility in Jacksonville, Oregon, who was given to Gladys Peterson. The National Grange officially partnered with Dogs for the Deaf and continues the partnership to this day.

Roy G. Kabat founded Dogs for the Deaf, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, in 1977. His experience came from working with exotic and domestic animals for movies and television, and he also had a small circus. Upon his retirement, he moved to Applegate Valley in Oregon, where the American Humane Association contacted him for advice on their new experimental program: to train dogs for the Deaf and hard of hearing.

The idea for the program sprung from the wish of a Minnesota woman who wanted to replace her dog. As she lost more of her hearing, her dog learned to alert her to sounds within her home.

After the dog died, she realized how she had come to depend on

Staff members from Dogs for Better Lives pose in front of their new Northeast Campus in Falmouth, Massachusetts

her service animal and sought to replace it.

Consequently, The American Humane Association launched

Photo provided

their experimental dog training for the Deaf. Roy accepted their

and they are ready to love their person in their forever

invitation and went to Denver for two weeks and then returned

home.

home where Dogs for the Deaf was born in Jacksonville, Oregon.

In 1989, they moved to their 40-acre “main campus” in Central Point, Oregon. With satellite offices in California, Washington, Arizona and New Hampshire, programs include shelter dog acquisition, breeding, assistance dog training, and puppy raiser/ breeder caretaker programs.

In 2017, Dogs for Deaf rebranded to Dogs for Better Lives (DBL), with a wider mission, including: • Hearing Dogs: Training dogs to alert their person to the household sounds that are necessary to their safety and independence.

• Autism Dogs: Training dogs to function as an anchor for children with autism to enhance their wellbeing and safety by preventing the child from bolting.

• Facility Dogs: Training dogs to work for a living by assisting

12

As of 2017, DBL had placed over 1,300 dogs with families and individuals in need.

On Wednesday May 19, 2021, DBL purchased two properties in Falmouth, Massachusetts. These two properties include a veterinary clinic and a thriving “doggie daycare” pet resort. This marks the fourth satellite office for the organization, known as their Northeast Campus.

DBL’s four-year strategy and vision is growth and expansion critical to acquisition, professional training and placement of more assistance dogs. The existing pet resort continues to operate with facility upgrades, which will include upgrading the kennels, the outdoor exercise yards, painting and new flooring.

Sarah McCracken, a Massachusetts native, joined DBL’s leadership team in February 2021 and oversaw the acquisition. She

professionals such as teachers, counselors, certified

will be managing the Northeast Campus as the Executive Director.

professionals, and physicians

Ms. McCracken said, “Dogs for Better Lives’ (DBL) expansion into

• Career Changing Dogs: Adoptable dogs that have been

the northeast region enables us to grow our volunteer and donor

mostly trained. They make wonderful pets, but they are

communities, reducing cross-country travel and resources, all while

not suited to work for a living. Their chosen career is “pet,”

ultimately providing more assistance dogs to those in need.”

N & V

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McCracken brings an extensive background in assistance dog training and management, working most recently in a similar role for Canine Companions for Independence.

As of late January, the Northeast Campus has six puppies in the puppy raiser program getting ready to train in the fall of this year. Five people are already on the waitlist for those new dogs.

The waitlist for the autism and facility dogs has just opened again for requests.

“Dogs for Better Lives can accomplish this thanks to the community groups like the National Grange and the Oregon State Grange, as they have and will continue to play a major partnering role through supporting DBL’s critical work, with volunteerism,

Cleats for a Cause On December 5, Denver Broncos’ Tight End Eric Saubert (#82) sported cleats featuring his dog Abe and the Dogs for Better Lives logo. This was part of the Broncos’ “My Cause My Cleats” initiative. Saubert donated the cleats to Dogs for Better Lives for future auctions or other fundraising activities.

Eric Saubert (above) and

fundraising and educational outreach,” McCracken said.

Since 1981, the Oregon State Grange has continued to support

the cleats he wore (left)

Dogs for the Deaf and then Dogs for Better Lives. Community Granges in Oregon and around the country have also supported

Photos provided by the

the organization, and the National Grange has had representation

Denver Broncos

at its annual convention throughout the years as well.

N & V

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13

Advocating for the Mental Health of Rural America Contributed By Rural Minds

For much too long, discussions around mental illness in rural communities have been taboo while this silent epidemic continues to ravage rural America. Rates for depression are higher for rural residents compared to those in urban areas, and suicide rates among people living in rural counties are 25 percent higher than those in major metropolitan areas. Rural Minds™ is a new nonprofit that aims to end the suffering, silence, and stigma around mental illness in rural America.

The seeds for Rural Minds were sown from the personal tragedy experienced by founder and chairman Jeff Winton when his beloved 28-year-old nephew, Brooks, died by suicide. Brooks was the father of three-year-old twins and worked on Jeff’s dairy farm in rural upstate New York, where Jeff also grew up.

Jeff’s late mother, Elaine, who helped raise Brooks, urged Jeff to speak openly during Brooks’ eulogy about his struggle with depression that led to his death. The candid dialogue provided an opening to difficult conversations in the community. After the service, several people shared their personal experiences with depression and mental illness in their own families.

“The mission of Rural Minds is to serve as the informed voice for mental health in rural America, and to provide mental health information and resources,” Winton said. “Addressing mental illness is a significant challenge in rural America because of the unique stress factors that can be part of a rural lifestyle.”

Rural Americans are an independent and hearty people with a solid work ethic and determination, but when it comes to asking for help, there is often a self-imposed barrier from the lifelong pursuit of self-reliance as a virtue. Individuals may fear negative judgment when speaking up about mental health issues, and there is a lack of trust in confidentiality among peers in a small, closeknit community. A weakening agricultural economy, financial instability, and a solitary lifestyle are just a few more factors leading to a higher level of distress in rural communities.

The mental health battle plaguing rural communities shows no signs of decreasing. A recent survey from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) showed stress levels in rural communities rose from 17 percent in April 2020 to 28 percent in January 2021 due in part to the coronavirus pandemic.

Many services urban areas take for granted are lacking in rural communities creating barriers to finding help. Studies show that rural communities have 25 percent fewer primary care providers

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than in cities, in addition to: • A lack of psychiatrists in 65 percent of rural counties; • A lack of psychiatric nurse practitioners in 81 percent of rural counties; and • A lack of access to broadband internet at home (four times more likely than it is for urban residents).

While mental health is imperative for overall health, some people do not recognize mental illness as a disease; rather, it is sometimes perceived as a character flaw or a personal weakness.

Mental illness is an illness – just like cancer or diabetes. And just as it is with many other diseases, the person who is ill isn’t responsible for getting the illness. Much of the stigma around mental illness may be rooted in the misdirected and unfair shame that can be an added burden for someone with a mental illness.

Rural Minds focuses on collaborating with rural residents, mental health organizations, sponsors, and donors to raise awareness of existing information and resources, identify gaps, and develop new initiatives to better serve the mental health needs of people in rural communities throughout America.

“We are listening to and providing forums for courageous people to share their experiences with mental illness so others will know they are not alone and encourage people who may be reluctant to seek help,” Winton said. “Our website connects rural Americans across the country with existing mental health information and crisis intervention resources.”

Rural Minds will be introducing its first newsletter soon and is developing the inaugural webinar for a four-event series. Each free webinar will feature a person sharing their true story about living with mental illness and overcoming barriers to mental health services; educational content presented by mental health industry

GOOD DAY!™ MAGAZINE www.nationalgrange.org

meet JEFF WINTON

In addition to being the founder and chairman of Rural Minds™, Jeff Winton is the founder and owner of Wall Street Dairy LLC, a working family dairy farm in Chautauqua County, New York, and a member of a multigenerational farm family.

He graduated with distinction from Cornell University with a bachelor’s degree from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Winton has worked four decades as a communications and corporate affairs leader with Fortune 100 corporations and respected public relations and advertising agencies, including the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, animal health, agricultural and consumer arenas. He is CEO of Jeff Winton Associates, a full-service communications and corporate affairs agency he co-founded in 2020.

experts; a Q&A session; and access to relevant mental health information and resources available online at no charge.

Rural Minds has been recognized as a National Grange Issues Partner for future assistance in providing the voice of rural America in legislative advocacy initiatives that benefit those working in the agricultural industry and residents of rural communities across the country. Rural Minds has been invited to attend the National Grange Annual FlyIn event in Washington DC on April 25 to introduce the organization to the National Grange members across the country.

“I’m excited about the collaboration between our two grassroots organizations in advocating for mental health in rural America,” Winton noted. “We hope to engage the National Grange membership in raising awareness of mental illness and suicide, so together we can end the silence, suffering, and stigma that surround mental illness in our communities.”

Recognizing the value of a person sharing and supporting peers with a personal story of mental illness lived experience, Rural Minds is also partnering with the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) to expand their existing national network of mental health support groups to include rural mental health support groups.

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In keeping with a collaborative approach, Rural Minds is working with agricultural and bio/ pharmaceutical companies to sponsor educational initiatives that address rural mental health. The organization is serving as a convener of leaders from both industries to discuss opportunities to help meet the challenges of mental illness in rural communities.

Additionally, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has invited Rural Minds to participate as a Readiness Partner Convener to help prepare for the July 2022 introduction of 988 – the new, nationwide, easy-to-remember, three-digit phone number for Americans in crisis to connect with suicide prevention and mental health crisis counselors.

“SAMHSA is interested in maximizing the reach and impact of 988 and understanding some of the particular challenges of sub populations including residents of rural communities that are at a higher risk of suicide,” explained Rural Minds Executive Director Chuck Strand.

For more information about rural mental illness statistics, rural mental illness challenges, and mental health information and resources, visit www.ruralminds.org. Stay connected with Rural Minds by registering to receive email and the free newsletter, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.

GOOD DAY!™ MAGAZINE www.nationalgrange.org

15

Grange Month celebrates hometowns, sustainability

By Philip J. Vonada

options to keep people on farms or small businesses

Communications Director

open (especially related to health insurance, grants and

For many years, April has been designated as Grange Month

educational opportunities)

across the United States. During this month, we encourage

• Create programs that develop children, youth and young

Granges far and wide to create programming that brings people

adults through leadership training, legislative and

into their Grange Halls, promoting advocacy and education.

advocacy training or other home and life skills.

This year, use the National Grange theme “Raised Right Here” in your programming. This theme celebrates resilience, sustainability and the things that make each hometown special.

Consider using the “Raised Right Here” theme this Grange

our “Grange Spirit Week” on social media, with the hashtag #grangemonth22. Each day from April 3-9 will have a theme for social media posts that reflect Grange values and involvement in the community.

Month to:

All a member has to do is create a post on Facebook,

• Celebrate local farms, farmers, or other ag services • Encourage discussions about local sustainability and resilience • Identify local producers and mom-and-pop businesses that are vital parts of your communities

Instagram, or Twitter with a photo reflecting the day’s theme, a caption and the hashtag. Promote the Grange to your friends and family in a fun, connecting way.

Creating and participating in programs is what makes the Grange unique from community to community. There are

• Sell shirts and other items with the RRH branding and Grange logo encouraging people to see Grange as a place where local talent is “raised” (products aren’t just physical things - they are also Human Resources)

hundreds of ways to incorporate the Raised Right Here theme - what can you come up with?

Additional resources to download and use in your Grange Halls, in print and on social media can be found at www.

• Look for legislation to endorse or groups to partner with

nationalgrange.org/grange-month-2021.

to advocate for funding and opportunities for small

Also - check out the inside of the back cover for a calendar of

businesses and local farms/Ag businesses (again, just

everything happening during Grange Month, including online

another thing we do that can now fall under the umbrella)

forums, information sessions, and a trivia night! We hope to see

• Lead or be significant part of coalitions to encourage

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This Grange Month, the National Grange will also be leading

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you there!

GOOD DAY!™ MAGAZINE www.nationalgrange.org

18

GRANGE ADVOCACY ADVERTORIAL

Infrastructure improvements in store for rural America

By Sean O’Neil Legislative Assistant In the fall of 2021, Congress and the White House were able to come to a rare bipartisan agreement on a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill titled the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The bill, which was signed into law

by President Joe Biden on November 15,

2021,

includes

investments projects,

in

unprecedented

hard

including

infrastructure

many

in

rural

America, without levying new taxes.

Of specific interest to the National Grange, the bill allocates $65 billion

include increased taxes on wealthy

of Representatives along party lines,

Americans, collectively titled the Build

but failed in the Senate as Democrats

Back Better bill.

were not able to overcome the 60-vote

As originally written, the package

filibuster threshold and, though they

included changes to capital gains and

supported the underlying legislation,

inheritance taxes which would have

Senators Manchin and Sinema did

negatively

farmers;

not join their Democratic colleagues

however advocacy from the National

in voting to eliminate the filibuster for

Grange

groups

voting rights legislation which would

successfully pressured Democrats to

have allowed the bill to pass with a

remove the proposed changes from the

simple majority.

impacted and

other

many farm

bill.

With the battle over elections reforms

The bill was similarly whittled down by

moderate

Democratic

Senators

including Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), and ultimately

resolved without any legislative action, Congress returned to some bills which had been simmering since early 2021.

One example is the United States

Manchin declared that he would not

Innovation

support the bill in its current form.

(USICA), a bill which would increase

for roads and bridges, including a new

Democrats in Congress and the White

funding for domestic manufacturing and

$2 billion rural transportation grant

House have not given up on passing

research into key technologies such as

program, $66 billion for rail networks

some amount of the priorities contained

semiconductors, along with a number of

and terminals, $17 billion for ports

in the Build Back Better bill, and

other provisions intended to strengthen

and waterways, $55 billion for water

negotiations are ongoing behind closed

American

infrastructure, and $10 billion for a USDA

doors to resurrect key elements which

bipartisan group of Senators introduced

pilot program in partnership with land

are able to garner the necessary support

and passed in 2021.

grant universities to study the benefits of

from Democratic moderates.

to broadband expansion, $110 billion

using materials derived from agricultural commodities

in

the

production

of

consumer goods.

and

supply

Competition

chains,

which

Act

a

In late January 2022, the House

With President Biden’s Build Back

of Representatives finally offered its

Better bill stalled, Democrats in Congress

response to the Senate passed USICA

spent January moving onto other topics.

which includes a number of significant

To ensure that the money allocated

In

early

January,

Congressional

changes to the bill. Following the release

by the bill is spent in a way which

Democrats and President Biden made

of the House bill, Democratic leadership

actually solves the challenges facing

a move to pass a large elections reform

in the House and Senate made it clear

rural America, the National Grange will

bill which would have restored Justice

that they intend to reconcile both

be spending significant time over the

Department review of changes to state

versions of the bill and pass them quickly

next few years following up with the

election law in states with a history of

this Spring.

various federal and state agencies which

discrimination (as had been the case

Some Republicans have expressed

will be disbursing funds.

until reauthorization of the Voting Rights

concerns about the House version of

the

Act failed in recent years), expanded

the bill, and it is likely that significant

in

and created a federal standard for vote

changes will have to be made to ensure

November, Congressional Democrats

by mail and drop boxes, increased

that the final bill is able to overcome the

shifted their focus for December to a

early voting options, curbed large and

60-vote filibuster threshold in the Senate

larger spending package dealing with

anonymous political donations, and

and become law.

issues such as climate change and

allowed for same-day voter registration.

As well, bills which the National

welfare spending which would also

This bill was able to pass the House

Grange has supported in agriculture

Following bipartisan

the

passage

infrastructure

of

package

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GOOD DAY!™ MAGAZINE www.nationalgrange.org

19

including the Growing Climate Solutions Act and the Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act which were both

9-8-8 set for suicide prevention

introduced in 2021 are in ongoing negotiations in both chambers of Congress.

Finally, in January and February Congress has been faced with some highly time-sensitive issues that it is going to have to address.

In late January, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer announced his intention to retire this summer and President Biden announced his nomination of current US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to fill the seat, leaving the Senate with the timeconsuming task of confirming a new Supreme Court justice this spring.

Yet more, in late February Russia began a brutal invasion of neighboring Ukraine which has already led to significant casualties on both sides, including many Ukrainian civilians.

In response, the United States and many allied nations have levied devastating sanctions against the Russian government and have increased military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.

The ongoing invasion has also led to significant secondary effects for both the American and global economy with serious fluctuations in agricultural commodity markets and increased oil prices among the most serious side effects. So far, the Ukrainian military and government have fared better than many expected, but it is not yet clear if or when the war will end.

In the fall of 2020, the bipartisan National Suicide Hotline Designation Act was signed into law, requiring that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) designate 988 as a new threedigit number connecting to the national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline. The bill was enacted with bipartisan support in the House and Senate, along with the support of thenPresident Trump, the FCC and a diverse range of civil society groups.

Following the enactment of the law, the FCC set a deadline of July 16, 2022 for state governments to set aside the necessary funding to develop the necessary telecommunications infrastructure to allow anyone who calls or texts 988 to be connected to the national suicide hotline. However, so far only four states have set aside the funding necessary to support the 988 system by the federal deadline of July 16, 2022. Many state governments are currently rushing to create support systems for 988 so that the line will be fully operational by summer, but mental health groups are concerned that some states will miss the deadline and have to delay 988 service in their jurisdiction.

Lastly, negotiations continue on a final package to fund the government for the 2022 fiscal year as a mid-March

- By Sean O’Neil, Grange Legislative Assistant

deadline looms to pass funding or else face a government shutdown.

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Spectrum Internet ® Consistently Delivers Every day, Charter strives to better serve our customers by offering high-quality broadband service with fast speeds and consistent performance.

We’re proud that the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) latest “Measuring Broadband America Fixed Broadband Report” shows we’re doing just that.

• Spectrum Internet outperformed all DSL and Fiber competitors, exceeding 100% of advertised download speeds on all tiers measured – making us the “most consistent” for the fifth consecutive year.

• Spectrum Internet exceeded 100% of advertised upload speeds on all tiers measured.

• Spectrum Internet exceeded advertised speeds even during peak usage (defined as the hours of 7:00 – 11:00 pm on weekdays at the time of the report).

Learn more about Charter’s efforts to help connect every American to reliable high-speed internet at policy.charter.com.

GRANGE ADVOCACY ADVERTORIAL

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Seeking Refills: Aging Pharmacists Leave Drugstores Vacant in Rural America

By Tim Markian Hawryluk Courtesy of Kaiser Health News Ted Billinger Jr. liked to joke that he would work until he died. That turned out to be prophetic.

When Billinger died of a heart attack in 2019 at age 71, he was still running Teddy B’s, the pharmacy his father had started more than 65 years earlier in Cheyenne Wells, Colorado. With no other pharmacist to work at the store, prescriptions already counted out and sealed in bottles were suddenly locked away in a pharmacy that no one could enter. And Cheyenne Wells’ fewer than 800 residents were abruptly left without a drugstore.

Pharmacies

were

once

routinely

bequeathed from one generation to the next, but, in interviews with more than a dozen pharmacists, many said the pressure of running an independent drugstore

Tom Davis, pharmacist and co-owner of Kiowa Drug, outside his store in Eads, Colorado.

(Rachel Woolf for KHN)

has them pushing their offspring toward

the remaining drugs. Customers who had

might tell a patient, ‘We don’t have that

other careers. And when they search for a

dropped off their prescriptions before

in stock,’ or ‘Why don’t you go down the

buyer, they often find that attracting new

Billinger died were able to pick up their

street to the chain?’ But down here, we just

pharmacists, especially to rural settings, is

medications.

take care of our patients, and we just eat

difficult. With a large group of pharmacists

Davis

then

bought

the

pharmacy

it.”

nearing retirement age, more communities

from Billinger’s estate. He runs it as a

He can survive, he said, because, after

may lose their only drugstore.

convenience store and six days a week

48 years, he no longer has any business

delivers prescriptions to it from Eads, 44

debt.

“It’s going to be harder to attract people and to pay them,” said David Kreling, a

“I look at my bottom line,” Davis said.

miles away.

professor emeritus at the University of

“By the time you paid a pharmacist, the

“With the amount of profit that I had at the

Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy.

location there was borderline unprofitable,”

end of the year, that would not have been

“If there’s not a generational thing where

Davis said.

enough if I was having to pay a mortgage.”

someone can sit down with their son or

He has received numerous requests to

Studies have found the number of

daughter and say that they could take

open pharmacies in other eastern Colorado

pharmacists nationally to be sufficient,

the store over, there’s a good chance that

towns, but making that work financially

even more than enough, to meet current

pharmacy will evaporate.”

would be difficult. Reimbursements from

needs, although supply and demand don’t

insurance

always line up. Finding pharmacists is more

Tom Davis, Billinger’s friend and co-

plans

have

dwindled,

and

owner of Kiowa Drug in Eads, Colorado,

customer bases have eroded as health

stepped in to sort out the mess in

insurers push patients toward mail-order

Cheyenne Wells. With permission from the

deliveries.

difficult in rural areas.

“Once they get a taste of the big city,” Kreling said, “it’s hard to get them back to the farm.”

State Board of Pharmacy, the county sheriff

“I fill prescriptions every day where my

let Davis into Teddy B’s in the eastern

reimbursement is less than the cost of the

Workforce data also shows worrisome

Colorado town to take an inventory of

drug,” Davis said. “In other settings, you

trends. Concerns about a shortage of

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pharmacists led the federal government to pour money into pharmacy schools in the 1970s, creating a temporary bump in the number of graduates. The people in that bulge in the pharmacist pipeline have hit retirement age.

“Many of them owned independent pharmacies, and they were working in rural communities,” said University of Minnesota pharmacy professor Jon Schommer, who studies workforce issues.

Now, as the demand for pharmacists to provide testing and vaccinations during the covid-19 pandemic increases, drugstore chains are offering incentives — such as large salaries, signing bonuses and help paying off school loans — that are often more enticing than anything a rural pharmacy could muster.

How pharmacy graduates envision their careers has also shifted.

Many no longer want to own a pharmacy and are content to work at pharmacy chains or other health care organizations, according to several pharmacy school professors. As of 2018, only about half of pharmacists worked in traditional retail drugstores.

That makes rural recruitment more difficult.

Denise Robins had worked at R&R Family Pharmacy in Springfield, Colorado, for 18 years when the owner retired. She and three family members bought the drugstore in a last-ditch effort to keep it open.

“None of us are pharmacists, so that made it a little tougher,” Robins said. “We just knew it was really going to make it hard for people here if they had to travel an hour to get to a pharmacy.”

But finding a pharmacist to work in the southeastern Colorado town of fewer than 1,400 people was a challenge. The first pharmacist Robins found commuted 48 miles one way from Lamar.

But after a year and a half, the trip became too much.

She then hired someone who wanted to work for only a year, to make enough money to travel. Then Robins interviewed two

Dia Giron, manager at Teddy B’s convenience store in Cheyenne Wells, Colorado, transfers prescriptions to a locked case after Kiowa Drug delivers them.

(Rachel Woolf for KHN)

S RA

University of Colorado pharmacy school graduates. She hired one, but that didn’t work out. So she called back the second candidate, who still had not found a permanent job. He had two young kids, and he and his wife were working opposite schedules. He took the job two years ago and has remained there since.

In Berryville, Virginia, pharmacist Patricia White opened Battletown Pharmacy in 2011 because she wanted to carry on the family business. Her father had owned a local pharmacy and had recently died. But when turning a profit with Battletown proved a struggle, White decided to retire.

She lined up two potential buyers, but neither went through with the sale. She then hoped to transfer the pharmacy to a recent graduate but didn’t want to saddle him with a failing business.

“I told him he couldn’t make any money, and he said, ‘Thanks for being honest,’” White recalled.

Closing seemed like the only palatable option. Battletown shut down at the end of August. “I did not want to sell out to a chain,” she said. “That’s always been my mentality.”

When a chain buys a pharmacy, it doesn’t always decide to run it. Instead, it might close the pharmacy and transfer the pharmacy’s prescription files to one of its outlets. Retiring pharmacists who spent decades serving a community generally don’t want to see that happen, said David Zgarrick, a Northeastern University pharmacy professor.

“They’d like to sell their pharmacy to another pharmacist who would continue to run it very much in the same manner,” he said.

Some plan ahead, hiring another pharmacist and offering that person an equity stake in the business. Over time, the new pharmacist can buy out the owner. Many independent pharmacistowners plan to live off the profits from selling their pharmacy, its inventory and its prescription records.

“Their pharmacy is their retirement savings,” Zgarrick said.

But, Zgarrick said, the added pressure from the pandemic may be pushing more pharmacists into retirement. And a long-running bull stock market may mean some pharmacists have enough in their retirement portfolios to call it quits without a sale.

In Eads, Davis, 70, still loves being a pharmacist. He and his brother co-own seven pharmacies and have started to plan for retirement by hiring five young pharmacists and allowing them to buy ownership stakes in those pharmacies over time.

He had wondered how long he could keep the Kiowa pharmacy running, though. With fewer than 700 residents, Eads may be the smallest town in Colorado with a pharmacy. Combining Davis’ customer base with Cheyenne Wells’ may have saved pharmacy access for both communities.

“So maybe where we could have lost two pharmacies in the area, we’ve been able to exist. We’re stronger now than we had ever been,” Davis said. “That wasn’t the original plan. We cared about those people and just wanted to take care of them.”

GOOD DAY!™ MAGAZINE www.nationalgrange.org

23

Would you take free land in rural America?

In the midst of a national housing shortage, towns on the Kansas plains are giving away free land and ultra-cheap houses. Is the offer worth it? housing costs were

By Mark Dent Reprinted with permission from The Hustle

in San Francisco.

Sitting in the basement of a historic

Roberts

“When

I

moved to Kansas,” said,

“I

courthouse in Lincoln — a wind-swept

was like, ‘holy shit,

town in north central Kansas — Bradley

they’re giving stuff

Roberts

away.’”

laughs

while

comparing

his

Roberts

current situation to his previous life in San Francisco.

Roberts was like many people in the

is

exaggerating, but only slightly.

Bay Area: Savvy, successful, and drowning

In Kansas small

in housing expenses. When he bought a

towns, the houses

house ~15 years ago, he and his partner

are

went $300k over their budget. Rent at his

quality

last place in San Francisco was nearly $4k a month.

“It was awful,” Roberts, 50, told The Hustle.

Roberts, whose grandparents were from Lincoln, bought a converted barn

cheap,

with

Vacant storefronts in Lincoln (The Hustle) going for $100k and and undesirable? fixer-uppers costing homes

far less. Land, a commodity over which NIMBY

battles

rage

throughout

the

country, can actually be obtained for free in several counties.

The boom and bust of the Great Plains In

the

mid-1800s,

after

breaking

home in the middle of town last year for

The downside to living in rural Kansas,

treaties and forcing the removal of

$22k. His annual housing costs in Lincoln

of course, has always been economic

Native Americans, the United States had

are about the same as what his monthly

opportunity. High-paying jobs don’t grow

thousands of miles of land in the middle

as easily as the milo.

of the country — and almost no Western

But price-conscious urban dwellers

Bradley Roberts started a handyman business and says he “fell in love with Lincoln, again.” (The Hustle)

24

settlers wanted to live there.

have been drawn to places they never

Then, in 1862, Abraham Lincoln pulled

thought they could live. After a year of

the ultimate Manifest Destiny power move

soaring real estate prices in every city and

with the Homestead Act.

suburb, long-depressed and depopulated

The government granted individuals

Kansas is going through a lower-key real

160 acres of free land as long as they

estate boom of its own.

lived on and farmed the land for 5 years,

“It always used to be the case that

enticing Americans to claim 270m acres in

we said there’s a big difference between

states like Kansas, Nebraska, and North

what’s going on in the larger cities and

Dakota. Free territory was also distributed

the rural areas,” said Stanley Longhofer,

to railroad companies, which sold their

a professor and founding director of the

surplus land to new residents at dirt-cheap

Wichita State University Center for Real

rates.

Estate. “And the answer now is not as

Buoyed by the free and inexpensive

much. It really is kind of across the board.”

land, small towns sprung up overnight,

Are the Great Plains the greatest

often just a few miles from each other.

option left for an affordable lifestyle? And

These hyperlocal economies thrived with

can small towns reverse the market forces

farming at the center of life.

that have long made them financially risky

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But in the 1920s, the mechanization

farmed in Osborne in the

strength — cheap real estate — has also

early 20th century, but her

been a weakness.

daughter moved to larger, less-agrarian McPherson, and her daughter, my mother,

Free but flawed On

a

cold

day

last

November,

moved to the Kansas City

Lincoln County Economic Development

area.

Foundation director Kelly Gourley drove

With

dwindling

populations,

the

large

number of small towns has

me to the east side of the town, where an asphalt cul de sac backed into a sea of yellowing grass.

turned into a logistical and

Lincoln (pop. 1.2k) is not overly small

financial headache. Many of

for rural Kansas. It has a theater, a high

Kansas’s sparsely populated

school that ranks among the top 25% in

104

627

the state, and even a luxurious Airbnb in

municipalities

a downtown loft. But the population has

(compare that to 58 counties

fallen by 25% since 1980, and numerous

and 482 municipalities in 13x

storefronts are boarded up on the main

larger California) struggle to

drag. A coffee shop below the Airbnb

pay for government services,

closed just a few weeks before my trip.

counties

incorporated

and

recruit civic leaders, and hold

The grass on the east side is another

onto businesses, health care,

sign of frustration. It was supposed to be

and schools.

covered by homes, symbolizing a Lincoln survive

repopulated by the free land program. But

without enough people, and people are

only 2 of 21 lots have been developed,

of agriculture reduced the need for farm

hard to recruit when the local economies

one by a former mayor and another that

work,

followed.

are in shambles. So to attract newcomers,

functioned as a spec home.

The outflow accelerated in the coming

towns have attempted a dizzying array of

decades as commercial farming operations

stunts and initiatives.

(The Hustle)

and

population

loss

consolidated family farms and interstate

Towns

can’t

One of the most influential was a modern remix of the Homestead Act by

highways took away visitors.

Once-bustling Main Streets are now

Marquette. To save its school and stanch

pockmarked with shuttered buildings, and

its population loss in 2003, Marquette’s

elder care facilities are often small towns’

leaders offered ~60 free lots for anyone

top employers.

willing to move in and build a house.

Kansas embodies the ups and downs of

A Hutchinson News story picked up

the Homestead Act as much as anywhere.

by the Associated Press led to a national

• The state boomed from ~100k

media sensation, culminating in a visit

residents in 1860 to 1.4m in 1890, making it larger than New Jersey.

• But the vast majority of Kansas counties

experienced

peak

population before 1950.

from “CBS Evening News.”

At least 27 Kansas towns have enacted free land programs since the late 1990s.

Only a few have had success.

Even in Marquette the population rose

• Farms in the state have declined

for about 10 years before falling again, and

from 167k in 1920 to 58.3k today,

its elementary school was only temporarily

while growing in size from an

saved, closing in 2014. Roughly 20 lots are

average of 272 acres to 784 acres.

still available.

My own family deserted the Great Plains. My great-grandmother’s parents

Why can’t Kansas give away land?

It’s because the rural areas’ biggest

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Kelly Gourley stands near the lots

Lincoln can’t give away. It doesn’t help

that a nearby creek means some are in a floodplain.

(The Hustle)

25

Their landlord hiked their rent, and they were asked to pay $320k to buy the building where Frankie’s was located.

Seeking an affordable alternative, they moved to Lincoln in January and found a much cheaper building for a restaurant. They also bought a house that’s big enough for their family of 5 for $70k.

In Lincoln, houses that used to sit on the market for a year were selling within weeks in 2021, Gourley said. She can’t recall ever having fewer houses available after more than 30 were sold each year in Lincoln County in 2019, 2020, and 2021, up from 14 in 2018, per Lincoln County statistics.

Other rural Kansas counties experienced the same rush.

MLS data of 15 small counties across the state showed

Downtown Lincoln, Kansas

(by Faith Wilson from Woodinville, WA, U.S.A. - Small town evening, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia)

Gourley, who started her job after the program was enacted, explains why a free giveaway can still be a questionable deal.

• A new house would cost ~$100k-$200k to build but is likely

2021 housing sales up 11% from 2019, and median time on the market last summer was ~33% lower than in 2019.

“We’ve seen a lot of people coming back to rural communities because the cost of living is lower and because

there’s a quieter, calmer lifestyle here,” said Betsy Wearing, coordinator of programs at the Kansas-based Dane G. Hansen Foundation.

to sell for less, given the low real estate prices.

• Buyers also struggle to get homes appraised at the cost of construction and sometimes need to cover the difference

The momentum has led to a new challenge: preparing the housing market to meet the demand.

Economic development corporations are scouring for grants

out of pocket.

Lincoln has shifted to prioritize its inexpensive existing

to pay for demolition and rehabilitation costs, as well as payments

housing stock, a strategy that has its own drawbacks. Similar to

that bridge the difference between the cost of new housing and

many Kansas towns, ~30% of Lincoln’s houses require significant

the amount a bank will cover for a mortgage.

In Lincoln, Gourley secured $150k in grant money late last year

repair or outright demolition.

Given how this shortage of good homes and economic risk

to help prospective buyers rehab 5 chronically vacant houses.

Residents

for new construction scares off people

have

also

gotten

who would even want to move to rural

involved in renovations. Vicki Hook, a

Kansas, it’s easy to see why towns

native of nearby Beverly, moved back

have sunk in a downward spiral.

to Kansas from Florida and bought a

But the insane real estate prices

2nd home as an investment. She paid

that have challenged the rest of the

$7.5k, put in ~$60k in repairs, and

country have led to a spark in interest.

hopes to sell it for $85k+.

Building up supply

large cities, house flipping is often

In crowded housing markets in viewed as a driver of inequality.

Priscilla Frankenstein loved the views in Whitehall, Montana, pop. 1k.

That’s not a major concern yet

On clear days, she could see peaks

in Lincoln, given the sheer quantity

and snow in almost every direction.

of neglected homes and the lack of outside speculators. But the lower

But after moving in 2019 from California and opening a restaurant, Frankie’s, with her husband, Charles, prices got too high as the rapid growth in nearby Bozeman spread to smaller towns.

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Vicki Hook, left, returned to Lincoln after decades away. Pam Morgan moved to Lincoln from Kansas City not long after a chance side trip in central Kansas.

(The Hustle)

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incomes in Kansas small towns mean greater sensitivity to increasing costs, even for prices that look cheap to people on the coasts.

While Charles Frankenstein doesn’t

want Lincoln prices escalating as high as

high as $500k.

in Whitehall, he expects property values to increase.

“And I kind of wanted to

“We look at Lincoln as a place we’re

turn

on

a

faucet,”

Wolgamot said.

moving to and investing into,” he said,

She and Eric started

“and we want to watch it grow and be on

searching online for houses

the ground floor of it as it grows.”

across the country. Lincoln had the best deal: 2 vacant houses

for

a

combined

$5.5k. They paid cash and now only owe taxes, which run ~$150 a month.

Since moving in spring 2020, Eric has rehabbed their homes while starting his own tree trimming and junk removal business. The work is far different from the

service-industry

jobs

they had in California and Arizona, but they say it has been enough to provide for their family, given the low cost of housing.

Entrepreneurship

Somewhere between Marquette and Lincoln (The Hustle)

is

encouraged for newcomers to Lincoln.

A website advertising the town lists Eric and Emily Wolgamot bought two vacant homes in Lincoln for $5.5k

(The Hustle)

Making a living on the Plains Eric and Emily Wolgamot had all but given up on homeownership before they found Lincoln.

In the last few years, they moved out of California, where Emily Wolgamot struggled to pay $1.2k in monthly rent on a telemarketer’s salary in San Diego, to Seligman, a tourist town outside Flagstaff.

The cost was manageable — $400 a month for a plot in a trailer park — but they needed a larger space for them and their 3 kids, and yet taking the next step seemed impossible.

They saw off-grid 3-bedroom houses listed

at

$150k.

Houses

with

basic

necessities, like plumbing, were going as

new or transitioning opportunities for restaurateurs, contractors, accountants, attorneys, and veterinarians. Gourley has plans to open a gym. Roberts, the San Francisco transplant, started a handiwork business.

Life isn’t the same as in the Bay Area, where he owned a flower business and drove a Mercedes. But last fall, while visiting a friend in Palm Springs who was barely scraping enough money to afford a mortgage, Roberts realized the advantages of rural Kansas.

“I feel fortunate to be here because now I’m back to where I feel comfortable,” he said.

That isn’t to say Lincoln doesn’t have its drawbacks. The diminished, aging population makes it hard to grow business.

the need for services while not being dependent on the local economy for their earnings.

Reliance on the local economic base is still a significant risk.

Dil

Darjee,

a

Bhutanese

refugee,

moved with his family from St. George, Utah, and opened the Post Rock Motel & Restaurant in 2020. Lincoln was one of the few places he found a business opportunity he could afford.

The motel has drawn rave reviews online for cleanliness and professionalism, and his restaurant serves a range of Himalayan and American cuisine. But that’s not enough to guarantee success.

Although his revenues had picked up during hunting season in November, he said he struggled to cover his expenses in the summer months.

“I’m hoping for better days,” he said.

This is one reason why Gourley wants to recruit remote workers, who can increase

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GOOD DAY!™ MAGAZINE www.nationalgrange.org

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usually 90%+ white). Child care is also hard to come by, although nonprofits have begun incentivizing it.

This lack of amenities, coupled with the shortage of quality housing, are why Longhofer, the Wichita State professor, does not expect rural Kansas towns to find lasting salvation from recent real estate trends.

“These have been issues that are not new with the pandemic.

They’ve been long term,” Longhofer said. “And so often we want to come up with this magic amulet that’s going to fix all the problems, and it’s just a challenge for small-town America.”

Yet people who need to move may find life in the city and life on the Plains is more similar than ever. The Wi-Fi is still fast in towns like Lincoln, the same shows are still on Netflix, and Amazon packages still come to your door. The communities are small, but friendly.

The free fixer-upper in Lincoln (The Hustle)

And it’s so, so much cheaper.

The narrowing gap between urban and rural

During my visit, Gourley showed me the ultimate real estate

After my conversation with Darjee, I drove back to the Kansas

bargain: an olive-green Dutch Colonial house with, an ad states, “enough woodwork to cause anyone to swoon.” It’s a fixer-upper

City area.

The next day I enjoyed the various things people enjoy in

but not beyond repair.

bigger cities: going to a coffee shop, watching live jazz at a

The price tag: $0.00.

bar. I’m fortunate to have enough stability to afford increasingly

The only catch is the house must be moved. But the free lots

expensive urban life, and I prefer hustle and bustle over calm and

are just down the street. A buyer could put the free house on a

quiet.

free lot.

Besides an urban area’s multitude of options and luxuries,

There’s more: One of the grants Gourley secured can be used

there are more pressing needs rural Kansas does not meet.

on the house, meaning income-eligible buyers could get $30k to

Anybody who doesn’t drive would have extreme difficulty getting

spend on renovations.

around, and people who want racial and cultural diversity will not find it (small towns in north central and northwest Kansas are

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As of late January, the house was still available. It could be yours, if you’re willing to have someone pay you to take it.

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Telehealth May Be Here to Stay

by Michael Ollove

different types of virtual appointments and

serious issue,” Kwong wrote in an email to

Reprinted with permission from The Daily Yonder

to enact telehealth coverage requirements

Stateline. “To suddenly have that access

for private insurers.

taken away by a policy change could have

This article was produced by Stateline, an initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts.

of the Center for Connected Health

Many states already have extended

Policy, a nonpartisan organization widely

temporary telehealth measures that were

regarded as an authority on telehealth,

set to expire with the lifting of public

estimates that the number of telehealth

health emergencies, and other states

visits increased by as much as 40% during

are considering doing the same. Kwong

spring and summer 2020 and remains 30%

estimates that there are more than 1,000

higher than it was before the pandemic.

telehealth bills pending in state legislatures,

According to a survey conducted by the

many of which would allow more services

National Association of Community Health

to be provided virtually or mandate that

Centers, the percentage of health centers

public or private insurers cover them.

Mei Wa Kwong, executive director

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, medical executive Lyndi Church and her colleagues at

Caring

Hands

Healthcare

Centers

in southeastern Oklahoma had been intrigued by telehealth, but they feared it was unworkable in their rural corner of the state.

Many residents of the area lacked reliable broadband or didn’t have the devices or technological savvy to use telehealth services. Church, the chief operations

officer

of

Caring

Hands,

anticipated significant resistance. “We weren’t sure how our patients would take to it,” she said.

significant, adverse impacts on many.”

using telehealth jumped from 43% before

No organized opposition has emerged

the pandemic to 98% during the early

to the legislation, though it’s unclear

months of the crisis.

how much providers will want to use

“The telehealth temporary policies

telemedicine once their patients feel less

helped so many people receive care they

anxious about exposure to the coronavirus.

otherwise wouldn’t have received or may

“It is all about change management,

have put off getting until it became a more

teaching people to do things differently in

Then the pandemic hit, and everything changed.

Early

on,

Caring

Hands

stopped

treating patients in its facilities. Health workers saw some patients in the centers’ parking lots, but other than that, Church said, all medical care occurred virtually. To her surprise, despite occasionally spotty mobile and broadband service, patients took to telehealth.

“The majority of our patients were incredibly appreciative of the service, especially when they were so fearful about coming into an office,” she said.

The use of remote health services soared during the pandemic, opening the eyes of many medical providers and patients to telehealth’s convenience, efficiency and relative low cost. But its future depends largely on whether state lawmakers extend emergency measures that made telehealth a viable alternative for patients and providers wary of in-person contact. The most important changes most states made were to expand Medicaid coverage to

Dr. Vibin Roy, medical director of Doctor on Demand, types notes as he listens

to a patient during an online primary care visit from his home in Keller, Texas, in

April. Many states are extending telehealth policies adopted during the Covid-19 public health emergency. (LM Otero / The Associated Press)

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their practices,” said Mary Zelazny, CEO of Finger Lakes Community Health in rural upstate New York, which used telehealth before the pandemic but ramped up during the crisis.

Telehealth, she said, has increased the efficiency of her health centers, saved money and improved care.

“We’re not going back.”

Making Changes Permanent Many of the pending telehealth bills pertain to Medicaid, the joint federal/state health plan for low-income Americans. Twentyseven states already have taken advantage of relaxed federal rules to expand Medicaid coverage of telehealth services, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures..

For example, many states, including Arkansas, Connecticut, Kentucky, and Vermont, permanently authorized Medicaid coverage for audio-only medical consultations, without a video

Dr. Charles Sawyer holds a telehealth visit in the summer of 2020 with Gladys Etters from the Roanoke Chowan Community

Health Center’s Ahoskie Comprehensive Care site in eastern North Carolina.

(Source: Roanoke Chowan Community Health Center)

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component. Colorado, Kentucky, and Mississippi enacted legislation to ensure post-pandemic Medicaid reimbursement for telehealth services delivered by community health centers. And New Hampshire from now on will require its Medicaid program to pay providers the same amount for telehealth and in-person visits.

Arkansas also approved a law permanently extending Medicaid coverage to a raft of behavioral health and substance use services delivered through telehealth. The state’s Medicaid program now covers remote therapy provided by psychologists, clinical social workers, and marriage and family counselors. It also covers crisis intervention, substance use assessments, group therapy for those over 18 and mental health diagnosis assessments for patients under 21. Both chambers of the Arkansas legislature approved the measures last spring without a dissenting vote.

Dr. Lee Johnson, a Republican state representative who sponsored the Arkansas bill, said during the pandemic he came to appreciate that behavioral health services were particularly suited to telehealth. Generally, there is no need for a physical examination or lab work, and it gives greater privacy to patients who may be worried about the stigma of visiting a mental health provider.

“If you’re in a small community or even bigger communities and you have to go to psychologist or psychiatrist, maybe you’re nervous that someone will see you,” said Johnson, an emergency room physician. “This gives you the anonymity of being able to be at home and still accessing those services.”

Congress cleared the way for states by allowing Medicaid and Medicare to pay providers for telehealth services delivered to patients in their homes while also lifting the limited restrictions on where providers could be located. It also extended coverage to different types of telehealth services and providers and to audioonly appointments, which were previously excluded.

Taking advantage of the new rules, Colorado made telehealth services provided by physical therapists, occupational therapists, hospice care workers, home health providers and pediatric behavioral health specialists eligible for Medicaid reimbursement.

The state also specified that home health agency services and therapies, hospice care and pediatric mental health services could be provided over the telephone. However, all the changes are tied to Colorado’s ongoing public health emergency, and it’s unclear whether they will be extended beyond that.

Medicare, the public health plan for older Americans, also loosened many of its telehealth reimbursement rules during the pandemic. The Biden administration announced this summer that Medicare will continue to cover virtual behavioral health services, but that the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid will evaluate other telehealth services before deciding whether to extend coverage beyond 2024.

Proponents of telehealth, including the National Association of Community Health Services, are pushing Congress to make the

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changes permanent.

More than two dozen states also have made permanent some telehealth coverage requirements for private insurers. For example, after the pandemic is over, Arizona, Iowa, Massachusetts and New Hampshire will require private insurers to cover all telehealth services and to reimburse providers at the same rate as in-person services. At least four states—Massachusetts, North Dakota, Vermont and Washington—extended the requirement for private insurers to reimburse for audio-only consultations, though not necessarily permanently.

The state laws on private insurers generally apply only to individual health insurance policies or those to which an employer does not contribute. Employer-funded plans are regulated by the federal government.

Barriers Remain Although patients have embraced telehealth options during the pandemic, that is no guarantee that they will continue to do so once it is over. Kim Schwartz, CEO of the Roanoke Chowan Community Health Center in a rural area of eastern North Carolina, said that at the height of the pandemic, 90% of primary care visits were held virtually. Now, 80% of her patients come for in-person visits, even if it means long drives.

“Culturally, the dynamic of convenience wasn’t as high a value as the in-person relationship,” she said.

Schwartz noted that broadband availability and computer literacy remain barriers. Nevertheless, she said, telehealth must be part of her center’s future because of the advantages it offers in terms of stretching limited staff resources. The challenge, she said, is to increase the comfort level of her patients.

Rural areas aren’t the only ones with barriers to more use of telehealth. Dr. Sachin Shah, an internist and researcher at University of Chicago Medicine, studied the racial disparities in the use of telehealth on the South Side of Chicago during the pandemic. Many of his Black patients live in urban neighborhoods that, as in rural areas, struggle with broadband access, computer literacy and technology availability.

“That leaves a huge, really vulnerable segment of our patient population behind,” Shah said. Many of his older Black patients who do not own smartphones, he said, benefited from temporary changes that made telephone consultations reimbursable.

Policymakers, he said, must consider inequities as they draft telehealth measures.

Despite the barriers and the unique circumstances of the pandemic that brought telehealth to the forefront, many in health care insist the service has proven its value in complementing inperson medical care.

“This wasn’t the result of great planning; it fell into our laps,” said Shah. “But it’s such a great opportunity. I would hate to see us go backwards.”

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The Shrinking Rural Workforce: Jobs Increase, but Number of Workers Declines

by Bill Bishop Reprinted with permission from The Daily Yonder Rural areas have lost workers in the last year, as the workforce in the nation’s nonmetropolitan counties shrank between October 2020 and October of 2021, the most recent month for which county-level data is available.

Metropolitan counties, on the other hand, gained workers between October 2020 and 2021.

Workforce consists of all people working plus all those looking for work. In the last year, that number has declined by 220,000 in rural counties. The workforce in the rest of the nation has increased by

(The Daily Yonder)

nearly 1.3 million.

than the national average of 3.2%. Beige counties are rural

The latest county-level data from the federal Bureau of Labor

places that gained at or above the national average gain

Statistics tells a mixed story about employment in rural America.

Rural counties as a whole continued to gain jobs in the last year.

But they still don’t have as many jobs as they did before the

of 3.2%.

• Light blue areas are metro counties that had job gains below the national average or job losses. Dark blue counties are

beginning of the pandemic. (Rural counties have 520,000 fewer jobs compared to two years before.) But rural America’s job losses over this time period are proportionately the same as the nation as a whole.

Job gains in rural America, however, have slowed. In the year ending this October, the rate of job increase in rural counties was less than a fourth of the national average increase. Nationally, jobs increased by 3.2% in the last year. In rural America, however, jobs increased by just 0.7%.

Only one out of 10 rural counties reported job gains that

urban areas that gained at or above the national average.

You can see on the map how job growth is clustered in and around major cities, such as Austin, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Houston, Portland, Salt Lake City and Denver. Three-quarters of all job gains in the last year were in the nation’s largest cities. Their rate of job growth topped 4% in the last year.

The past year – a time spanning two presidential administrations – has been a jobs bust for most rural counties. Look at all the red on the map. Forty-four percent of all rural counties lost jobs in the last year and only 11% matched the national rate of increase of

matched or exceeded the national average.

And, the rural workforce is declining. There are simply fewer people now in rural America available to work. In two-thirds of rural

3.2%.

What about the decline in workforce? Are working-age people leaving rural counties, retiring or just not looking for work? You

counties, there are fewer workers today than a year ago.

As always, the jobs picture changes from place to place. The

can’t tell from this data. What you can see is that while urban

map above shows the change in jobs from October 2020 to

areas have been building their workforce over the past year, rural

October 2021 in every county:

counties have been losing their supply of potential workers.

• Red counties are rural areas that lost jobs. Orange-colored

This story was originally published in the Daily Yonder. For

counties are rural areas that gained jobs, but at rates lower

more rural reporting and small-town stories visit dailyyonder.com.

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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

THIS SECTION HIGHLIGHTS BRIGHT IDEAS FOR GRANGE PROGRAMMING

Lecturer’s Playbook seeks submissions Have you run a successful program or contest in your Grange?

• Space Required (Zoom, tables

Do you organize an annual event or fundraiser?

and chairs, room set up, etc)

Are you looking for inspiration or ideas to make your Grange’s

• Materials Needed (handouts,

programming and community connections stronger?

PowerPoint, internet, paper,

Ann Bercher, National Grange Lecturer/Program Director is beginning to compile submissions for the “Lecturer’s Programming Playbook,” with simple steps to success that any Grange could

pencils, etc) • Number of Presenters (team players) – people needed to

replicate.

help plan, set up, present,

Bercher is hoping to receive submissions from every state - so look at the examples and get in touch. The goal is to debut this Programming Playbook at the National Grange session in Sparks,

cleanup and/or follow up) “Nothing is too simple or too out-of-the-box to share,” Bercher adds, “The programs from your Granges make you special, and we

Nevada this November.

“I know there are thousands of great ideas and programs

hope to share with everyone!”

happening in Granges across the country,” Bercher says. “Whether it’s a 10-minute program for members of your Grange or a day-long event for your community, your ideas

Playbook Example

are worth sharing!”

Each year, Lecturers and Program Directors across the country are looking for new ways to engage and activate their members and the community.

This Playbook will be a simple guide for Granges to reproduce their own programming.

Your “Playbook” entry should include: • “Play” Topic – contest, game, educational program, fundraiser • Description of the “Play” • Intended Audience • Goals and Objectives • Time required – 10-15 minutes (part of a regular Grange Meeting), 25-45 minutes (a full meeting or workshop), longer (event or fundraising activity)

Playbook Example

Submit your Ideas!

Send your “playbook” with clear directions, pictures and your contact information (in case we want to hear more) to: lecturer@nationalgrange.org as soon as possible!

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Storytelling brings us together

by Ethan Edwards Communications Fellow Lecturer, Illinois State Grange Storytelling has been with us from the beginning of human memory. The ancient cave paintings in France record a particularly important hunt. The documents at the core of the world’s faith texts began as oral stories, crafted to preserve culture.

From our own cribs, we remember the stories our parents told us to educate and entertain.

It is easy to relegate storytelling in our lives as merely a quaint way to entertain within our families and network of friends.

But in doing so we may be missing a powerful way to build bridges in our broader communities and uniquely create a

roots, Parton followed her ambitions and

of Jackbox Games and Unify America.

dreams to take her from rural Tennessee to

Gottlieb is convinced that this possible

enormous success in the world of Country

enhanced connection can play a huge part

Music in Nashville.

in transforming America from a country of

But even more significant than her commercial success is that Parton has

divisive politics to a country of problem solvers.

always come back “home” to share

The goal of Unify America is to help

her wisdom, ideas, and knowledge in

people join together with the awareness

Appalachia but also wherever she appears.

that we mainly desire the same outcomes

That she overcame obstacles to achieve

even though political forces make it

great success is important, but what is

impossible to work together. Unify America

even greater is that she shares that process

created the Unify Challenge, in which

through her songs and her stories to

people from opposing ends of the political

transform others. And through her stories

spectrum work together to complete a

she inspires great works in others.

survey about the vision they have for the

Sirah looks to storytelling as an ideal

future of the country. The exercise helps

vehicle for shaping our understanding of

its participants to understand their political

ourselves, our relationships with others,

opposites as fellow citizens instead of

and our place in the world. Humanity seems

adversaries.

shared vision for creating unity of purpose

to respond fully to a story that is rooted in

in our world that seems so mired in conflict.

people and actions but carries some higher

connections with people with whom we

Certainly, it is a communication style that

purpose. The emotional response to stories

disagree, Gottlieb says the goal of the

might serve us well as we seek to strengthen

can build commitment to an idea that

challenge is to point out all the things that

connections

motivates action far beyond the literal facts

Americans do agree on. Problem solving

of the situation.

and storytelling can reduce the contempt

between

our

community

Granges and our local environments.

In a recent episode of the podcast

Sirah

finds

powerful

imagery

In

addition

to

building

personal

in

we in America feel about those on the

Everywhere Radio, a production of the

comparing storytelling to The Force from

“other” side. Disagreements over politics

Center for Rural Strategies, host Whitney

the Star Wars movies. It can be used for

prevent people from connecting over the

Kimball Coe invited two thought leaders

good or evil, as significant in forging

outcomes in which they are, for the most

to share their ideas about how the radical

nations and shaping identities as well as

part, in agreement.

gift of storytelling can serve to unify

creating propaganda and sowing division.

Both Sirah and Gottlieb are optimistic

communities.

But Sirah views storytelling as inherently

about the opportunity that storytelling

Kiran Singh Sirah is the president of

“good.” There is something important in

creates for connecting across traditional

the International Storytelling Center in

each of us and stories are a way to connect

barriers. It is an approach that leadership

Jonesborough, Tennessee. Sirah believes

that in each of us.

of Community Granges might look to when

storytelling in its many forms—from the

The really powerful result is that sharing

Appalachian tradition of porch-sitting to

stories builds understanding, empathy,

the newer practice of video calls among

and connection with others, even among

strangers from across the country—shapes

strangers and people we may think we do

our

our

not even like. This vital connection, Kiran

To hear more, attend the upcoming

relationship with others, and our place in

said, ties people and groups together,

virtual festival, Rural Assembly Everywhere,

the world.

and is the basis for the political, cultural,

on April 20 and 21, 2022. Both Sirah

and social movements that transform our

and Gottlieb will be participating in

communities.

this event for the curious and critical,

understanding

of

ourselves,

The Storytelling Center is located in the Appalachian Mountains of eastern

striving to reach across barriers within their own communities.

The

full

podcast

is

available

at

dailyyonder.com.

Tennessee, so it is not surprising that Sirah

It is this potential for connection and

geared toward rural allies, neighbors and

speaks of singer-songwriter Dolly Parton as

understanding that drives Coe’s other

admirers. Free registration is available at

one our very best storytellers. From humble

podcast guest, Harry Gottlieb, the founder

ruralassembly.org/everywhere.

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GOOD DAY!™ MAGAZINE www.nationalgrange.org

35

Did you know backyard chickens love music and games? and engaged.

Courtesy of Brandpoint

Need ideas? Try expanding your free-range or run space. Add If you have backyard chickens, you understand that your

ladders, ramps, perches, stumps, scratch pads, swings and even a

feathered friends provide more than just a steady supply of fresh

mirror. Add a pile of hay and watch them scratch and kick it flat. A

eggs. Backyard chickens become part of your family and giving

sheltered dust bath space is like a spa for hens. Anything new or

them the best helps them to thrive. From nutritious food to

unusual will intrigue your chickens, so keep them guessing what’s

enrichment activities like music and games, there’s a lot you can

next.

do to make your hens happy.

“Chickens are talented, productive and wildly entertaining,”

Bonding through music

said Scott Schraufnagel, director at Hen Up Organic Food for

Did you know chickens enjoy music? Whether it’s grooving to

Chickens. “Backyard hens are part of the family and provide

guitar, strutting to salsa or relaxing to reggae, play some outdoor

endless joy. That’s why chicken owners are going above and

music and spend time bonding with your flock. Crank tunes during

beyond to give their hens the best.”

backyard chores or simply play music when enjoying the day with

What can you do to make your hens extra happy? Schraufnagel shares three ideas:

your feathered friends. You may even notice certain hens have music they prefer, adding to their quirky personalities.

To celebrate how much chickens enjoy music, Hen Up presents

Activities and enrichment Chickens are known for their unique, endearing personalities.

They are curious creatures that need mental and physical stimulation to thrive. Just like you would get bored with the same thing day in and day out, they get bored as well. That’s why smart backyard chicken owners will take steps to keep chickens active

Coopstock, the first annual backyard concerts for chickens and their owners. Backyard chicken enthusiasts across the country are hosting these events starting Sept. 12. They will feature live music, themed decorations and much more. Learn about the events and be inspired to cluck out your own jams by following along on Facebook or Instagram.

Food and treats From freshly hatched chicks to egg-layin’ ladies, provide your flock with balanced nutrition including essential vitamins, minerals and amino acids that they need to live their best life. Hen Up makes organic, non-GMO food for chickens from ancient grains, superfoods and other ingredients you’ll recognize.

Food also provides a great opportunity for nutritional enrichment activities. For example, place food in whiffle balls and watch as chickens roll and peck at it to get the delicious tidbits out. You can also sprinkle food in hay or a pile of leaves nontoxic to chickens so they can hunt for treats. Finally, hang a head of cabbage or lettuce from a rope covered in stiff tubing for a fun chicken piñata.

“A little extra effort can make a big difference for backyard chickens,” said Schraufnagel. “They’ll love these activities and you’ll enjoy them, too.”

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4 expert tips to protect yourself from credit scams Courtesy of Brandpoint While credit scams have been around forever, they’ve recently exploded in number. According to Mint, from 2019 to 2020, the number of identity theft reports went up by 113% and the number of reports of identity theft by credit cards increased by 44.6%. The amount of fraud by new credit card accounts saw a 48% increase from 2019.

As more information is digital today, on top of the increase in health and financial stressors, scams designed to access your credit accounts or personal information are on the rise.

Having financial or credit accounts hacked can have long-lasting implications, beyond financial loss and inconvenience.

Here are tips to help protect your credit and personal information.

1. Practice good cyber hygiene Use long, strong passwords unique to each account or website - or use a password manager to help create better passwords and keep track of them. Change the password on your home’s router.

If you’re using the same password for several accounts, or haven’t changed passwords in a while, now’s the time to clean up your digital act.

2. Back up your data Having digital and physical backups for your data protects you from not only losing important information, but also from ransomware attacks - when a hacker freezes or destroys your data unless you pay them in bitcoin. While this is more likely to happen to businesses, it can give you peace of mind to have your data backed up.

Consider both a Cloud backup as well as on a physical hard drive - and/or printing out vital information or documents.

3. Monitor your credit report Keeping an eye on your credit reports alerts you to attempts to steal your identity, such as someone opening an account in your name. You can check any of the major credit reporting companies for free once a year. However, because identity theft is becoming more frequent, you should check your credit score more often.

One tactic is to rotate which company you request a report from, requesting one every few months.

You can also check your credit with VantageScore, which uses credit scoring models that provide lenders and consumers with highly predictive credit scores that are easier to understand and actually score more people. Access yours for free through the providers at VantageScore.com.

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Check your credit reports for: • Credit accounts/debt that isn’t yours.

• Inquiries indicating a company accessed your report without your permission.

• An address where you’ve never lived. This could be a sign someone’s tried to use your identity to open an account.

If you see items like these on your report, contact the credit agency right away. A change to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) in 2018 allows consumers to put a freeze on their credit reports for free, so credit reporting companies will restrict access to your reports, not allowing lenders with whom you do not have an existing relationship to pull them. This can help prevent fraudulent credit applications from being opened. Then you can choose when to “unfreeze” the credit reports and put them back into circulation.

4. Be alert to common scams You may receive an email saying one of your credit accounts has been blocked or suspended. It may look like an email from a legit company. Never click links within the email, as they may take you to a fake website (that looks real). Instead, access your account from the website you always use to see if there’s a problem. Contact the company directly, not through the email. Most likely it’s a phishing attempt to get your personal login or financial information.

Scammers may take advantage of current crises, claiming to be COVID-19 contact tracers, or referring to government stimulus checks. Never give personal or financial information like your birthdate or Social Security number over the phone or via email. Other common scams involve taxes or unemployment compensation.

View any email or text asking for information or to reply with an account login or other personal information as suspect, and contact the supposed sender directly.

Learn more about tips and credit strategies at VantageScore.com.

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37

Support Small Business 6 ways to help businesses in your community thrive Courtesy of Family Features Small business owners faced the challenges of the past couple of years head-on. Nearly all re-evaluated their operations to accommodate new ways of doing business amid changing safety standards and local protocols, and many plan to make these changes permanent.

Over the past year, pandemic-related operational challenges, combined with a surge in physical and verbal attacks, have been uniquely difficult for a group of small business owners.

Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) businesses comprise nearly 10% of small businesses in the United States.

Among them, 92% faced difficulties keeping their businesses open and operating amid the pandemic, according to Bank of America’s 2021 AAPI Business Owner Spotlight.

“While almost all AAPI entrepreneurs said the pandemic created additional stress around running their businesses, they remain determined and resilient,” said

Carol Lee Mitchell, head of small business strategy at Bank of America. “Even as they faced immense obstacles, AAPI business owners took steps to move their businesses and communities forward.”

Local companies, including AAPI businesses, have proven to be fundamental to strong, healthy economies and inclusive communities. These entrepreneurs remain solution-oriented, quickly adopting new tools and strategies; however, they require support from customers and community members to thrive.

Consider these ways you can support small businesses, including AAPI owners and the community at-large, from the experts at Bank of America: Choose to Shop Local and Small Small businesses are ingrained in many local communities. When you choose to purchase from a small business, you’re directly supporting neighbors, friends and the people in your community. This support

Gift Local Keep the impact that your support could have on local community businesses in mind when shopping for gifts, whether they’re for loved ones near or far. For locals, a gift card to a nearby eatery or business such as a spa, salon or recreation center makes for a welcome gift that keeps your money local. When gifting those who live farther away, you can still benefit small businesses in your community by purchasing a thoughtful gift and packaging locally then shipping it with the help of a business in your area.

Help Spread the Word Small businesses don’t usually have the means to invest in big marketing programs, so referrals and word of mouth can make a major difference. However, in today’s world, a great deal of consumer research happens online. That means you can be most helpful by taking your stories of great service and quality products to the internet, too. Seek out your favorite small businesses and write reviews on their social media channels. Take it a step further and give them a shoutout (with tags, if possible) on your own social media accounts where your friends and family are more likely to notice.

Help Fill Open Positions The job market has shifted noticeably over the past year, and local businesses have been struggling to find the talent they need to continue to serve their communities. Small business owners

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

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isn’t taken for granted by entrepreneurs; more than half of AAPI small business owners noted the importance of community support amid the pandemic. Also consider leaving a generous tip when you receive exceptional service - it can make a big difference for small business staff.

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recognize this and are shifting benefits for their employees, allowing for more flexible schedules and additional paid time off.

Since these business owners are looking for employees to help fill some of the uptick in demand, you can help by tapping into your own network and recommending people for different positions you see, whether it be through “Help Wanted” signs or based on the needs you hear from the businesses you patronize.

Be Mindful of Business Challenges Finding a work-life balance can be difficult for small business owners even in non-pandemic times because they wear so many hats within their businesses, from CEO and salesperson to human resources and everything in between.

Business owners were more conscious of their mental health over the past year, as nearly all AAPI business owners acknowledged additional stress and more than half set aside specific time for selfcare and mental wellness.

As a consumer, it’s important to be mindful of the fact that business owners are both short-staffed and dealing with supply chain issues. Take an understanding approach and work with local businesses to make sure they know they are supported by their community.

Check In on What’s New Just as you’ve changed your consumer habits and needs, small businesses have adapted in dozens of ways. That could mean you

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Photo courtesy of Getty Images have access to new services or options you never considered. For example, your favorite yoga studio may offer streaming classes or a favorite breakfast cafe you haven’t visited in a while might have an all-new menu. Take time to stop in and learn how your favorite businesses are changing with the times and see how those changes may suit your needs.

Look for additional resources designed for small businesses at bankofamerica.com/smallbusiness.

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5 ways to celebrate and support honey bees Courtesy of Brandpoint Did you know honey bees are responsible for over 35% of the foods you eat, as well as the honey you enjoy? Honey bees are vital to the health of the planet and to the food chain, as they are necessary for pollinating more than 90 food crops including fruits, vegetables and nuts - plus alfalfa, which is used as feed for the livestock that supply our meat and dairy.

There are many ways you can enjoy the fruits of the honey bees’ labor, while also helping to support their habitats and ensuring they’ll be around for generations to come. The National Honey Board has partnered with registered dietitian Maggie Michalczyk, RDN, to bring you her favorite planet-friendly tips and ideas.

“Honey is one of my go-to staples because of its pure qualities and positive impact on crucial pollinators,” said Michalczyk. “I like to recommend honey to my clients who want wholesome ingredients they can feel good about consuming, without having to compromise taste - as honey is a flavorful addition to a variety of foods and beverages.”

Here are Michalczyk’s tips for enjoying and celebrating the hardworking pollinator.

1. Celebrate pollinator foods Honey bees pollinate plants and trees in all 50 U.S. states, and are needed to pollinate over 90 crops. So the next time you are enjoying apples, avocados, cherries, almonds or sunflower seeds, you can celebrate the fact that all of these foods are made possible by hardworking honey bees.

2. Sweat for bees Movement is key to a balanced life. Skip the pesticides in your yard and pull weeds by hand instead. Then make sure to plant bee-friendly flowers and flowering herbs in your garden and yard.

Get the whole family involved and let kids know which flowers are good for bees, so they’ll know to get excited when they see bees around in the future.

3. Expand your produce palate Pollinators, including honey bees, are responsible for 1 in every 3 bites of food that everyone eats, including many fruits

Honey Apple Flatbread

Ingredients 1 tablespoon honey 1/4 cup mascarpone or cream cheese, softened 1 whole-wheat flatbread, pre-cooked 1 Honeycrisp apple (or any other favorite apple variety), thinly sliced 1/4 cup pecan pieces 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds 2 teaspoons cinnamon Directions Mix honey together with mascarpone or cream cheese until combined.

Spread a thin layer of the cheese-honey mixture on flatbread and top with apple slices, pecan pieces, pumpkin seeds and cinnamon - plus an extra drizzle of honey, if desired.

Makes 1 serving.

Visit Honey.com to learn more about honey and honey bees.

Photo courtesy of Maggie Michalczyk, RDN

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and vegetables. Eating a wide variety of produce plays a role in enhancing the diversity of your gut microbiome, which has been reported to be good for your overall health.

4. Work in daily natural energy boosters Consider a mid-afternoon break with a cup of tea sweetened with honey. Green and black tea both contain beneficial antioxidants, and honey is a 100% pure and natural energy booster.

5. Make it Mediterranean Take a page from the popular Mediterranean diet and fill your plate with whole grains, lean proteins like fish, unsaturated fats, fruits and veggies - and use honey whenever possible. Honey is traditionally part of the Mediterranean-Style Dietary Pattern, as recognized in the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Next, try Michalczyk’s tasty recipe, which features honey and other foods that have been produced by the work of honey bees:

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PROTECT YOURSELF FROM ILLEGAL ROBOCALLS America’s broadband providers are committed to protecting consumers from illegal robocalls.

While there is no easy solution to combatting illegal robocalls, there are clear tips you can follow:

PROTECT YOURSELF • Rely on call blocking or labeling services offered by your phone provider, some of which may be included by default • Remember legitimate government agencies will always contact you in writing • Don’t provide personal information in response to a robocall

56 MILLION Americans lost nearly $19.7 BILLION from phone scams in 2020* USTelecom members work

TAKE ACTION • Register your number with the National Do Not Call Registry at www.donotcall.gov • Contact the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline at 877-908-3360 • File a complaint with the FCC at 1-888-CALL-FCC or FTC at 1-877-FTC-HELP

with industry and government stakeholders to ensure aggressive civil and criminal enforcement against illegal robocallers and provide call-blocking solutions to consumers.

CHECK OUT USTELECOM’S RESOURCES for more tools to protect yourself from unwanted calls: www.ustelecom.org/protecting-yourself-from-illegal-robocalls * Source: https://www.comparitech.com/blog/information-security/phone-spam-statistics/

GRANGE ADVOCACY ADVERTORIAL

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Telethon set for a party After last year’s success in raising over $20,000 for the National Grange Junior and Youth Departments, the Grange Foundation

Granges, individuals and corporations, as seen on the opposite page.

is set to party again with the 2022 Virtual Telethon. This year, a

“We would be grateful for your support,” Wilkins says,

“fiesta” is set for July 9, with National Junior Grange Director

“each donation goes directly to bolstering the work done by our

Samantha Wilkins and National Grange Youth and Young Adults

departments, ensuring a strong future for the Grange at all levels.”

Director Mandy Bostwick at the helm of the 8-hour long event.

“Come prepared to party,” Wilkins says, “We are going to have a lot of fun with the ‘fiesta’ theme, as we raise much-needed funds to support the Junior and Youth activities at the National Grange level.”

Bostwick encourages Grange members and supporters to make their donations early, but to not miss out on the live event.

Funds raised from sponsorships and through the live telethon will go toward scholarship opportunities, program development, opportunities for training in leadership, legislation, and more.

Mark your calendars now for this year’s telethon, which will be broadcast live on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.

“You won’t want to miss it,” Bostwick adds.

“We are excited to show off the incredible work that is being done

This year’s telethon goal is again $20,000, which will be

by Junior Grange and Youth members across the country. From

split evenly between the Youth and Junior Funds at the Grange

talent to testimonials to interviews with National Grange officers

Foundation.

who have gone through the programs, we are going to have a

be tax-deductible. Please consult your tax advisor about your

jam-packed day.”

The Grange Foundation is seeking sponsorships from local

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Grange Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, donations may

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donations.

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Honoring THE BUILDERS OF OUR

MEMBERSHIP ANNIVERSARIES

L egacy

®

80 YEARS CONTINUOUS MEMBERSHIP Pennsylvania • Harold George McDowell, London Grange #1492

75 YEARS CONTINUOUS MEMBERSHIP Michigan •

• • • • •

Darlene Miles, Hudson #457 Diane A. Miller, John F. Hill #393 Margaret A. Morse, John F. Hill #393 Albert Willette, Hudson #457 Brenda Willette, Hudson #450

Maryland • Anna F. Bowers, Wacohu #415 • Wendell Zentz, Thurmont #409

Carl Eaton, Burr Oak #1350

New York • Elizabeth Burcroff, Newark #366

New York • Bradford Datthyn, Newark #366 • Laurinda Gearing, East Chatham #1066 • Gary R. Green, Cuba #799 • Clara G. McGinnis, Cuba #799 • Robert B. Payne, Ravena #1457 • David Petri, Hinman Hollow #1331 • Joseph M. Powerrs, Hinman Hollow #1331

New Hampshire • Roberta Roberts, Wingold #308 • Richard Stevens, Wingold #308 Ohio • Sarah Jane Gregory, Nebraska #64 • Edward Rowles, Pleasant #1615 Rhode Island • Marjorie Casbarro, Chepachet #38

Ohio • Larry Kienzle, Ewing #2082 • Kathryn Kight, Nebraska #64

New Jersey • Robert I. Frey, Stewartsville #121

50 YEARS CONTINUOUS MEMBERSHIP Delaware • James Turner, Reliance #58 Illinois • Lana Korte, Floraville #1918 • Anita Hoyer, Pikes Peak #163 • Shirley Porter, Emerald Mound #1813 • Theresa Siegel, Emerald Mound #1813 • Vicki Wildy, Progress #1811 Massachusetts • Albert Grunner, Norfolk #135 • Michael Otocki, South Middleborough #337 • Cheryl Walls, North Scarboro #495 • Paul Wieliczki, South Middleborough #337 • Helen Young, South Middleborough #337 Maine • Sylvia Crossman, Hudson #458 • Stephen Jesse Orach, White Rock #380

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50 YEARS CONTINUOUS MEMBERSHIP (CONT’D)

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Oregon • Geraldine Butler, Long Tom #866 • Elva Davis, Riversdale #731 • Darlene Haley, Irving #377 • Harvey Haley, Irving #377 • Dale Moffett, Long Tom #866 • Kelly Moffett, Long Tom #866 • Terri Moffett, Long Tom #866 • Karen Redhead, Triangle #533 • Emily Russell, Goshen #561 Pennsylvania • Perry Spencer, Watson #1068 • Carrie Jo Steese, London #1492 Washington • Douglas Benn, McLane #383 • Tom Judkins, Stemilt Hill #1095 • Mike Kayser, Sunnyside #129 • Alice Layton, Stemilt Hill #1095 • Ronald Silva, McLane #383

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Welcome New Members TO THE Grange Family Addy #603 (WA) • Nancy Anderson • Alyssa Arrell • Austin Armstrong • Marcelo Armstrong • Susan Armstrong Boles • Myron Boles • Lisa Button • Drew Chorlton • Joe Cladwell • David Dunn • Hanna Dunn • Madeline Dunn • David Gawel • April Hanson • Taya Heine • Lance Jabaay • Heidi Jackson • Tierra Kaiser • Megan Kutchman • Robert Kutchman • Brooks Love • Raven Lutz • Matthew Murray • Emma Newby • Justyce Paladin • Bree Paxton • Kayla Paxton • Mark Paxton • Denyse Rich-Paxton • Greg Rhodes • Karen Rhodes • Vicki Sopko • Abigail Syjut • Pat Thompson • Samantha Thompson • Martha Wilson Altona #127 (CO) • Bob Cannistrard • Alden Fidao • Amber Ivey • Cindy Monnet • Paula Rubin Animas Valley #194 (C) • Grace Marilyn Baker • Chirstie Chilton • Thom Chilton Azaleoa #786 (WA) • Debbie Lopez-Stitt • Tamara Peterson • Bob Phillips • Rodney T Stitt • Margo Waltz • Shane Waltz Balmville #982 (NY) • Tyler Hartman • Meghan Hartman • Jose Vargas • Dolores Vargas Barlow Gate #157 (OR) • Margaret Davis

Barnard #689 (MI) • Karen Wolletz Beaver Valley #1791 (IL) • Bradley Goebel • Miranda Klein • Alyssa Prince Bellgrove #369 (ID) • Joe Bjerke • Joy Bjerke • Gabriel Boeher • Mandy Boeher • Chris Deboise • Amanda Gardner • Michael Lasneski • Kimberly Lasneski • Ken Pool • Jana Pool • Jan Shano • Jody Shano • John Sneed • Debby Sneed • Ben Toews • Christani Toews • Christian Toews • Elisha Toews • Sadira Toews • Temple Toews • Truett Toews • Angela Tucker • Annalie Young • Jedidiah Young • Josh Young • Merrie Young • Toby Young • Tucker Young • Angela Wiese • Christopher Wiese • Jonathan Wiese • Michael Wiese

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Broadway #647 (WA) • Linda Galloway • Andrew Granitto • Peggy Granitto

Bryant #791 (WA) • Heather Carlson • Laurie Johnson • Jeremy Walker Burbank #630 (WA) • Terri Haswell • Wade Haswell • Marzjon Loper Burgettstown #1502 (PA) • Brian Berdine • William Johnston • Dan Lueck • Brandon Maltony • David Sepesy • Amy Stacy • Dan Steele • Tom Ulrich Burns #160 (MI) • Fran Longsdorf

Bethlehem #137 (NY) • Josephine Z. Culkin • Brian W. McClatchie

Blanchard #440 (ID) • Bob Abston • Sue Abston • Barbara Blanchard • Cynthia Blanchard • Gina Blanchard • John Blanchard • Joe Huggler • Shawna Huggler • Jack Lundberg • Seelie Lunberg

Pat Mahoney Bob Niehaus Linda Niehaus Asia Williams Brian Williams

Brownsmead #822 (OR) • Richard Anderson • Cathy Carpenter • Wallace Carpenter • James Dott • Ed Johnson • Dirk Rhone

Bellview #759 (OR) • Barbara Broadbent • Patty Morris

Big Knob #2008 (PA) • Missy Clark • Judith Dotson • Joanie Lapic • Cheryl Reader

• • • • •

Burr Oak #1350 (MI) • Brian Rowe Butternut Valley #1533 (NY) • Kendra Campbell • Sam Corcoran • Regina Rinaldi • Brady Rogers California #941 (PA) • Carol Bieber • William Bieber Camas Valley #842 (WA) • Bonnie Corbin Camden #687 (WA) • Chris Bennett • Lee Bennett • Denise Brannon • Cynthia Bronkhorst • Randy Bronkhorst • Steve Byers • Dawn Carson • Chad Chamberlin • Laureen Chamberlin • Pat Clouse

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• • • • • • •

Kevin Fissori Mary Fissori Steven Peterson James Powers Amanda Wakefield Luke Wetzler Joan Williams

Capital #18 (DE) • Kelly Metz Capron #1901 (IL) • Nanette Heshelman • Lexie Jacobs • Peggy Pierce • Richard Pierce • Hunter Walter Cedar #534 (WA) • Morrine Carlson • Nance Cramer Cedar Valley #306 (WA) • Joann Becker • Kelly Britz • Sherry Maupin Centerville #81 (WA) • Courtney Crawford • Derek Greenwood • Jack Lee • Rick Ready • Sheralyn Ready Central #360 (OR) • Daniel Wirtala Chester Valley #1496 (PA) • Daniel Ramsey Chetco #765 (OR) • Debbie Farrell • Gail Farrell Chimacum #681 (WA) • Myrium LeFerrand Clarkes #261 (OR) • David Junkman Clarkston Heights #982 (WA) • Dave Ellsworth Coburg West Point #535 (OR) • Susan Bartlett • Joan Conlan Columbia #267 (OR) • John Chamberlin • Jan Corwin • Chris Davis • John Deer • Tina Deer • Jasper Edwards • Ruby Edwards • Leah Fredericks • Zach Fredericks • Sheron Fruehauf • Patrick Gaynor • Tatyana Janson

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NEW MEMBERS (CONT’D) • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Barbara Liles Anja Middel-Zick Isabella Middel-Zick Ellen Modnick James Morgan Liam Moyer Marianne Moyer Shawn Moyer Stephanie Ngstrom Sara Nuston John Paananen Christine Pailthrop Emily Pelletier Jennifer Pratt Ann Sanchez Fred Sanchez Diane Stief Karen Welch Shawna Wells Michael Wetter Bruce Zick

County Line #1751 (IL) • Barb Anderson • Paul Anderson • Jacki Cappi • Allen Cosman • Kathy Cosman • Bill Loy • Judy Olson • Mike Robin • Cathy Zei Crescent #1123 (WA) • Anne Higdon Creswell #496 (OR) • Laurenda Linder Cuba #799 (NY) • Kaitlyn Davis Davis Lake #501 (WA) • Theresa Alberti • Breanna Allen • Jennifer Andeberg • Nickales Bezanson • Bill Brownson • Victorene Cahill • John Paul Driver • Monica Drymon • Aaron Gunderson • Nancy Gunders • Shawna Hulet • Beverly Ives

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

East Madison #228 (ME) • Jon Doty • Kate Hunter • Evan Lebrun

Edward P. Kiss Sandra L. Kiss Monica Latimer Rick Latimer Elizabeth Merry Mike Merry Eric Nixon Leah Reisenauer Dana Rivera Elisa Rutt Tracy D. Rutt Sandra Scott Steven Scott Christy A. Smith Derek Smith Don Smith Gail Smith Honey Smith Jean Wakely Becky Walrath

East Spokane #148 (WA) • Eric Allen • Sylvia Gobel East Wenatchee #1012 (WA) • Jose Lopez Elizabethtown #2076 (PA) • Dixie Kaley Elmira #523 (OR) • Nancy Anderson • Marianne Wood Emerald Mound #1813 (IL) • Tom McCaw

Dawson #419 (PA) • Douglas Gardner Deer Lagoon #846 (WA) • David Backman • Tatti Cheek • Patrick Clark • Ken Evans • Linda Gill • Tony Gill • Dennis Headley • Leah Headley • Deborah Hoard • Matthew Kirkconnell • Sarah Kirkconnell • Mary June Olson • Marilyn Peterson • Emily Uhl • Paul Uhl • Dan Wilson • Jodi Wilson Dry Creek #646 (WA) • Marsha Robin Eagle #1 (PA) • J. Glenn Pauling • Tammy Rupert • Jerry Walls • Daun Williamson Eagle Point #664 (OR) • Ashley Jenden • Melissa Shreeve

Enterprise #784 (WA) • Chris Buchanan • Arlie Emerson • Donna Johnson • Linda Larson Evening Star #183 (ME) • Chris Collins • Sarah Collins • Steph Grant • Zedariah Yaw Ewing #2082 (WA) • Jenniver Cox • Catherine Mustard • William Wilson Fairdale #1157 (PA) • Kimberly Mosier • Karley Traver Fairmount #252 (OR) • Kaden Wilsey Fairview #1351 (PA) • Hannah D’Egidio • Isabella Narad • Ravyn Narad Fertile Valley #1094 (WA) • Tyson Weiland Fleetwood #1839 (PA) • Kaitlynne Burkey • Scott Graff • Kayla Rohrbach • Owen Schlegel

Flora #1763 (IL) • Sherri Cosman • Lilly Fidder • Barb Lee • Mike Lee • Skyler Melillo • Dona Nichols • Mallory Pannell • Marilyn Ryan • Max Ryan • TJ Ryan • Jim Schult Floraville Community #1918 (IL) • Julie Downs Florida #306 (CO) • Jill Tierney Fay Fords Prairie #33 (WA) • Ricardo “Rico” Barrientes • Clyde Berry • Megan Berry • Susannah Berry • Carol Johnstone • Donna Moody • Judy Stratton Forest #853 (PA) • Tiffany Bachman Forest #153 (WA) • Sadie Burdick • Sarah Burdick • Ronda Pogorelc Fort Union #953 (OR) • Michael McKaig Fruitdale #379 (OR) • Diane Lewis • Terrell Lewis Ginger Hill #1549 (PA) • Brooke Dolena • Keith Dolena • Jamie Kray • Melanie Limerick • Timothy Limerick • Carol Provan Goldson #868 (OR) • James Peck • Sarah Peters Gonzales • Irving Rowell • Sandra Rowell

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! by emailing Philip Vonada at pvonada@nationalgrange.org or by calling (814) 404-7985. ®

46

NEXT ISSUE DEADLINE: MAY 1

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GOOD DAY!™ MAGAZINE www.nationalgrange.org

NEW MEMBERS (CONT’D) Goshen #121 (PA) • Gail Evangelista • Michelle Klales Granville #857 (WA) • Mark Liechty • Robbie Liechty • Brena Lunda • Flor Mendez Grays River #124 (WA) • Rosalinde Willson Green Bluff #300 (WA) • Ann Dotson • Trent Dotson • Cheri Scandals Greenwood Park #590 (WA) • Ethan Atwood Gertsch • Elizabeth Gertsch • Jamie Gertsch • Iola Marie Nandsema Guilford Hope #6 (IL) • Jerry Hart • Karen Hart • Beverly Smith Halfmoon #290 (PA) • Keith Reese Hamburg #2103 (PA) • Lisa Marie Johnson • Avery Tworkoski Harmony #12 (DE) • Allen Fongemie • Ellen Fongemie • Courtney R Foskey • Janet Rznewnicki Harmony #1201 (PA) • Terry Goss Harveys-Aleppo #1444 (PA) • Joseph Kinney Hickory #1285 (PA) • Gilbert Barker • Amber Bundy • Bradley Calliari • Austin Fairman • Landon Fairman • Lesley Fairman • Rod Fairman • Bev Hudsick • John Kramer • Richard Martin • Brianna Palumbo Hillcrest #1674 (PA) • Patricia Paul Hookstown #1980 (PA) • Zachary Bizzarri • Rachael Daniels • Justin Malcomb • Kathleen Maynard • Calvin McConnell • Julia Parison Hoosick #1127 (NY) • Alexa Babbit

Hope #269 (OR) • Kriysta Hart • Cheyenne Jones • Naomi Shadwick Hope #155 (WA) • Andrea Dixon Hurricane Creek #608 (OR) • Celilo Brun • Chris Brun • Susan Brun • Marge Cilker • Lisa Murphy Illinois Valley #370 (OR) • Christina Arrenquin • Melanie Hope Moulton Irving #377 (OR) • April Mills • Dustin Stacy (Junior) Jasper #532 (OR) • Bert Dunn Jefferson #1373 (PA) • Ashley Bieski • Marie Bildheiser • Valerie Bildheiser • Vanessa Bildheiser • William Bildheiser, Jr. • Danielle Boris • Karl Brobst • Natalia Brobst • Rachel Brobst • Stanley Brozana • Darlene Bruckey • Amy Burke • Hannah Burke • Cole Cannon • Stacey Curran • Connor Czarick • Brach Gibbons • Nancy Hawk • Jerry Heim • David Jenkins • Kay Jones • Liz Kattner • Carol Kohser • Abigail Konkus • Victoria Knokus • Angela Mack • Barbara Malewski • Mykal McCulloch • Natalie McCulloch • Lindsay Cohan Pellazar • Seth Pellazar • Barb Peters • Briana Prince • Sally Pryor • Karen Slee • Sharon Thomas • Dawna Toth • Barbara Weller • Reed Williams • Michelle Zimmerman Kendrew #891 (NY) • Karen Moon

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Kettle River #1120 (WA) • Kevin Chase • Cynthia Curtis • Elizabeth Fowler • Amanda LaDue • Mike LaDue • Kevin Mustard • Ashley Pratt

• •

Keystone #2 (PA) • Lisa Minardi

Long Beach #668 (WA) • Jenna Austin-Nesbett • Teresa Dolan • Peggy Mills • Connie Owens • Sue Swendsen

Kimmerlings #1529 (PA) • William Baker Kinton #562 (OR) • Bonnie Kraxberger Lake Creek #697 (OR) • Lucas Cada • Hunter Caputo • Julie Caputo • Maxwell Carr • Megan Carr • Chris Cooper • Cindy Cooper • Lori Dutton • Carston Haney • Maude Haney Lake Hubert #735 (MN) • Tracy Princivalli • Brent Shepherd • Scott Young Lakeside #63 (ME) • Stephen Seames Lambert #439 (CO) • Osha Foster • Kit Masarachia Lamson #588 (NY) • Donald Hamilton • Roberta Hamilton LeRoy Community #1873 (IL) • James Ames • Jeremy Doetch • Julie Goeddke • Rob Goeddke • Scott Yunk Liberty #613 (OR) • Stormy Burns • Vicki Hannigan • David Kuhlman • Trina Rice Limerick #1917 (OH) • Bill Carrney Lincoln Creek #407 (WA) • Fred Baker • Sandra Baker Lisbon #1568 (OH) • Terri Bower • Cathy Trenchard • James Trenchard Little Deschutes #939 (OR) • Karen Crocker • Philip Crocker • Ethel Dumon

GOOD DAY!™ MAGAZINE www.nationalgrange.org

Sandy Hager Linda E Johnston

Logan #109 (PA) • Brent Hales Log Cabin Unity #2110 (PA) • Christopher Perseghetti • Rose Vogan

Lookingglass #927 (OR) • Amber Czubaszewski • Linda Czubaszewski Lowell #745 (OR) • Cabot Clark • Donna Clark • Jean Robinson Lummi Island #925 (WA) • Mary Barnes • Dawn Deitrich • Erin Deinzer • Erika Eichelberger • Claudia Eiler • Pamela Einhauser • Sharon Grainger • Schott Josiah • Jane Place • Victor Place • Didi Wilson • Martin Wilson Lyme #147 (CT) • Elizabeth Morgan • John Stratton Macleay #293 (OR) • Andrew Merrick Madison #2064 (PA) • Nichole Burns Manor #1101 (WA) • Lucia Martin Francisco • Amarra Neal • Elora Neal • Melanie Neal • Selena Neal Manson #796 (WA) • Bill Cagle • Jackie Cagle • Theresa Carleton • Kit Casaday • Sally Coleman • Kristine Sixel • Christine Olsen • Travis Schoenwald • Cindy Sneesby Mapleton #584 (OR) • Kathy Hale Marion #223 (PA) • Helen Rogers-Koon

47

NEW MEMBERS (CONT’D) Marion #276 (WA) • John-Charles B. Carr Marvel #379 (CO) • Donna Emenegger Mary’s River #685 (OR) • Lindsey Almarde • Barbara Carter • Kiko Denzer • Forrest Lasswell (Junior) • Jade Lasswell (Junior) • Pat Lasswell • Tany Lasswell • Patrick Mahoney • Rose Mahoney • Christopher Mullin • Alice Neely (Junior) • Judy Neely (Junior) • Kasey Rios (Junior) • Charlotte Storch (Junior) • Levi Storch • Amanda Terry • Michael Terry McMinnville #31 (OR) • Clara Abrams • Mary Achee • Linda Brown • Elizebeth Crowell • Joann Dolan • Paul Dolan • Stephenie Doughly • Paul Dubrovsky • Michael Harkema • Terisa Hibdon • Jennifer Kurtz • Steve Manners • Brooke Meyer • Tom Murphy • Paula Nelson • Lloyd Wayne Odom • Cassandra Price • Paul Price • Shelly Rector • Tom Rector • Marmie Schock • Norm Smith • Marsha Snook • Clyde Worsham • Lucille Worsham • Charles Worthington Mica Flats #436 (ID) • Carrie Kinsie • Doug Kinsie • Ashley Matue • Robert Matue • Bob Norris • Susan Norris Middletown #684 (PA) • Craig Bollinger • Charlie Bollinger • Sheila Bollinger • Anna Diianni • Gary Dunbar • Joseph Kelter • Saskia Kelter • Zev Kelter • Zoe Kelter

48

• • • • • • • • • • •

Beth Maurer Kate Maurer Gracie Smith Luke Smith Adrienne Vance Isabella Vance Steve Vance Frances Weisser James Wertman Mason Wertman Stacy Wertman

Mohawk-Mckenzie #747 (OR) • Alissa Jenkins • Ann Marie Jenkins • Josh Jenkins • Mayumi Jenkins

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Molalla #310 (OR) • Tobbi Countryman

Mountain View #98 (WA) • Trina Riemersma

Morning Star #311 (OR) • Bethanie Gambardella • Nicholas Gamrardella • Josephine E Liebrant

Mount Lookout #339 (CO) • Nick Lawerence • Alice Pierson • Carrie Summer Baike

Moscow #452 (ID) • Jill Brown • Keira Hammons

Multnomah #71 (OR) • Bill Baker • Marlene Hawes • Stephen Smithsted • Mitch Williams

Milton #670 (WI) • Jim Barney • Daniel Ingram • Jennifer North Herden • Jonathan North Herden • Kaitlyn North Herden • Levi North Herden (Junior) • Cade Pasold • Austin Vine Milwaukie #268 (OR) • John Goff Mohawk Valley #922 (OR) • Paul Connell

Moses Lake #1151 (WA) • Jeremy Roy • Trudie Roy Mountain Home #285 (ID) • Cody Anderson • Kris Anderson • Peter Beebe • Treva Beebe • Chris Bingle • Lana Bingle • Sarah Bingle • Kristin Blevins • Mike Boller • Brady Dial • Kevin Dial • Tara Dial • Wade Dial • Katie Klaze • Kellie Glaze • Ron Glaze • Lori Hanna • Juli Hoidal • Robert Kramer • Sally Kramer • Chris Largent • Gary Largent

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Lois Largent Nancy Largent Nicole Largent Terry Largent Jodi Larrabee Marc Larrabee James Magallon Jennifer Magallon Trey Magallon Jack Merrill Jenna Mitchell Matt Mitchell Sharon Montgomery Chris Nichols Ron Nichols Janie Nirk Paula Nygaard Aspen Palmer Jason Palmer Tiffany Palmer Jerry Rohn John Rohn Judi Rohn Karen Rohn Melissa Smith Chris Strong Carolyn Strong Gary Strong Tena Tucker Brenda Udy Dan Udy

Nampa Valley #131 (ID) • Caryn Herrman • Marianne Hopper • Ron Hopper New Bridge #789 (OR) • Frank McCleary • Aline Murry North Barton #45 (CT) • Sandra Fiske Oceana Center #1047 (MI) • Amy Kroon • John Kroon • Nathan Kroon • Theresa Kroon Ocean View #463 (ME) • Ryan Aponte • Susan Murphy Olalla #1125 (WA) • Donald J. Clark • Joanne K. Clark • Debra Marion • Linnea Nash

GOOD DAY!™ MAGAZINE www.nationalgrange.org

• • • • • •

Bob Olson Greg Sandstrom John Shobe Mark Svendson Julie Tappero Michael Woodford

Oliver #1069 (PA) • Bryce Danko • Riley Danko • James Fuller • Jare Fuller • Jenna Fuller • Jenny Fuller • Julie Fuller • Justin Fuller Olivesburg #2541 (OH) • Broderick Nusbaum Oroville #985 (WA) • Stephanie Brand • Heather Burnell • Pati Burns • Amy Wise Painter Creek #1932 (OH) • Jamie Bohm • Kyle Bohm Paradise Valley #389 (ID) • Jamie Barton • Pam Barton • Scott Bourassa • Teresa Cartwright • Amy Fess • Harry Hauck • Debbie Higgins • Megan Johnson • Dean Kerr • Kevin McDaniel • Robin Merrifield • Pamela Moe • Cheryl Myers • Dean Neumeyer • Holly Neumeyer • Ashlyn Perez • Edward Perez • Dina Philbrook • Matt Philbrook • Sheila Pruitt • LaRae Rice • Marty Rice • Bobbie Riddle • Rene Riddle • May Ritz • Don Stolley • Gina Stolley • Dale Wanamaker • Rosanne Wanamaker • David Wenk • Donielle Wenk • Elizabeth Wood • Herbert Wood Parkdale #500 (OR) • Larry Schwartz Parkman #305 (ME) • Tricia Elderkin • Karen Kimball • Kirk Kimball

NEW MEMBERS (CONT’D) Phoenix #779 (OR) • James (Jim) Chase • Stephanie Danyi • Tommy Larson • Atticus Ryan • Bleu Ryan • Pamela Ryan • Esme Sparks (Junior) • Jason Sparks • Kaleb Sparks (Junior) Pierstown #793 (CT) • Amy Zoltick Pine Forest #632 (OR) • Renee Bell-Romen • Ron Bell-Romen Pine Valley #815 (OR) • Clay Walker • Veda Walker Pioneer #1777 (PA) • Kaye Sward Pittsfield Union #882 (MI) • Janet Gerson • Janice Jenkins Pleasant Grove #475 (OR) • Cindi Davis Pleasant Valley #348 (OR) • Roxanne Stang Pleasant View #1459 (KS) • Linnea Gattshall • Audrey Trowbridge • Sarah VanHouse Plumsteadville #1738 (PA) • David Magolis Portneuf #299 (ID) • Mia Jane Detton • Mark Detton • Karen Holston Prairie #1832 (IL) • Donald Davis • Dawn Geist • Justin Irwin • Leasha Johnson • Ryan Johnson • Nancy Linder • Crystalyn Mays • Josh Mendez • Maria Mendez • Bonnie Miley • Rick Peters Putnam Valley #841 (NY) • Ximena Chaux-Ospina • Leigh Heyward • Terry Raskin • Gerard H. Zoehfeld Quimper #720 (WA) • Phillip Burwell • Gigi Callaizaris • Steve Moore • Susan Stone • Carol Voorhies

Quincy #321 (OR) • Nancy Lazott Ramsey Park #352 (OR) • Rayana Hurt • Jeffery Lepinski Rathdrum #351 (ID) • Patricia Fleming

Indra Nicholas Jerry Painter Kathleen Patton Chris Pilger Joseph Rice Paul Schaafsma James Siano Jim Thorpe

Rickreall #671 (OR) • Peter McGraw • Al Perez

Redding #15 (CT) • Leslie Barewin • Andy Bay • Phoebe Burr • Susan Clark • Bill Hill • Elinor Carmody • Tegan Conlon • Melanie Glueck • Margo Gross • Lincoln Hall • Cody Jacobs • Elizabeth Jensen • Sandi Martin • Linda Mitchell • Mike Mitchell • Amy Morris • Henry Morris • Karl Morris • Scott Morris • William Morris • Julia Pemberton • Howard Schloss • Laura Selleck • Cathy Smeriglio • David Smeriglio • Lee Smeriglio • Alice Smith • Scott Smith • Karen Leslie Staff • Luke Stietzel • Nina Stietzel • Susan Winter

Ridgeview #1948 (PA) • Stephanie David • Laura Lambie Rockford #501 (OR) • Charlotte Arnold • J Harrison Bowlds • Willow Kairis (Junior) • Stephen Labadie • Alex Podolak • Ben Podolak (Junior) • Corrie Podolak • Myles Podolak (Junior) • Tony Rango • Ariel Sira-Rango • Ella Wolter Rockwall #679 (OR) • Lenae Tingley • Owen Tingley Rome #226 (WA) • Marilyn Curtis • Andy Snow • Larry Watson Russellville #91 (PA) • Walter Ramsey Saco #53 (ME) • Hollie Shaw Sallal #955 (WA) • Ed Benson • Ted Meyer • Rene Schuchter

Redland #796 (OR) • Dale Johnston • Serena Johnston • Michael Martin

Sanatoga #25 (PA) • Mildred “Pat” Miller • Michael Troutman

Red Lion #1781 (PA) • Ben Morgan • Lisa Moscatell • Shelby Smeltzer • Lucas Wigaard • Rebecca Wigaard

Sandy Creek #127 (NY) • Patricia A. Van Houten

Redwood #760 (OR) • Bambi Bianchi • Karen Darnell • Matthew A Eldridge • Gary Grose • Catherine Healy • Bill Hunker • Kerby Jackson • Vivian Kirkpatrick-Pilger • Janet Knapp • Jonathan Knapp • Geneva Matson • Lori Mitchell • Tony Mitchell • Holli Morton

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• • • • • • • •

San Juan Island #966 (WA) • Carlene Balcom-Bartok • Wendy Brown • Anna Coffelt-Kuetzing • Steph Coffey • Maria DeBruyn • Bill Engle • Ilise Garvin • Erik Gaylord • Jane Hart • Paul Hart • Glenn Hendrick • Emily Knott • Jason Knott • Sandy Richard • Claude Roge • Tyler Ryan

GOOD DAY!™ MAGAZINE www.nationalgrange.org

• •

Amy Wise Spencer Wise

Santiam Valley #828 (OR) • Beaneita Hunt Sauvies Island #840 (OR) • Jim Abeles • John Balkowitsch • Nancy Balkowitsch • Katherine Topaz Saybrook #1739 (OH) • Roy Kirkingburg • Tina Kirkingburg • Michael Webb Scholls #338 (OR) • Elisabeth Cardiel • Matheis Gerhardt • Toniann Perry • Denise Yager Scotts Mill #938 (OR) • Lynn Borek • Rick Borek • Paul Brakeman • Andrew Isaksen • Michelle Isaksen • Taitanna Wardinger Scrubgrass #1705 (PA) • Karen Kellerman • Janie Martin • Justin Marrtin • Teresa Sellers Senexet #40 (CT) • Frederick Breame Sequim Prairie #1108 (WA) • Matthew Ayres • Sherrie Cerutti • Kathleen Landon • Evrita Romero • Frank Thompson • John Thompson Sharon #800 (WA) • Loni Anderson • Tina Bol • Cody Bowen • John Brumfield • Kathy Brumfield • Ken Crumpy • Hank Doelman • John Doelman • Natalie Doelman • Chad Russell • Kimberly Russell • Cole Sigler • Mark Sigler • Sara Sigler • David Wyatt • Leona Wyatt Siletz Valley #558 (OR) • Patty Mann • Roy Puttman • Eva Marie Read-Wiese • Michele Riley Silverton #748 (OR) • Erik Douthit

49

NEW MEMBERS (CONT’D) • • • • • •

Elyce Hues Colby Jackson Becky Oswald Steve Oswald Jamon Wanker Jim Wilson

Silver Lake #105 (WA) • Sherie Dobbins Skamokawa #425 (WA) • John McKinley Skyline #894 (OR) • Carole Hallet Smith #1141 (OH) • Anna Guthrie Smith River #585 (OR) • Joshua Barcus • Sara Simons-Barcus South Auburn #1188 (PA) • Kristy Fitting South Bay #250 (WA) • Brenda Dickson • John My • Monte Walker South Camano #930 (WA) • Chris Tuohy South Fork #605 (OR) • Ralph Anderson • Jenny Hawkins Spencer Creek #855 (OR) • Tyler Gordon Spray #940 (OR) • Mike Grey • Kim Hickey • John Myers Spring Hill #909 (WA) • David Lindhag • Judy Lindhag • Sandra Wagner Springwater #263 (OR) • Amanda May-Hainley St. Andrews #832 (WA) • Corinne Isaak • Maguire Isaak • Marianna Isaak Stanford #808 (NY) • Leandra Costa • Timothy Hughes • Robin Hughes • Carina Moore Staunton #2685 (OH) • Ly Donna Detrick Stillaguamish #1058 (WA) • Kathryn Wagner Stony Point #1694 (PA) • John Bost Summit #432 (OR) • Carol Adams

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Summit City #672 (MI) • Marcia Hayward

Tyler #610 (WA) • Angie Bosworth • Jeremy Bosworth • Keith Wheeler

Sunbeam #2 (MN) • Julie Blaha • Nancy Kunkel • Nick Kunkel Sunflower #169 (CO) • Brittany Bollinger • Harper Bollinger (Junior) • Haylee Bollinger (Junior) • Hunter Bollinger (Junior) • Lexi Bollinger (Junior) • March Bollinger (Junior) • Marcus Bollinger (Junior) • Rachel Bollinger • Timothy Bollinger • Wayne Eads Sunnyside #842 (OR) • Ginger Simmons Swauk Teanaway #984 (WA) • Trisha Fitzpatrick • Charley Rosenberry • Lanora Rosenberry Terrace Heights #596 (WA) • Jeff Phelps The Sandy #392 (OR) • Solona Sonnier • Marlo Wobles

Thurston #853 (OR) • Timothy Beavers Tigard #148 (OR) • Vickie Rojoas Charbonneau • Connor Fiederowicz • Michael Fiederowicz • Mya Fiederowicz • Marla Rabau • Keith Wolf Trexlertown #1755 (PA) • Patty Jandoll • John Kostik • Joshua Reichard Triangle #533 (OR) • Elisabeth McCumber • Glenn McCumber

Tuscarora #774 (PA) • Denise Wenrich • Timothy Wenrich

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Unionville #1971 (PA) • Robert Covert • Eden McCormick • Ralph Roberts Unity #1761 (OH) • Paul Grossen • Keith Keslar Unity #1710 (PA) • Channing Rutlidge Valley #1360 (PA) • June Foldi • Elisabeth Reich • Linda Crook Saylor • William Saylor • Daniel Wilkins Volunteer #1250 (TN) • Emily Leatherwood • Haley Leatherwood Waller Road #1111 (WA) • Austin League • Emilie Loucks • Tracy Schmidt

The Valley #1048 (WA) • Jackie Rodriguez

Turkey Hill #1370 (IL) • Molly Cross • Allan Hicks • Hilda Koluch • Steve Koluch • Emma Rutledge • Dude Underwood • JD Underwood • Matt Underwood • Moriah Underwood

Union #152 (PA) • Trevor Payne • Emily Sanderson • Thomas Whipple, Jr.

Walker #2007 (PA) • Rick Koleno • Sandy Koleno • Denise Lanning • James Lanning Warner #117 (OR) • Brian O’brien Waterford #479 (ME) • Elmer Edwards • Clarence Hill • Melannie Hill West Oshtemo #1630 (MI) • Jack Baldwin • Evelyn Dimkoff • Mel Marsley • John Mollitor Westside #854 (OR) • Michael Lucas • Glen Martin White Clover #784 (OR) • Laura Swanson White Trail #1143 (WA) • Wanda Raap Wickiup #722 (OR) • Christopher Morey Wide Awake #747 (NY) • Jim Earl • Carol Spangenberg Willamette #52 (OR) • Doug Adams

GOOD DAY!™ MAGAZINE www.nationalgrange.org

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Julie Courtney Valerie Eames Beeara Edmonds Hiatt Farm Andrew Giles Desiree Giles Kerry Hanson David Hohler Mike Johnson Lyn Larson Elly Love Molly Millman Jody Parker Jerry Paul Judith Paul Jo Sutton Jon Tilles Diane Young

Williams #399 (OR) • Katya Blissenbach • Jazmine Dake • Rosie Faith • Sara Leilani Free • Kelly Ludeen • Kyle Makinson • Alessandra Markus • Ashton Tafoya • Alex Tomassian Williams Valley #425 (WA) • Sunder Love • Brooklyn Smith Williamsport #1815 (OH) • Frank Hickman II Windsor #980 (WA) • Sydnie Brady • Whitney Pittsenbarger Winona #271 (OR) • Louann Johnson • Ellen Kodis • Lue Ogden • Bonnie Peterson • Dan Vaughn • Judy Vaughn Wolf Creek #596 (OR) • Jeff Nelson • Wynn Nelson • Dave Rose Wysauking-Sheshequin #58 (PA) • Margaret Boritz York Run #1699 (PA) • Catherine Lisauckis • Matthew Lisauckis Zumbro Valley #765 (MN) • Dinorah Bond • Jason Bond • Natalia Vera

MEMORIAL NOTICES DONALD L. BILLMIRE

Past President, Idaho State Grange Donald Billmire,

L.

offered a position at the N.Y. office but chose to stay in Utah.

Past

He worked for several different divisions of Sperry

National Delegate,

Corporation in programming and operations. In 1974 Don and

went home to be

Marie chose to end their marriage. In 1975 Don and Jeannie

with the Lord on

were married in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. They built a home in

January 18, 2022.

Layton, Ut and lived there with Jeannie’s daughters Natalie

He was born on

and Tami for the next 12 years. During this time he worked

November

on networking and was involved with the development of the

22,

1928 in Loveland, Colorado.

internet. He retired after 30 years in 1989.

Don and Jeannie retired to Priest River Idaho in 1989 and

In January 1946 at the young age of 17, Don enlisted in

along with one other person built a log home. They were

the Army Air Corps. He served three years in the European

active square dancers in the Hoodo Valley Hoedowners for

Theatre until October 1949 including 11 months on the Berlin

12 years, became members of the Edgemere Grange, served

Air Lift. During his time in Germany the USAF was created and

as President and actively participated as a volunteer with the

members of the Army Air Corps were transferred into the USAF.

Bonner County Commissioners.

Don returned to the states in September 1949 and was

They moved to Coeur d’ Alene in 2004 and continued their

assigned to Hill Air Force Base in Layton, UT while awaiting

activity in the Mica Flats Grange. In 2008 Don was elected as

release from the service. There he met and married Marie

Idaho State Grange President and also served for two years as

Checketts and their first son DonLee was born. His work at HAFB

State Overseer, and Executive Committee Member.

involved being part of a special assignment to covert manual

Donald is survived by his wife of 46 years, Jeannie, her

records to 80 column punch cards. During the time he was at

children Natalie (Neil) Runyon (Nebraska), Tami (Paul) Hanson.

HAFB the Korean War broke out and his tour was extended. He

(Liberty Lake, WA), Don’s son Mark (Valerie) (Ferndale WA),

served one tour in Korea from the end of 1952 thru 1953. Upon

daughter Joy Korth (Utah) son, Tad (Donna) Decatur, TX), his

returning to the United States he was reassigned to Strategic

sister Roberta (Charles) of Spirit Lake. 28 grandchildren and 35

Air Command (SAC) in Omaha, NE. He assigned and scheduled

great-grandchildren.

factory maintenance on all bombers.

He was proceeded in death by his parents, sons DonLee,

After Don’s tour at SAC he resigned from the USAF and returned to Layton, UT. Don and Marie were blessed with five more children during this time, Gay, Mark, Joy, Tad and Steven.

Steven Ray and his daughter Gay Hatch.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests you send any donations to Mica Flats Grange or to Hayden Bible Church.

His experience and expertise with data processing served him

Cards and condolences may be sent to:

well as he accepted a position at Hogle Investment Brokerage

Jeannie Billmire

firm running 80 column punch-card systems for 3-1/2 years.

1529 Kirking Way

When Hogle was bought out by Goodbody & Co. Don was

Coeur d’ Alene, ID 83815

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GOOD DAY!™ MAGAZINE www.nationalgrange.org

51

CHARLES ALBERT ROUTIER

Past President, Iowa State Grange Charles Albert Routier,

and Poweshiek County Pomona Grange #8 where he had held

Past National Delegate,

multiple offices. Past Master of the Iowa State Grange from 1983

84, of Grinnell, passed

- 1993 and a Delegate to the National Grange in addition to

away

Wednesday,

other State Grange offices and committees. Past cast member of

December 15, 2021 at his

the Seventh Degree and also transported the production trunks

home of natural causes.

for the Seventh Degree for several years. He and Helen were

Charles

was

born

a past Iowa State Grange Young Couple. Chuck and his boys

December 4, 1937, in

participated in the National Grange Talent Contest. He was an

Grinnell to Joseph and

active long time board member of the Rock Creek Grange Camp

Emily (Crawford) Routier.

where he enjoyed maintaining the camp and making pancakes for

He attended Denver High

the monthly breakfasts.

school in Colorado, and

Charles is survived by his six children, Terry (Jill) Routier of

graduated early with the

Brandon, Iowa, Nancy (Dennis) Moore of Newton, Iowa, Rodney

class of 1956. Following his education, Charles farmed for over 60

(Charli) Gray of Franklin, NC, Linda (Ken) Hartgers of Rock Creek,

years, and drove a school bus for the Grinnell Community school

Rhonda (John) Moyes of Grinnell, and Jody Routier of Grinnell;

district for 45 years.

19 grandchildren; 30 great grandchildren; a sister-in-law, Marion

Charles was united in marriage to Helen Jean Schnell on

Routier; and a brother-in-law Archie Beasley. He is preceded

April 28, 1956, at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Grinnell. To this

in death by his wife, Helen; his parents; one brother, LaVerne

union the couple had seven children; Terry, Nancy, Rodney, Linda,

Routier; one sister, Joanne Beasley; a son, William Routier; great-

Rhonda, Jody and William. Charles enjoyed farming, mowing,

grandson, Gage McCammant; and a nephew, Jackie Gray.

maintaining the Rock Creek Grange campground at Rock Creek,

Memorials may be designated to St. John’s Lutheran Church

bluegrass music, visiting with family, friends and the guys at the

or the Rock Creek Grange Campground, mailed in care of the

bus barn, making pancakes, and watching his grandsons play

Smith Funeral Home, PO Box 368, Grinnell, Iowa 50112.

football. He was active with the farmers associations, the Sonora

Cards and condolences may be sent to:

Grange, and the Iowa State Grange, and a member of the St.

Charles Routier Family

John’s Lutheran Church in Grinnell.

425 320th Avenue

Chuck was Golden Sheaf member of Sonora Grange #2176

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Grinnell, IA 50112

GOOD DAY!™ MAGAZINE www.nationalgrange.org

MILDRED H. BELL

Past First Lady, Connecticut State Grange Mildred H. Bell, Past National

Delegate,

Junior, Subordinate, Pomona and State Granges, including

104

being the first female Master of Central Pomona Grange and

of Meriden, Connecticut,

serving as Lady Assistant Steward, Junior Deputy, and Junior

died peacefully at Ingraham

Superintendent of the Connecticut State Grange. She is also

Manor,

a past Voting Delegate of the National Grange. She was

Bristol,

CT

on

February 19, 2022.

responsible for organizing the Southington Junior Grange

She was the wife of the late

Joseph

Doran

and served as Matron for numerous years; and, she chaired

Bell

the committee that purchased the Southington Grange. In

of Southington, and the

1969, she was chosen by the Connecticut State Grange as the

couple

their

“Granger of the Year” to represent the State of Connecticut.

50th wedding anniversary

celebrated

Mildred and her late husband, Joseph, also worked for years

on September 2, 1989.

on many dinners and chicken barbecues to raise money for the

Mildred

in

Southington Grange and for the Grange’s “Camp Berger” in

was

born

Meriden, Connecticut on

Winchester, Connecticut. An avid gardener, Mildred has won

December 13, 1917, a daughter of the late Lea Rose Paul

dozens of ribbons at Grange Fairs, and was well known for her

Hourigan and William John Hourigan, and she lived in both

prize-winning lemon meringue pies. She also shared her garden

Meriden and Southington all her life.

with others at her home roadside stand featuring flowers and

Mildred is survived by two daughters and a son, Janet Bell

vegetables.

Wilcox and William Joseph Bell of Southington, and Carole

Mildred also enjoyed bowling and won numerous trophies,

Bell Crudi of East Hartford. She was also pre-deceased by a

including a “Gold 180 Club Pin” for hitting a game of 187 in

daughter, June Bell Fiondella. She was pre-deceased by six

duck pin bowling. Mildred and her family have been long-

brothers, John, Paul, Clifford, Stanley, Clarence and Kenneth

time fans of the Southington High School girl’s basketball and

Hourigan. Nine grandchildren also survive Mildred: Kim

softball teams. It was rare for them to miss a game – home or

Fiondella Relihan, Tracy Fiondella, Mark Crudi, Earl Wilcox, Lori

away. The Bell family provides a “Spirit Award” trophy each

Wilcox Meter, Kristin Wilcox Astiasaran, Eric Wilcox, Mandy

season to these teams in memory of the late Joseph Bell and

Bell Ruggiero and Timothy Bell. She is also survived by twenty-

June Bell Fiondella.

three great grandchildren, two great great grandchildren and numerous sisters and brothers-in-laws, nieces and nephews.

Mildred also leaves many loving friends, including many

The family would like to thank the staff of Ingraham Manor for the compassionate and wonderful care of Mildred while at their facility.

Grange members around the State of Connecticut and

Cards and condolences may be sent to:

elsewhere. Mildred was a long-time and active member of

William Joseph Bell

the Grange, which she first joined in Meriden, Connecticut

182 Welch Road

on October 24, 1932. She held numerous offices in the

Southington, CT 06489

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Seeing a new side of farming and ranching through agritourism 54

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by Amanda Brozana Rios Membership and Leadership Director GOOD DAY!™ MAGAZINE I Development www.nationalgrange.org

55 Photo by Jessica Horton

Agritourism allows individuals to see agriculture through a new lens and helps farms subsidize their business in a way that is not only good for them, but good for consumers who are largely disconnected from the origin of food and the struggle of the producers committed to feeding the planet.

From weddings held in rural locations or barns to pick-yourown days at the orchard, agritourism is a vast and booming business that adds to rural economies across the nation.

Agritourism isn’t new, but it’s big business today Most historians date the practice in the U.S. back to the 1880s when brothers Howard, Alden and Willis Eaton moved to North Dakota and after establishing separate ranches and business operations, consolidated to become Custer Trail Ranch, the first “dude ranch” known to exist.

Unbeknownst to the Eatons and their first client – a family friend, seeking a vacation from his Buffalo, New York, home who paid the brothers for an extended stay and experience at the ranch – the unplanned enterprise and launched an industry.

Today, the dude ranch continues, run by the fourth- and fifth-generation Eaton descendants in Wolf, Wyoming, where the original brothers moved the operation in 1904.

The business built around the dude ranch has been lucrative – and so have many agritourism ventures launched over the past 140 years.

In that time, American farmers and ranchers have capitalized on the distance between consumer and producer and the fascination individuals have with rural life and agriculture operations – to the tune of about $37,000 annually for the average farm engaged in agritourism according to Charlie Presley, founder of Agritourism World, a resource that allows farmers to freely identify and advertise as agritourism destinations to consumers looking for such adventures.

The Eaton’s Ranch in Wolf, Wyoming - date unknown

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In 2007, when the U.S. Census of Agriculture first used the term “agri-tourism,” it did so with a limited definition of what it could mean – hayrides on farms, winery tours and fishing, to name a few.

From that narrow scope, a 67% increase in agritourism was seen in just the first decade of the Bureau’s measurement of the market, according to the Agricultural Marketing Research Center.

Five years ago, more than 28,500 farms or agricultural operations reported offering some type of agritourism as part of their business model. By 2017, farming operations reported nearly $1 billion in income as the result of agritourism under this limited definition.

The agricultural census is performed every five years – meaning the next round of data will be collected this year in 2022, and agritourism is expected to see another jump in both adoption by farms and ranches across the country as well as economic impact – not just from direct agritourism operations, but by recreational services and direct sales of agricultural products because of agritourism.

Websites, like agritourismworld.com, and even the more traditional travel agents are helping to facilitate short getaways to international excursions with entertainment, education and often a few great fresh-from-the-farm bites at their center.

“The reality is that almost everybody loves the farm,” Presley said. “It’s an easy way to go and have a day or overnight trip with very little risk and education about where your food and products come from and help the people that are growing those [products].”

Presley said to those “city folk” or uninitiated into the everyday life of farming, they see life on the farm as “a simpler way of life. It’s a slower pace – in their minds… It’s comfort.

It’s a warm, fuzzy. In the tourism world, especially today, that’s extremely desired.”

Currently, Agritourism World services nearly 3,500 farms and markets that welcome visitors, and those using the site can find farms to visit by interest or zip code.

However, Presley believes that number to far underrepresent agritourism destinations, which he believes would be about 15% of America’s working farms and ranches – often times operating activities that certainly connect the public to agriculture but have not been adequately or accurately encompassed in the Agriculture Census under the fairly limited definition.

Regardless of how it is defined, Presley said he expects to see growth in the agritourism sector, both in terms of destinations and visitors.

“If every farm that really could support a tourism effort because of where they were or what they do, we would be at about 50-50 [farms having agritourism and farms not],” Presley said, noting the overall market of farms with agritourism as part of their operation could “grow about 300 percent before it would be saturated.”

“What can expand exponentially is how many people can visit the farm,” Presley said.

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Every time the farm creates a new event, Presley said he believes it can increase revenues by 10 to 30 percent.

As is always the case, anything farms can do to add to the bottom line is welcome, but in a world where many industries were buckling from the pandemic, agritourism operations have seen a boom.

“For many in the last two years, in dealing with the pandemic, agritourism has been a perceived safe outdoor activity that they can do with their entire family,” said Suzi Spahr, Executive Director of the North American Farmers’ Direct Marketing Association – International Agritourism Association.

“It’s something that’s different and unique that brings back some nostalgia for people looking for that homegrown feeling or something wholesome to do with their families.”

Making the time a factor Farmers face a lot of pressure, though, not the least of which comes from a limited number of hours in the day to plan and attend to all the steps necessary to host community events or organize farm tours.

For Mary Jordan, Past President of Massachusetts State Grange and co-chair of the State Youth Committee, agritourism is a highly desired component of her family’s Rutland-based operation, Jordan Dairy Farms.

They’ve unofficially dipped their toe in the water, hosting events for Grange members and some private events at the farm, including a winter tour of the farm for Youth members.

When they came, she said, it wasn’t about the cows or the rest of the farm tour. For the youth, what stuck was seeing the fully automated anerobic digester on the property.

“The most impressive part of that tour was seeing this technology in rural Massachusetts.” Jordan said. “They couldn’t believe in the middle of nowhere, we were on the cutting edge.”

The digester catches the attention of passersby frequently, who sometimes stop when they see a family member outside to ask about “the big bubble.”

“They learn what we’re doing to be good stewards – they get more than what they expected and come to appreciate our operation more,” Jordan said.

A few other tours set on the farm by Jordan have proved to her that agritourism can help consumers make choices for their families that they are more comfortable with, Jordan said.

One, she recalled, where a man called his wife in the middle of the tour to ask her to come and see the Jordan Dairy, calling it “pristine” and noting that his wife had previously demanded the family only purchase organic milk.

“She came and it changed her whole perspective,” Jordan said.

She said that was the turning point for her to know that it will become part of their farm’s operations – just as soon as she retires from her off-the-farm job director of the division of agriculture marketing for the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture Resoruces.

“People really don’t understand, and when they don’t

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Weddings in rural locations or on farms have helped spur on the popularity of agritourism.

(Photo by Jessica Horton) understand and they’re getting mixed media messages… opening our doors is obviously going to help us in selling our product but more importantly it’s that image of the farm and promoting that image of caring for our animals, wanting to keep our farm sustainable, that positiveness that people really need to see on a regular basis,” Jordan said.

Farms that can’t dive fully into agritourism as a cornerstone of their operation can find ways to partner with groups such as Granges to help organize and promote events can educate the general public about agriculture and introduce them to an organization that cares as much about the final product from the farm as the farm or ranch itself.

“Most farms will set tours for groups if you just call to ask, but some can’t build it regularly into their model,” Jordan said.

Liabilty and legal considerations are part of the operation Many farmers have concerns about liability of hosting the general public on their property or the risk of disease to plants or animals, for example.

Many farms that have expanded into the agritourism realm have consulted their insurance providers and municipal and state codes regarding zoning and legislation that protects the operation from litigation resulting from injuries sustained by visitors while participating in on-farm activities.

In the past few years, nearly every state has adopted some type of agritourism legislation, with statutes covering everything

GOOD DAY!™ MAGAZINE www.nationalgrange.org

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from liability to taxes. Some states, like North Dakota, require a farm or ranch to register with the state as an agritourism operator, complete with a description of services or activities provided, which lasts for a specified period. Once registered, operations in the state may post a simple but conspicuous notice of potential hazards participants in agritourism at that location may face and provide those details in a written contract for participants to sign.

In Georgia, the legislature has provided just such language that must be posted: “WARNING Under Georgia law, there is no liability for an injury or death of a participant at least 18 years of age in a registered agritourism activity conducted at this registered agritourism location if such injury or death results from the inherent risks of such agritourism activity. Inherent risks of agritourism activities include, but shall not be limited to, the potential of you

Davesté Vineyards in Troutman, North

Carolina, was developed in 2005. The

grounds were manicured to enhance natural features in preparation for opening to the public.

(Photo by Jessica Horton)

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to act in a negligent manner that may contribute to your injury or death and the potential of another participant to act in a negligent manner that may contribute to your injury or death. You are assuming the risk of participating in this registered agritourism activity.”

As laws surrounding this industry are adopted and evolve, the business becomes more complex but also safer for farmers by ensuring in most cases that their business, personal property and legacy are guarded in the case of illness, injury or death of agritourists.

Ultimately, visitors to any agritourism operation must have an ethos of personal responsibility when entering a farm.

Presley said these possible negative consequences of visiting a farm are simply overshadowed by the intrigue and deep emotional connection many feel with seeing where their food comes from and experiencing a passion for farming that exudes from their hosts.

‘They’re selling the experience’ Presley, who has been involved in the travel and tourism industry for decades, said farmers often struggle to see the value in what they do as an entertaining or educational experience for guests.

“I look at the farm and see it from what the visitor wants and what they want to get from it. The farmer looks at it as just a pumpkin in the field,” Presley said.

That pumpkin, though, means much more to a consumer removed from the process of bringing food from farm to table, and farmers and ranchers who put in place agritourism events or opportunities at their farm are doing a great service to not only individuals eager to see inside the world of the farm, but also for the agriculture industry itself.

He said opening the farm to tourists – whether they are from far away or nearby to the farm – is dual-purpose.

Agritourism, he said, has “become an additional cash crop of the farm,” and sites, agents or other resources that encourage such travel “we expand the understanding of agriculture to the traveling population that normally doesn’t get to see that.”

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Jordan agreed, saying “All we hear is the buzzword of local – supporting the farmers, buying local foods, etc.

But there’s a good amount of people who don’t understand where their food source comes from.”

Going to a farmers’ market is not the same as going to the source. It is the experience that makes this impression, Pressley said.

Agritourism is good for the entire town Many think only about the personal impact to a farm, or the educational opportunity agritourism offers for those far removed from where their food comes from.

For Jordan and others, operations that include a public-facing component can be lucrative far beyond the farm.

“Agritourism can make a town a destination,” Jordan said. “It’s bringing economic development to the towns.

People come and visit the farms but then the go to have lunch or dinner or to get gas… it’s true, so definitely it’s a win-win for everyone located near an agritourism destination.”

“Even in our own town – which is the most geographical center of the state, and celebrating our tri-centennial this year – we know agritourism is important. It allows us to tell our story, but even our town administrator believes it’s agritourism that will drive people to the town, regardless of location or celebration, and it will keep them coming back,” Jordan said.

Even the knowledge of agritourism as an industry can be a motivator, Spahr said, and the connection between producer and consumer that is built through agritourism shouldn’t be understated, Spahr said.

“If they hear about some agritourism opportunity not in their area, it may spur consumers to look for something similar nearby. They may look to see what’s in their backyard.”

A new way of thinking The farmers he talks to often cannot believe someone would pay for a hay ride or walk-through of an operation at work – and even when they give agritourism

a try, Presley says they undersell the experience.

“When I’m talking to our members, sometimes the biggest thing I have to convince them of is you can charge more than what you’re charging for the service you’re giving. They’ll say, ‘You mean people will pay me to sit on a wagon and ride through the field?’”

When a farm does buy in, many times they start simple by adding something like a pick-your-own patch, “and then they see the rewards, then they start expanding,” Presley said.

“It costs very little for somebody who already has the farm to add the agritourism in,” he said. “It’s mostly profit that helps them to run the farm.”

Jordan said in Massachusetts, agritourism is the number one diversification on farms that allows them to stay viable.

Not only is that viability concerned with the economics of the farm, but also with interest in continuing operations by the next generation - another place where agritourism is benefiting the operations that embrace it.

Spahr said farm kids returning from college or looking at their own career aspirations may not necessarily want to run combines or milk cows but still may care deeply about the family farm and want to educate consumers or do agrimarketing from their backyard with more flexibility than most traditional farming allows.

“It just gives the creativity, and you don’t have to be doing agritourism necessarily all in all the time. You can be, but you can choose to just do it seasonally or you can choose to do a couple weekends in a year and that can be your way of diversifying your farm and gaining in some income for the farm operation,” Spahr said. “That being said, most farm operations that do agritourism, they’re doing it for much more than a couple weekends a year.”

Presley said one of the biggest challenges to adding agritourism for farm and ranch owners is that they are “far removed from tourism.”

For producers, he said, “It’s about getting the job done. So sometimes

they’re hesitant about opening their farms to visitors. In most cases, once they’ve tried it, they realize it’s rewarding.

They’re spreading the good word [of agriculture].”

Yet as he goes to these venues, he notices money left on the table.

“The farm misses the tourism bet in two ways. They don’t realize that people will pay to come onto the farm and experience it and they underestimate the amount of money that people will spend on the farm when they’re there.

In general they make too few things available to purchase. From the products on the farm to very self-serving products like t-shirts and hats. It’s a big market,” he said.

Spahr agreed, noting that sometimes farms also fail to tailor the retail products to the clientele visiting the farm as agritourists.

“Knowing your audience is key,” Spahr said. “If you’re going to have activities for kids, then have your sales items oriented toward the kids. If you’re a ‘date night venue,’ like a winery or cut flower farm – orient your retail toward adults. Basically, it’s important operations tailor their experience and retail operations to who is going to be taking advantage of the opportunity to visit if you make agritourism a part of your business model.”

A Great Educator and Purchase Driver Both Spahr and Presley stressed how important agritourism is to consumer understanding of the agriculture industry.

Presley touted agritourism as “the number one driver for the understanding of what agriculture is all about.”

Because people eat three times a day, they more often connect what they learned during a farm or ranch tour with their daily lives than other types of tours or vacations.

“It could be anything… most of us, myself included… we go to the grocery store to buy hamburger or honey and we kind of know but we really don’t know the story of it,” Presley said. “Once you get the story, and you only need it once, they understand it. That farm experience leaves a lifelong lasting impression of

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(Photo by Jessica Horton) what it takes to get that food to market.

Once you see it, it never goes away.”

For Jordan, such an experience came while attending an ag-related national conference in Philadelphia one year that included a tour of a nearby mushroom farm. From then on, she said, she has looked for mushrooms from that farm to purchase.

“I try to buy them when I’m at the store because I’ve been to the farm.

I’ve seen them grow there. That’s a lasting, positive customer experience that continues to support that farm,” Jordan said. “Agritourism is just not a visit. It’s an experience, but farm to table initiatives, festivals, celebrations such as weddings and other private function, help celebrate agriculture, and those are all important pieces of the agritourism model and industry.”

And that experience is often something that brings out several generations and branches of families, according to Spahr.

“You’re making a family outing of it,” she said. “It’s the group aspect and then you’ve got the intergenerational aspect, sharing the stories and sharing that experience with their grandchildren, great-grandchildren, aunts and uncles and across the variety of lived

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experiences.”

Spahr stressed this understanding of agriculture by all consumers across every demographic line is especially critical to ensure legislators and the public are making the best decisions when it comes to things that impact agriculture and food operations.

“If our population does not know how its food is grown, then it is not going to be aware of the work and what is required to actually grow the food and decisions then that are made that effect the farm community and the ag community are not going to be made with appropriate knowledge or understanding and could then be detrimental,” Spahr said.

stories are being shared each day.

“There’s a lot of momentum going. It’s cool now to experience agriculture through visiting farms. Just getting our Grange families involved is so important,” Jordan said.

She said it can also make an impression on other Grange members connected to see what people are doing throughout the country that is working for their membership – something that happened when after the Massachusetts State Grange Youth went on a tour of a local maple sugar operation and posted about it on social media, Jordan received a message from another member in Michigan about the outing.

“She has dietary restrictions, and she is selective about what she can purchase and from where,” Jordan said. “She Granges encouraged to support local agritourism said she loved seeing the Graneg Youth have the opportunity Consumers, though sometimes miss the mark as well. to learn more about the sugar house and was excited to learn They often have a blind spot when it comes to what’s in a Grange member owns the operation, so she is going to be our own backyard – and this is where organizations like the purchases from him in the future.”

Grange can come into play, according to Granges can also serve as a National Grange President Betsy Huber. clearinghouse for information about “So many people don’t know what local agritourism operations, post “Granges can help raise the is in their own community, whether it be information in their halls about local profile of local farms and farms or other attractions,” Huber said. farms having pick-your-own or onagritourism opportunities “Granges can help raise the profile of farm agritourism events, advocate for that not only bring revenue local farms and agritourism opportunities the Chamber of Commerce or Visitor’s to these operations, but that not only bring revenue to these Bureau to produce a new brochure also introduce and educate operations, but also introduce and about area agritourism or encourage individuals of all ages about educate individuals of all ages about the local news media to write stories about the scope of the agriculture scope of the agriculture industry.” opportunities for individuals to visit farms industry.”

In 2022 and 2023, the National in their area to purchase farm products - Betsy Huber, Grange is using the theme “Raised or learn more about operations.

Right Here,” an effort to urge Granges “There are many ways Granges can National Grange President to focus on local resources, sustainability both engage with agriculture through and resilience. As part of that, Granges agritourism and be a voice supporting can create partnerships with nearby farms and agriculture local farmers engaging in agritourism,” Huber said. “This focus businesses to offer educational and entertaining agritourism on local foods and farms helps connect us with our roots as an activities such as hosting a banquet with local farm products organization, build pride in our hometowns and support local and farmers as speakers about their operations. Granges can farms as they work to expand their offerings and support their also simply set aside a day to meet at a local farm for strawberry bottom line.” picking or to take a tour of operations.

The biggest takeaway: agritourism is here to stay.

Massachusetts State Grange gives agricultural grants to “Agritourism has so many facets and it creates a good Granges – and many of them use the money to do a tour of image of agriculture in the minds of the consumers,” Jordan a local farm, often times that are open to the public, not just said. “Even on the international level – people are taking this Grange members and introducing the community to the farms. seriously.”

“The couple hundred dollars that pay for a bus and maybe lunch of something, but they make it possible for these Granges Visit a Member’s Farm to connect community to agriculture,” Jordan said.

Many Grangers around the country with farms and ranches Spahr said efforts like this should be celebrated and offer tours, and other agritourism opportunities. If your farm replicated. or one of your members has a destination that is open to “They’re sharing the story of the farmer, which is an the public, consider letting us know. We’d love to highlight incredible opportunity,” she said. “Anytime you can tell the member farms and ranches and other agritourism operations story of the farmer and share that individual experience is on our website so that when people are traveling, they can critical. So much of our society thinks of farming in terms of the inlucde the spot as a stop on their way. big far and they don’t hear the individual farm story – which is Send information, including name of farm or ranch, address, a critical piece to be shared.” website and name of Grange the farm or ranch owner is a Luckily, the popularity of agritourism is surging and more member of to membership@nationalgrange.org.

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New Innovation Can Address High Cancer Mortality in Rural Areas

by Burton Eller Executive Director, Grange Advocacy Cancer is not an equal opportunity killer.

Sadly, those who live in rural areas of the country and receive a cancer diagnosis face a greater likelihood that they will die of cancer than their counterparts in cities and suburbs.

As distressing as this is, there is logic behind the statistics that show an eight percent higher cancer mortality rate in rural communities. First, rural populations tend to skew older in average age and seniors are 11 times more likely to develop cancer than younger people. Second, there are fewer doctors in rural areas compared to suburban and urban areas. In fact, only seven percent of the nation’s oncologists have practices in rural areas.

And, perhaps tied to the fact that there are fewer physicians in rural regions and people live farther away from hospitals, cancer screening rates are lower and diagnoses tend to come later, when cancer has reached less treatable stages.

Whether this disparity in rural-urban cancer can be successfully addressed, and cancer mortality rates overall sent into significant decline, may hinge on both medical science and public policy.

New cancer screening technologies are becoming available, with clinical studies demonstrating that the test can very accurately detect dozens of different cancers from a single draw of blood. This would be a tremendous leap forward from our current cancer screening paradigm, which can only detect five types of cancer one at a time.

This multi-cancer early detection blood test would be a great benefit for those living in rural areas. It can be administered in multiple healthcare

settings without the need of a specialist, and it does not require on-site medical technologies like mammograms or colonoscopies. Those living in small towns and farming areas could have more tools for getting tested for cancer easier and earlier.

Once the Food and Drug Administration approves these blood tests for public use, the key is making it accessible. There is bipartisan legislation in Congress right now called the Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act, that would enable Medicare to provide coverage for this new screening. This bill is necessary because current law doesn’t automatically allow such coverage for new preventive care innovations and, without it, this early detection blood test could linger in bureaucratic limbo for years.

If Congress passes this measure, older Americans – the population most susceptible to cancer – will have a greater opportunity for early cancer detection and, with it, more opportunities for effective treatment.

And for rural citizens, access to these new screening tools will mean that we can enjoy life in our tight-knit communities without worrying about an elevated risk of cancer mortality.

You can learn more about multi-cancer early detection tests and policy under consideration in Congress, by visiting the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network website at: https://www. fightcancer.org/what-we-do/emergent-sciencemulti-cancer-early-detection-tests.

GRANGE ADVOCACY ADVERTORIAL

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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.

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www.Innovation.org GRANGE ADVOCACY ADVERTORIAL

Complete the Astronaut Career Readiness Passport to earn your stamp!

Visit bit.ly/JGAstronaut to access the workbook. slliks hcraeser ecitcarP c ipot eht ht iw egagne ot yt iv itaerc esU s l l iks gn it irw rette l po leveD stpecnoc levart ecaps dna ecaps cisab dnatsrednU

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Step 1. Watch these videos about astronauts and complete page 1 of the worksheet.

What do Astronauts Do?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhD8GFwy734&t=18s Take a Tour of the Space Station: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOCixRhRGDw Date Completed: ____________________________

Step 5. Complete one of the planets projects listed on page 3 of the worksheet.

Project Completed: _________________________ Date Completed: ____________________________ Step 6. Learn about galaxies!

Get to Know Your Galaxy!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtiRn0Ecpjc

Date Completed: ____________________________

Step 7. Watch these videos to learn about stars. Then go stargazing, find at least 4 constellations, and draw them on page 4 of the worksheet.

What are Stars?: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=_QwaUmDbnGg&list=PLw2cuKNQvZ2c5UQcwMS4Fg05UdiT3gs4&index=15

Date Completed: ____________________________

Step 8. Take your astronaut training test by completing pages 5-7 of the worksheet!

Date Completed: ____________________________

Constellations: Connect the Dots in the Sky!: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=1sZ15SUeS9w&list=PLw2cuKNQvZ2c5UQcwMS4Fg05UdiT3gs4&index=32

www.nationalgrange.org

Step 2. Research any astronaut in space right now, and complete page 2 of the worksheet.

Date Completed: ____________________________ Step 3. Write a letter to the astronaut you researched. Explain why you are writing and ask a question about space, his/her career, or any other topic that you want to learn more about.

Note: You should include a self-addressed and stamped envelope to make it easier for your astronaut to write you back.

Send your letter to the following address: NASA Johnson Space Center CB/Astronaut Office Houston, TX 77058 Step 4. Learn about the solar system: Explore the Solar System: The Rocky Planets: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joqIUFNkrw&list=PLw2cuKNQvZ2c5UQcwMS4Fg05UdiT3-gs4&index=33 Explore the Solar System: The Gas Giants: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeC2294PMw&list=PLw2cuKNQvZ2c5UQcwMS4Fg05UdiT3-gs4&index=34 Date Completed: ____________________________

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Contest Spotlight

All Contest Entries are to be sent by Mail to: Samantha Wilkins National Junior Grange Director 1616 H St. NW Washington, DC 20006

This contest is also open to Juniors-at-Heart (Subordinate members). Subordinate entries must be accompanied by a donation of $5.00 - cash or checks made payable to the National Grange Foundation. All Junior-at-Heart entries will be judged in their own category, and the top winners will be awarded a prize.

More information on this and all other Junior Grange contests can be found in the National Junior Grange Program Guide at www.nationaljuniorgrange.org.

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2021 Grange Youth winners announced Wib and June Justi Community Sevice Award - Jenn Nauss, PA Junior Mentor Award - Gail Switzer, PA Grange Youth Spirt Award - Asheton Medlin, NC

Parliamentary Procedure Team 1st

North Carorlina

2nd New York

Outstanding Young Patron Emma Edelen, IA

Highest Scoring Chair Kathleen Fallon, NY

Youth Ambassadors

Highest Scoring Individual

Amber Corll, OH Cole Settle, NC

Matthew Settle, NC Public Speaking Showcase

Grange Baseball 1st Jessie Jo Guttridge, OR 2nd Baylor Howerton, NC 3rd Asheton Medlin, NC

Emma Edelen, IA Analise Scholten, CA Benjamin Van Kleeck, NY Sign-a-Song Showcase Baylor Howerton, NC

Congratulations!

Photo by Lindsay Schroeder Amber Corll (OH, left) and Cole Settle (NC) were named National Grange Youth Ambassadors, and Emma Edelen (IA, center) was named National Grange Outstanding Young Patron at the 2021 National Grange Session in Wichita.

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Short story collection ‘Rural Voices’ challenges assumptions

By Chea Parton Founder, Literacy in Place Growing up in a rural community and attending a rural school, the common refrain and measure of success was to get out of our one-stoplight town. Graduating seniors who were accepted to and attending faraway colleges and universities were admired and folks who decided to take a gap-year or join the local workforce were seen as failures. I fully acknowledge that this might not be the case in all rural locales, but I do think it’s far more common than it should be.

Some folks have referred to the outcome of this phenomenon as rural brain-drain and others have termed it out-migration.

Regardless of what we call it, thinking about how different types of places offer affordances and constraints when it comes to careers and futures is an important conversation for rural communities to be having.

One novel that can help facilitate those conversations is Jeff Zentner’s most recent one – In the Wild Light. In it, Cash lost his mother to the same addiction Delaney’s mom is struggling with and we follow the best friends as they navigate life and loss together. Cash loves being on the river and hiking the mountains and wants to be there for his papaw as he battles emphysema. But Delaney makes a scientific discovery with Cash’s help that lands them both full scholarships to Middleford Academy, a fancy boarding school in Connecticut. Delaney is set on going but Cash isn’t so sure. Can he leave the land he

Courtesy of jeffzentnerbooks.com

loves behind to support his best friend? Will out-migrating somewhere he feels he doesn’t belong be the breaking of Cash or the making of him?

As a rural out-migrant myself, it was really exciting for me was to see how Cash and Delaney experienced and processed their own out-migration. One of the things that is so powerful about books that serve as mirrors for our own experiences is

the way that they invite us to consider our own experiences through new and/or different light.

Even though Cash and Delaney’s experiences are similar to mine in their out-migration, they’re also different enough that using them to reflect my experiences illuminates areas of those experiences that I hadn’t thought about before, which is why making sure that rural and rural out-migrant readers have mirrors of their experiences is so important.

Zentner is a master at both painting a place and showing how it shapes people’s experiences in the world. Throughout the text there are brief and beautifully written descriptions of Cash and Delaney’s home place. Particularly striking is the embodiment and sensory experiences of place.

Courtesy of jeffzentnerbooks.com

For example, Cash says, “It’s a lie that water is odorless.

Water smells like water. The way wind smells like wind and dirt

Jeff Zentner, author of In the Wild Light

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smells like dirt. The mossy, metallic fragrance of the river wafts around us in the syrupy humidity, mixing with the flinty scent of

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67

wet stone and the yeasty tang of mud. The sun bakes the river

of the tensions that rural out-migrants experience. How do I

water into our clothes, making them stiff, and onto our skin,

simultaneously represent and feel connected to both places?

leaving a taut film that feels like dried tears” (p. 48).

Does it mean that I’m becoming less me that I start to feel less

When they out-migrate to Middleford, we begin to see how their home has shaped both how they see themselves outside

of an outsider in my new place? Does it mean I’m not rural anymore?

of that town and how others see them. They both show an acute

Cash and Delaney’s travel across their rural working-class

awareness of how they might look to other people - especially

backgrounds and the affluence of Middleford makes for a really

the kind of (rich, suburban) people who are moving their kids

interesting consideration of how we see ourselves and see

into Middleford Academy. They both struggle in different ways

others in particular places.

to come to terms with being out-migrants.

In the Wild Light provides a wealth of opportunity to think

Cash bristles when his roommate mocks his papaw’s

about and analyze how place shapes culture, opportunity, who

accent and still feels connected to the people and place of

we are, and what we know of the world. Plus, the writing is simply

his East Tennessee home, but he also acclimates to his new

gorgeous. It would be an excellent addition to community and

place at Middleford. This is a really important representation

school libraries as well as book clubs.

Resources for reading rural gems

Reading Guide Questions for Book Clubs and Classrooms In the Wild Light offers an important opportunity to

think about what it means to leave, to stay, and return to rural communities. As the class or book club reads, they could ask: • What is (or was) the common sentiment about leaving your rural hometown? How do (or did) you feel about it?

• How did you feel about Cash’s decision to leave?

Why? • How would the meaning of In the Wild Light be different if Cash would have decided to stay instead of going to Middleford with Delaney?

• Would you have felt differently about Cash and Delaney if they would’ve struggled with acclimating to Middleford and decided to return home? Why? • What do you imagine Cash and Delaney could and/or should do after graduating from Middleford? What would you do if you were them?

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Possible Activities for Classrooms Zentner often includes his favorite things - including his favorite places – in his books, so there are some powerful place-based activities that pair reading and writing made possible by engaging with In the Wild Light. In one such activity, students could: • Think about a place in the community they love to be.

They might have a few favorites, so it might be helpful to allow them to write for a few minutes to think about what place they want to choose for this particular assignment. It could be inside or outside, but it needs to be a place they love and feels special to them.

• Visit that place at least four times over the course of the next couple of weeks. While there, they should t ake a picture of a moment that strikes them as particularly lovely or salient. They should also journal/write in their writer’s notebook. What do they notice? See, touch, taste, smell, hear? How is all of that connected to why they love this place? For example, how/why does it make them feel safe or fulfilled or joyful or alive, etc.

• Create a collage of their places, a wordle of their journal entries, and choose a piece of In the Wild Light to use as a mentor text for their own place-connected writing.

They could choose a prose or poetic passage, and work together in writing groups to write and fine-tune their own place-based pieces.

• Publish their collages, wordles, and place pieces.

They could create an exhibition in their classroom just for their class, submit them to Literacy In Place to be published on the web, or put together an exhibition in a more public venue like the library or a school board meeting where both school and community stakeholders could be invited to enjoy the beauty of the community through students’ eyes and their writing.

To learn more, visit literacyinplace.com

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Blessings of a Farmer

by June Unruh Delaware State Grange

I love the Earth freshly plowed The beauty, the smell I love Spring’s possibilities New planting, new growth I love the Summer sun, the rain, the wind The sweet pollination of wheat permeating the air Ready for harvest Freshly mowed hay drying in the hot summer wind I love Fall and the smell of damp, earthy soil once again Corn rustling in the wind, ready for harvest Beans drying, now plentiful to see Winter comes and we must rest Time for “Mother Earth” to rejuvenate Farmers sharing their passion Of next year’s planting and harvest God’s promises and blessings once again to see I feel blest to be a “Farmer” To take care of “Mother Earth” To protect her through sustainability To feed the world and nourish them The blessing of “Farming” is like no other

Photo by Heather Gill on Unsplash

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NOTES FROM A SMALL TOWN

Walking the Atlantic Path

By Christopher Dean Massachusetts Grange Member

article that it was a path that had been

later, after quarrying died out in the mid-

on the edge of property lines in the part

1950s with the coming of glass and steel

of town called Pigeon Cove.

skyscrapers, the factory turned to making

Pigeon Cove was at one time a

steel tools used in construction. The

On Sunday mornings in winter, on

modest place, there were small farms

a gray and cold day, though not below

there, really little more than backyard

Pigeon Cove also had a small local

freezing, or on a sunny warm day in the

gardens, there were rock quarries which

school and the nursery school that I

summer, though not when it’s too hot

dug the best granite in America; granite

went to in the mid-60s. The school had a

out, I’ll go for a walk along the seashore

from Rockport is used in many buildings

picture window in the back, overlooking

as I like to do, a habit that I’ve acquired

in Boston and throughout New England.

the spectacular vista of orange-speckled

since Covid first appeared.

There was a small factory that made

gray granite and deep blue ocean.

I had read about it in a newspaper

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tools used in the quarrying trade, and

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company is closed now.

I remember sitting there on a bench,

looking at picture books and enjoying the perfect white light

members of the regulars, friends from away. We were joined

that reflected off the water.

once by a nightclub singer, whose name I didn’t recognize. We

And the old path that I walk along, a shortcut across from one part of town to the other, is called the Atlantic Path, running

were joined by a local writer, and someone I used to work with.

They’re all nice people.

along the edges of the properties that line up on the rocks.

We talk and walk and share the beauty around us, sometimes

Beginning in the late 19th century, deeds started to list the

it’s a profound experience, usually it’s just a nice thing to

path, to locate it officially, with the custom that as long as the

do. People from away sometimes gasp at the beauty of the

path was “in use” it belonged to the public. The term “in use”

landscape, which I admit I don’t really take for granted; I love

has been debated, but it was vague enough to mean almost

that it’s so close to my house and that I can take advantage of it

anything, so the path was public without being Public.

whenever I want to. Their pleasure in it makes me feel a little bit

Over the years, Pigeon Cove has become popular with the

like I might even have something to do with it.

rich. Its site is perfect for watching the sea, the light is warm,

At the end of this past fall, we were joined by a scientist

the trees are thick and fluffy in the summers, the old houses on

who has joined us before. He was just sitting on the rocks,

the street are cozy and tidy. Along the ocean, the number of

about half-way along the route, waiting for the group as we

really big houses started to grow, old farms and family homes

came along, and walked the rest of the way with us. He’s an

were plowed under to create ever-larger mansions for owners of

interesting and involved person and he and I got to talking

lavish vacation homes.

about all those things that one talks about while one is out on

And with the money came the usual problems: the rich

the rocks with fellow humans. He’s recently retired, not much

didn’t want to let people see the water from anywhere, they

older than I am, relaxing now, still interested in learning, and

started putting up hedges and fences where there had been

still happy to share what he’s learned. He knew a lot about

uncontested open space, and worse, they no longer wanted to

the landscape that surrounded us, but he said he was always

permit people to walk along the edge of their property, even

interested in learning more about it. He explained how to tell

though the path was shown on their deed. Hundreds of years of

how far away something is at sea, and how far the horizon is.

small-town tradition was tossed out by selfish people who lived

There’s always something new to learn, he said, never give that

in these expensive homes for no more than a few weeks a year.

up. When you stop learning, you start dying.

The only way that citizens of the town can claim our right to

I pointed to a spot, directly above a prominent rock, across

use the rights-of-way is to use them, so once a week, on Sunday

the dark blue water, just a gray lump really. Was it a mirage? No,

mornings, a varying group of citizens and sometimes tourists

he said, it’s Mount Agamenticus in Maine, about 55 miles away,

will meet at the opening of the path to walk along it as citizens

somewhat inland, and a Maine State Park. We walked past a

have for centuries. I feel a mild sense of pride when I do; I hate

bunch of pricker bushes which surrounded vines that had tiny

missing it, it’s my “cause”, my activism. It’s also, technically,

Concord grapes on them, grapes sweeter than they usually are,

good exercise and not so strenuous that it’s especially difficult,

a tiny explosion of that sweet strong taste, leftovers from the fall

though there are some parts which make it at least a little bit

harvest, the grapes that the birds couldn’t reach.

tricky - there’s some climbing, though not much, good hiking

There’s a bend in the path, through the woods, which is

boots are a worthwhile idea, or at least sneakers. And a sense

where there used to be a spring and the owner of the land

of when you should wear a coat.

sold the water, bottled, to people in town as having special

It’s quite a responsibility that we’ve taken on in order to

qualities. The vast outcrops of rock that we were walking on

maintain the use of the path. The landscape is beautiful, a

were five-hundred million to six-hundred million years old,

treasure even, but quietly beautiful, the sea has moods and the

when multi-cellular life was just starting to get a foothold on the

land responds to them. New England has always had that cozy,

planet; older than the dinosaurs which left their bones; older

“settled” quality, like it’s somehow “finished”. I’ve met lots of

than trilobites which left their exoskeletons; older than jellyfish

very nice people on the route, I look forward to it every week,

which left no mark in the passage of time. And the rocks, being

except on those weeks where the weather is being difficult: ice

eroded by the constant waves, year after year, eon after eon,

and snow, rain, mud, high wind, the usual suspects.

are quietly being transformed into something else for which

Sometimes there have been only two of us at the start, as we walked the usual route, sometimes we have a dozen. I’ve met people from all over: Europe, Japan, South America. There

only nature has the patience.

We’re only here for a little while, it seems, and only the Earth endures.

are retirees who are new to the area, weekend tourists, family

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RALLYING TOGETHER TO PROTECT OUR COMMUNITIES In the midst of an already challenging time, the opioid epidemic continues to sweep through communities across the country. By working together, we can ensure a better future.

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

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GRANGE ADVOCACY ADVERTORIAL

®

Elevating the

incredible

egg

By Ann Olson Bercher Lecturer, National Grange Certified Culinary Specialist

like to chase chickens), which also helps

is on the rise. On average, each person in

keep track of the eggs.

America eats about 280 eggs per year.

Chickens are known to be very creative in their choice of nesting locations. The Kelley women would search outbuildings,

The incredible edible egg.

porches

and

beneath

fifty years.

The reason may have to do with the

farm

dietary guideline change that no longer

Board came up with this catchy slogan to

equipment as their chickens often were

warns of dietary cholesterol in eggs.

sell more eggs. Not that they had to. Eggs

allowed to roam the farmyard.

Dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol,

Several years ago, the American Egg

under

That’s the highest rate of consumption in

The eggs were collected several times

which is tested to determine your risk

a day and were stored in the root cellar in

for heart disease, are different. Current

Wild fowl were domesticated as early

a small basket. When the egg basket was

medical evidence suggests that eating

as 3200 B.C. in East India. The Chinese

brought up to the kitchen, it was placed

foods that are high in dietary cholesterol

and Egyptians have had egg laying fowl

on the floor near the worktable. Eggs were

will not significantly impact your risk

since 1400 B.C. and Europe has had

not washed before storing, and several

for heart disease. Instead, reduce your

domesticated fowl since 600 B.C. There

chickens using the same nesting boxes

saturated and trans-fat intake to keep

is some evidence of native fowl in the

created very messy eggs. No respectable

blood cholesterol levels at a healthy level.

Americas prior to 1400 AD.

farmwoman would put those eggs on her

have been a staple in many households for hundreds of years.

Eggs from the past weren’t the eggs

clean worktable.

So while a single large egg contains 186 milligrams of dietary cholesterol, it is

we commonly consume today. Romans

Eggs were cracked into a bowl one at a

incredibly nutritious, containing 7 grams of

are peafowl eggs, and the Chinese loved

time, to assure that the egg wasn’t spoiled,

protein, healthy fats, and many nutrients

pigeon eggs. The Phoenicians loved

or housing the start of a chick. If an egg

like vitamins A, B12, D, E, choline, iron and

ostrich eggs. Other ethnic groups savor

was in question prior to cracking, it would

folate.

eggs from plovers, partridges, quail, gulls,

be placed in a bowl of water. If it sank, it

As far as chicken eggs go, although

turkeys, pelicans, ducks and geese.

was a good egg. If it floated, it was put in

there are several different breeds of

the slop bucket.

chickens, their eggs do not seem to differ

Mid-19th

century

American

farm

families may have helped keep their farms

At one point, the Kelley daughters

much in flavor or nutrition. Our choices at

afloat by selling eggs to city dwellers as

had 200 chickens and were selling lots of

the grocery store do not include the breed

the industrial revolution was beginning to

eggs. To store them, they packed them

of chicken (most commercial eggs come

take off.

in salt and the eggs would keep for up to

from White Leghorn chickens) but the

The Oliver Kelley Farm in Minnesota,

six months in the root cellar. Egg shells are

industry has given us some other things to

working the farm like the Kelley Family did

porous and can absorb odors, and they can

consider.

in the 1800s, raises chickens - much to the

also dry out. By packing in salt, the pores

There are many claims made on the

enjoyment of visitors and staff alike.

are mostly covered to prevent evaporation

labels found on the cartons of eggs; some

and odor exchange.

are regulated by the USDA, others are

Due to the now public setting, chickens are kept in a fenced in area (funny how kids

The popularity of eggs in America today

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slick marketing tactics. Most important

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is to focus attention on things that could affect the flavor or performance of the egg.

Scrambled The trick to perfect scrambled eggs is three things: add half-

Information or claims you can ignore include eggshell color,

and-half, add additional yolks, and use a deeper pan.

Grade, Farm Fresh and hormone free. Eggshell color makes no

4 eggs + one yolk

2 Tablespoons half-and-half

difference in the nutritional value or flavor of the egg. Grade AA

Pinch of salt and pepper

1 tablespoon butter

eggs are the freshest, but since it takes time to get eggs to the grocery store, you will probably find mostly Grade A eggs. Grade B eggs rarely appear in the grocery store because they are usually

Beat eggs and yolk, half-and-half, ¼ tsp salt, 1/8th tsp pepper until eggs are combined and mixture is pure yellow.

sent to food processing facilities to be made into other eggs

Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high until foaming

products. The US Department of Agriculture does not regulate

subsides but is not browning. Swirl to coat pan. Add egg mixture.

Farm Fresh - unless you are buying eggs directly from a farmer

Use a spatula to consistently scrape across the bottom and sides

or picking them up directly from under a hen, they are not “farm

of the pan until the eggs begin to clump. (1 – 3 minutes)

fresh.” It is also illegal to give chickens hormones, so all eggs are hormone free.

Reduce heat to low and gently and consistently, fold eggs until liquid is reduced and egg curds are formed and slightly wet (30 –

Information you might want to consider are the labels that identify Omega-3 fatty acids and are pasteurized. Eggs with Omega-3 come from chickens that were fed a diet that included omega fatty acids such as fish oil, flaxseed or dehydrated alfalfa.

60 seconds). Transfer to a warmed plate.

Poached The trick here is to produce a tender and neat looking white.

This diet increases the Omega-3 content from about 30mg per

4 large eggs

egg to roughly 100-600 mg. Omega-3s may reduce inflammation

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

and is sometimes recommended for chronic digestive disorders.

While all eggs sold commercially have been washed and

Bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Meanwhile, crack eggs one at a

sanitized, only those labeled “pasteurized” have been through an

time into a colander. Let stand until the loose, watery whites drain

additional heat process to kill salmonella. If you are looking to

away, 20 – 30 seconds (there will still be sturdier white still attached

use eggs in raw applications such as Caesar Salad Dressing, buy

to the yolk). Gently transfer the eggs to a 2-cup measuring cup.

these. But pasteurization can affect the protein structure of the

Add vinegar and 1 teaspoon salt to the boiling water. Remove

egg and it could affect the results of recipes that require stiff egg

pot from heat. With the lip of the measuring cup just above the

whites, such as angel food cake.

surface of the water, gently tip the eggs into the water one at

Get the eggs home and it’s time to store them. Grocery store

a time. Cover pot and let stand until the whites closest to the

eggs need to be refrigerated because they have been washed,

yolks are just set and opaque, about three minutes. If you wish

and the protective cuticle has been removed, and bacteria can

for whites and yolks to be sturdier, check eggs again every 30

enter in through the pores. Home-raised eggs that have not been

seconds until eggs have reached the desired doneness. Use a

washed do not need to be refrigerated but should be rinsed

slotted spoon to remove eggs from water and let drain. Season

before using to remove any dirt or debris.

with salt and pepper.

Refrigerated eggs also face the dilemma of absorbing odors and should be kept in a container. They should also be kept at a consistent cold temperature and should not be kept in the door.

The USDA recommends storing eggs for no longer than three to five weeks after buying them, but there is no hard and fast rule.

Older eggs may have a thinner yolk and looser whites which may affect how long whites remain whipped or how a finished presentation looks.

There are many ways to cook eggs. Here are the best, no fail techniques to cook up perfect eggs:

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Fried Have your ingredients ready to go, and you will be prepared to move quickly.

3 tsp vegetable oil 4 eggs Salt and pepper 2 tsp butter In a 12- 14-inch skillet, heat oil for 2 minutes over low heat. Crack 2 eggs into a small bowl and season with salt and pepper. Repeat in a second bowl with remaining eggs.

(If only cooking 2 eggs, use an 8–9-inch skillet and halve the other ingredients.)

Increase heat to medium. Add butter and swirl pan quickly to melt. Quickly, pour 1 bowl of eggs into 1 side of the pan, followed by the second bowl on the other side of the pan. Cover and cook for one minute. Remove skillet from burner and let stand, still covered for 15-45 seconds for runny yolks, and 45 – 60 seconds for soft but set yolks, and 2 minutes for medium set yolks. Slide onto plates and serve.

President’s Recipe

A favorite recipe shared by President Betsy E. Huber

Cheesy Egg Puff Makes 6 servings 4 eggs 2 cups milk ¾ cup flour ¾ tsp salt ½ tsp paprika ¼ tsp pepper 6 strips bacon 1 cup chopped onion ½ cup tomato paste or sauce ¼ tsp oregano leaves

Hard Boiled

¼ tsp basil leaves

Rather than boiling, try steaming the eggs.

2 Tablespoons cooking oil

Start with warm eggs. Let them stand in warm water to room temperature. Place eggs in a steamer and place steamer over boiling water. Cover and cook for 13 minutes.

To peel eggs right away, prepare an ice bath in a plastic container with a tight-fitting lid. Place eggs in ice bath for 15 minutes. Drain off half of the water, close the lid and shake the container vertically until all of the shells have cracked (30 – 40 shakes). Peel, rinse and use as desired.

Once you have the basics of egg selection, purchasing and cooking down, let’s try some additional tricks!

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Beat eggs lightly with fork or whisk. Add milk; blend well. Add flour, salt, paprika and pepper, mix well.

(Mixture will not be smooth.)

Meanwhile, fry bacon in skillet until crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels. Crumble bacon; set aside.

Saute onion in 1 Tablespoon bacon drippings until tender. Stir in tomato paste, oregano and basil; set aside.

Heat oil in 10” iron skillet or heavy cast aluminum skillet with oven-proof handle in 400 degree oven 4 minutes. (Skillet must be very hot.) Pour in egg batter.

Did You Know...

Return to oven, bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven.

Spread with tomato mixture. Top with bacon and cheese. Bake 20 more minutes or until top is puffy and center is set.

Farm fresh eggs can be kept at room temperature for two weeks to a month if they are unwashed. After that, they need to be stored in the fridge.

Variations: Instead of bacon, use ½ lb. crumbled, sauteed ground beef; add ½ cup grated Romano cheese with cheddar cheese.

If freshly laid eggs are refrigerated, they can be stored for three months or up to six months in an airtight container.

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Or, use ½ lb. crumbled, sauteed pork sausage; use 1 cup mozzarella cheese and ½ cup grated Romano cheese instead of cheddar.

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Omelet

Shitake Mushroom and Goat Cheese

serves 2 2 tablespoons butter 3.5 – 4 ounces shitake mushrooms, stems removed and caps thickly sliced 1 medium shallot, finely diced 2 ounces arugula 6 large eggs 3 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled 1. In a 10-inch skillet, melt 1 Tablespoon butter.

Add mushrooms and cook over medium high heat until browned, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.

2. Add shallots and cook until softened.

3. Add arugula and cook until just wilted. Remove from skillet and keep warm.

4. Crack 6 eggs into a bowl, season with salt and pepper and whisk until combined.

5. Melt 1 Tablespoon butter in skillet over medium heat. Add eggs and cook over moderately high heat, lifting the edges with a spatula to allow uncooked egg to seep underneath until the bottom of the omelet is golden and the top is nearly set, about 5 minutes.

6. Spoon the filling down the center of the omelet and sprinkle with the goat cheese.

7. Using a spatula, fold one side over the center and roll the omelet out of the pan onto a plate. Cut in half and serve.

Breakfast Burrito

serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil 1/4 cup finely diced red onion 4 slices of bacon cut crosswise into ½ inch strips 2 cups baby spinach, packed ½ cup cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced 4 large eggs 4 large egg whites 2 Tablespoons cream ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese 4 8-inch flour tortillas, warmed 1. Heat 1 ½ teaspoons of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add red onion and cook until softened.

2. Add bacon and cook over medium heat until browned, stirring frequently.

3. Add the spinach and tomatoes and cook until the spinach has wilted. Season with salt. Remove from pan and set aside.

4. Whisk together the eggs, egg whites and cream in a bowl until combined.

5. Heat remaining oil in the skillet. Add the eggs and cook over medium heat, stirring gently until set, about three minutes.

6. Add bacon mixture and feta. Combine gently and remove from heat.

7. Spoon ¼ of the egg mixture down the center of each tortilla, fold the sides over the filling and place on a plate.

8. Cut in half and serve with desired salsa, sour cream, etc.

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Roasted Tomatoes and Chilies on a Baked Potato

serves 4

1 pint cherry tomatoes 1 diced green pepper or chili of your choice 3 cups baby spinach 4 baked potatoes 4 large eggs 2 ounces shredded cheddar cheese

1. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss tomatoes and pepper or chili with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and roast at 450 degrees until tomatoes collapse.

2. Add spinach and roast until wilted.

3. Meanwhile, fry eggs.

4. Split open baked potatoes and top each with tomato mixture, a fried egg and feta.

Shakshuka

North African Poached Eggs in Spicy Tomato Sauce serves 4-6

3 tablespoons olive oil 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced 1 large red pepper (mild or spicy, your choice), thinly sliced 1 hot chili (jalapeno, serrano or Fresno) thinly sliced 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 1 ½ tablespoons smoked paprika 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 28-ounce can whole, peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand Salt and pepper to taste Large handful of cilantro or parsley, chopped 6 large eggs Sliced oil-cured black olives, feta cheese and/or artichoke hearts for serving (optional) Crusty bread for serving 1. Heat oil in large, deep sided skillet over high heat. Add onion, red pepper and chili. Spread into a layer and cook without stirring until vegetables are deeply browned and staring to char, about 6 minutes. Stir and repeat and continue to cook until vegetables are fully softened and charred in spots, 4 minutes.

2. Add garlic and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

3. Add paprika and cumin and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

4. Add tomatoes and stir to combine. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, season to taste with salt and pepper

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and add half of the cilantro or parsley.

5. Using a large spoon, make a well in the sauce near the rim of the pan and break an egg into it. Spoon a little sauce over the edges of the egg leaving the yolk uncovered. Repeat with remaining eggs.

6. Season eggs lightly with salt. Cover and reduce heat to low and cook until the whites are set, and the yolks are still runny, 5 – 8 minutes.

7. Sprinkle with remaining cilantro or parsley. Add any additional toppings if desired.

8. Serve immediately with crusty bread.

GOOD DAY!™ MAGAZINE www.nationalgrange.org

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Get your

By Ann Olson Bercher

Eggs from the source

Lecturer, National Grange Certified Culinary Specialist Want to raise your own chickens for a steady supply of eggs? There are some pros and cons regarding raising your own chickens for eggs. One of the pros is that raising chickens for egg production doesn’t interfere with their biology and reproductive system. Chickens lay eggs. They are generally nice birds. It’s great!

Here is a list of some things to consider before you purchase those cute, fluffy chicks.

1.

The first thing to consider is if you can raise chickens in your back yard based on your city ordinances. Many urban and suburban areas restrict the number of hens allowed and many don’t allow roosters. Fortunately, you do not need a rooster to get eggs.

2.

Do you have enough space? You will need three to five square feet per chicken in the nesting coop (also called a henhouse), plus 10 square feet per chicken in their enclosed run. For example, a flock of six chickens would require 6’-by-4’ nesting coop plus a 6’-by-10’ run.

3.

Do you have access to food and water for your chickens? Chickens are omnivores. They eat grains, fruits, vegetables and insects. Chickens should typically be fed a prepared feed that is balanced for vitamins, minerals and protein. A healthy laying hen diet should also contain crushed oyster shell for egg production and grit for digestion. A 6-pound hen will eat roughly 3 pounds of feed each week. This amount may increase in the winter when they burn more calories, and less in the summer when it’s really hot.

4.

What kind of chickens do you want? There are a wide a variety of chicken breeds, developed for egg production, meat production or good looks. While many breeds are adaptable to a backyard setting, certain breeds are better than others for backyard conditions. Medium to large breeds are good for cold winters. A mellow temperament and good egg laying are also nice if you have children or other animals around.

5.

How long are you willing to wait to get eggs? Hens begin laying at around six months of age and can continue for five to 10 years with peak production occurring in the first two years. They will lay roughly six eggs each week. Egg production drops each year when the hens molt (replace their feathers in the early fall) and as daylight hours are lost. Hens

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need at least 12 to 14 hours of light each day to continue laying eggs.

6.

Where can you purchase birds? You can order from major hatcheries online. There are also many individuals breeding and selling poultry. Local farm supply stores may also order them for you. Keep in mind, the younger the bird, the less expensive. However, you will need to feed your chicks for 20 – 24 weeks before they are old enough to lay eggs. As for how many chickens should you purchase? Well, how many egg do you use in a week? Three chickens at peak production will produce between 18 and 21 eggs each week. What will you do with them?

7.

What will you do with the manure? Chickens aren’t the neatest of livestock. The coop floor will collect feed residue, manure, water and a fair number of various bacteria. You will need to clean your coop regularly. You have some options such as composting. You might also want to explore movable shelters for pasturing your birds if you have the space.

8.

What is your End of Use Exit strategy? Yes, chickens can live up to ten years. As mentioned earlier, their egg production goes down significantly after the first two years. Many people find chickens to be delightful pets, but it’s something to consider if you are in this for the eggs rather than the companionship.

If you are still leaning toward raising chickens for eggs, I recommend that you research through your state university’s Extension Website. Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Pennsylvania have great resources and information about raising chickens for eggs, and I am sure many other university Extension services do also.

Good luck!

GOOD DAY!™ MAGAZINE www.nationalgrange.org

THE LAST

Word

By Mike Beam Kansas Secretary of Agriculture Growing up in rural Kansas and

I later realized this public service

agree we’re experiencing an increasingly

devoting my career to serving farmers

culture was not limited to my family

negative

and ranchers has instilled in me the

but instilled in rural and agriculture

environment that permeates the news,

importance of public service for the

communities across America. I challenge

including the traditional television and

betterment of the community, the value

you to find a person in our more remote

radio shows, and especially the robust

of collaborating with others on unifying

rural areas who is not serving in some

social media front. A recent survey

goals or objectives, and above all doing

form of a public service role, such as

released by Weber Shandwick, a data

so in a gracious and polite manner.

township or cemetery board, church

driven marketing and public relations

My parents first taught me the

leader or event committee. I was not

firm, reported most Americans — 93%

necessity of public service by example.

surprised when I learned of the results

— identify incivility as a problem, with

They, like many of our neighbors, took

of a recent poll by a national agricultural

most classifying it as a “major” problem

their turn and stepped up when our

trade association’s membership that

(68%). This disturbing rate has changed

church, 4-H club, school board and

revealed nearly half of their members are

little since 2010.

local civic group needed volunteers to

involved with a youth organization and

Seldom do we hear public bickering

provide active support and leadership

nearly 40% of the farmers and ranchers

or witness political posturing amongst

for the community. I fondly recall when

donate their time to civic organizations.

local leaders in our rural communities.

my grandfather and father both earned

The national average amongst all U.S.

If you want to witness a constructive

perfect attendance pins from the Lions

citizens is reportedly 7%.

and polite debate about an issue and a

and

caustic

political

Club and frequently led the way with the

I’d suggest now, more than ever, is

decision to be made, consider visiting

town Easter egg hunt and other projects

when rural and agricultural leaders are

a county commission meeting, school

sponsored by this civic group. I was so

needed to step up for various roles in

board session or church council meeting

proud of my father when he started the

local governing bodies, state Capitols

in rural America. In addition, public policy

youth summer baseball team in our small

and in Washington, D.C. Not only do we

debates in state and national agricultural

farming community and fondly recall

need strong representation from locally

organizations are often intense with

how parents filled the bleachers and

trained rural leaders to perpetuate our

regional and philosophical differences,

cheered when their kids won or lost the

civic duty culture, but we also need

but seldom are they caustic, personal or

game. Perhaps his most gracious move

elected leaders and public officials who

blasted externally through social media

was to step down from coaching soon

do so in the neighborly manner we are

posts.

after the program was established and

accustomed to.

let others take ownership of this effort.

Most seasoned political observers

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GOOD DAY!™ MAGAZINE www.nationalgrange.org

Last fall, as I was preparing for my presentation at the National Grange

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Convention, I was inspired to read about this organization’s

We should also continue to prop up our youth and show

objectives. Phrases such as “foster mutual understanding and

them by example that the most productive and fruitful

cooperation” and “constantly strive to secure harmony, good

approach for discourse when addressing challenging issues

will and brotherhood…” hit a chord of salvation in my heart.

is to do so the Grange way. It’s healthy and imperative to

Wow…there’s a politically active organization that strives to

consider differing opinions, but it’s most impactful when our

“earnestly endeavor to suppress personal, local, sectional,

youth observe how we create a habit of listening carefully and

and national prejudices, all unhealthy rivalry and all selfish

engaging in a cordial and thoughtful manner.

ambition”!

Let’s consider holding public officials more accountable for

These objectives, if put into action by leaders in our

their actions and less by their policy decisions. We are a diverse

communities, can create the best sort of local collaborative

bunch and it’s rare when we all agree on what are priority issues

environment in which neighbors can put aside any ideological

and the ideal solution(s). I believe we lessen the tension when

differences to accomplish good deeds together.

we learn to listen to our perceived adversaries and accept

So, how can rural and agricultural advocates make a

our differences…especially our political philosophies. So

difference in lessening the chastising rhetoric and tribal

how about politely, but firmly, noting our disappointments to

behavior that makes it impossible to move forward with our

elected and public officials who speak out critically of their

country’s most pressing challenges?

peers and pound the wedge deeper. Let’s suggest they more

First, get in the game and lead by example. We desperately

closely adhere to the Grange’s public service objectives.

need candidates who will campaign on their vision and goals

And lastly, let ‘s be sure to thank those who make the

without degrading and villainizing the competing candidate(s).

sacrifice to spend time away from their families and businesses

I’ll admit the politics of today can be cruel and insensitive and

to serve us at the local, state and national level. I can assure

have become a thankless vocation, but serving in an elected

you these people hear plenty of complaints and seldom hear

office is still a public service venture if our intentions are selfless

genuine thanks.

and our actions are productive. I may be bit Pollyanna-ish, but

I’m thankful that I was invited to be with National Grange

surely there’s hope for candidates who genuinely subscribe to

members during their Convention in Wichita. Because of this

the Grange’s Declaration of Purposes which suggests that a “…

experience I learned more about the organizations’ principles

difference of opinion is no crime. Progress toward truth is made

and objectives, which is inspiring and so appropriate as we face

by differences of opinion, while the fault lies in the bitterness

the challenges today and for our next generations of rural and

of the controversy.”

agricultural leaders.

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GOOD DAY!™ MAGAZINE www.nationalgrange.org