"In essentials, unity—in non-essentials, liberty—in all things, charity"!
MAR.
21, 2014 ~ SPRING ~VOL. 2 NO. 1
I ndependentG rangeC ommunicationsN etwork
—an unofficial voice from and for the Grange grassroots—
Saying the Grange Movement
needs to become relevant again…
is not a put-down, but a hopeful,
necessary encouragement
This photo taken recently at the Oliver H. Kelley Farm in Minnesota
Howsit, Grangers!
Thanks to those of you who passed the
last issue of this newsletter on to friends.
This is how we grow. We accept no funds
and sell no ads; we are volunteers who
have ideas about growing the Grange.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
The Action Grange
p. 2
Book Review: Prairie Fire
p. 3
A Call from Armstrong
p. 3
Cloudbursts
p. 6
Mass. & Calif. Ag Education
p. 13
Best Practices
p. 15
Grangers Are Pondering
p. 16
Greenhorns Perspective
p. 17
A Grange Revitalization Story
p. 19
Why Organic Farming
p. 20
Patrons of Transition
p. 21
National’s Elections Procedures
p. 22
Tradition: the Enemy of Change
p. 24
Action Alert
p. 24
~ Lanny Cotler, editor
Thomas A. Woods wrote a seminal book about the
Grange called Knights of the Plow. Here, exclusive to
the IGCN News, he ties our noble past to the
uncertain future.
The Grange & Historical and Contemporary Agrarianism
BY THOMAS A. WOODS, PH.D.
What is meant by the term agrarianism? How is it related to the early Patrons of Husbandry and
Granger Movement of the nineteenth century? What connection does agrarianism and the Granger
Movement have to emerging controversies within the modern Grange? 1
Historically, American agrarianism is rooted in the notion that farming has inherent moral qualities and
an economic primacy critical to the success and survival of a free and equal American society. Inherited
from the European Enlightenment and nourished in the fertile soil of revolutionary America, these ideas
were inextricably woven into American culture. According to Thomas Jefferson, perhaps the most
eloquent spokesman for the early agrarian philosophy, land-owning farmers were community-oriented and
the most reliable American citizens because they were rooted to the land. Joined to this idea was the
[Woods—continued on page 9]
IndependentGrangeCommunicationsNetwork
Page 1
"In essentials, unity—in non-essentials, liberty—in all things, charity"!
Independent Grange
Communications Network
is truly independent and
unofficial in every way. It belongs
to the Grange grassroots.
Send articles and inquiries to:
IGCN: 1517 Casteel Drive,
Willits, CA 95490
Senior Editor: Buzz Chernoff,
[email protected]
www.facebook.com/
IndependentGrangeCommunic
ationNetwork
We believe that leadership serves
the members, not the other way
round—and that each garden is
unique, as every gardener knows.
“I’m the Lady Assistant Steward.
He’s the new Assistant Steward. I
warned him we needed more
practice with the marching ritual.”
21, 2014 ~ SPRING ~VOL. 2 NO. 1
THE ACTION GRANGE A NOBLE EXPERIMENT
Buzz Chernoff
Tele: 707-367-1812
Managing Editor: Lanny Cotler,
[email protected]
MAR.
The origin of the Action Grange concept can be traced back to
a series of articles in the California State Grange Newsletter in
which Daniel Feldman described some of the ingredients that
went into revitalizing the Santa Cruz Live Oak Grange #503. This
was in the late 1990’s when the leadership of the National Grange
recognized that the continued loss of membership would soon
reach a critical point where the survival of the organization would
be in question. To stem the tide of loss, National Master Kermit
Richardson with the approval of the delegate body formed a
strategic task force to develop a preliminary strategy for renewing
the Grange.
The task force—made up of Feldman, 12 Grangers from states
around the county, and a consultant/facilitator—met during 1999
and reported their results in “A Strategy for Renewing the
National Grange - The Rationale and Importance of the Action
Grange Program, November 2000”, In the report the current
reality of the Grange was described as: a four decade steady loss
of membership; lack of relevance in the community; unappealing
to younger members; secretive and ritualistic; unable to attract
new members; no plans and few ideas; no optimism and little help
available; and resistance to change…to name a few.
Five strategies were identified and developed to address the
current reality: 1) stem the losses of recent or future members; 2)
create more effective leadership; 3) increase appeal and relevance;
4) improve organization and financial structure; 5) and reduce
resistance to change. To refine and implement these strategies, the
task force recommended a maximum of two hundred currently
active and successful Subordinate Granges be selected to be part
of this 5-year pilot program, which was named the Action
Grange. The idea behind this was that putting resources into
[Continued on the page 7]
IndependentGrangeCommunicationsNetwork
Page 2
"In essentials, unity—in non-essentials, liberty—in all things, charity"!
MAR.
Book review of Dan Armstrong's
Prairie Fire
By Lanny Cotler, IGCN Editor
I give nothing away (no spoilers) when I tell you that a heroic
major protagonist in Dan Armstrong's thriller novel, Prairie Fire…is
the Master of the National Grange!
His name is Forest Mahan and he is the spark plug, the inspiration
and fount of wisdom and democratic courage that drives the taut,
gripping, exceedingly relevant story behind the narrative of Prairie
Fire.
What happens when enough grain farmers across America,
especially the mid-west, decide that the convoluted structure of the
economic system between the small, independent family farmer and
the end-user is unfair? Or worse. That's the beginning of Prairie Fire,
and while it takes you back to the thrilling days of yesteryear—when
farmers all across America rose up and formed, out of necessity, the
National Grange of the Order of the Patrons of Husbandry!—it also
pulls you hard into the crisis felt by small and medium-sized farmers
today.
The genius of Armstrong's storytelling is in his ability to create
and clearly define the protectors of our common ground. You think
you know who the good guys and bad guys are in real life? Armstrong
has some surprises for you. From the small wheat farmer in Nebraska
and Kansas—to the inner sancta of Homeland Security—the threads
to this thriller knit and pull at page-turning speed.
When was the last time you underlined or highlighted the "pulp
fiction" you read? I couldn't help myself. There be quotable passages
in this yarn!
When was the last time you reread passages in a novel in order to
understand the problems and perspectives of the farmers that our
Grange ostensibly reveres and supports?
The second paragraph of the Prologue to Prairie Fire reads thus:
"The farmers were frustrated for a whole lot of reasons, from subsidy
politics to the skyrocketing price of petroleum products to recent
fluctuations in the grain market. 'Fluctuations, hell, out and out
manipulation is what a lot of folks were calling it!' One way or the
other, all agreed. Things had been pinching in pretty hard on the small
guy of late. The cost of farming, human and financial, didn't quite
seem worth it anymore."
[Continued on next page]
IndependentGrangeCommunicationsNetwork
21, 2014 ~ SPRING ~VOL. 2 NO. 1
Exclusive to the IGCN
News: Dan Armstrong adds
a note to accompany our
review of his book.
The Time Has
Come, Grangers!
By Dan Armstrong
It seems we’ve reached a cusp.
A time when farming must be
sustainable from every angle
that you view it—economic,
environmental, and emotional.
The large farm remains a key
part of United States
production, particularly for
grains and staple crops, but it
seems more and more, as the
trends of the last sixty years are
evaluated, that the industrial
model of agriculture does not
pass muster—what with soil
loss, contamination of the
ground water, deforestation,
desertification, and increased
petrochemical inputs…and
more! Big Ag is not farming the
United States or the planet in a
way that can be sustained.
The integration of whole
system farm operations and the
relocalization of food systems
is the future—not more
monoculture, not more
chemicals, not genetic roulette.
It’s knowing the region,
growing to the food-shed, and
saving the seed. And this brings
us to the Order of the Patrons
of Husbandry and a path to
that sustainable future.
[Continued on next page]
Page 3
"In essentials, unity—in non-essentials, liberty—in all things, charity"!
MAR.
21, 2014 ~ SPRING ~VOL. 2 NO. 1
[Continued from previous page]
As an erstwhile filmmaker, I predict they'll make a movie of this
book someday. Here are the main characters, in order of appearance:
Nathaniel Cromwell: Retired colonel, U.S. Special Forces, and
though the recipient of a Medal of Honor left the military
precipitously when he discovered the CIA dealing drugs. He returns
to his family's grain farm in Kansas, and there he's happy to stay…
until he meets the National Grange Master and later the leader of
Americas militias. Uncommon associates? Indeed. But Armstrong is
looking for common ground.
Forest Mahan: President of the National Grange (Master).
"When all the various factors for growing grain and raising livestock
are included, petrochemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides,
enriched feed, farm equipment fuel, product transportation, and
plastic packaging, the average American family effectively puts
more petroleum products in their belly each year than they put into
the tank of their car." Mahan has studied the history of America's
farmers, the plight of the farmers today, and the effects of industrial
agriculture and transnational finance. He's a man on fire.
Linda Bennett: Syndicated columnist for The New York
Financial Times. Her father, recently deceased, worked high up in
the CIA. She's honest and concerned: a fair witness. Can't say
anymore without giving away the story.
Atossa Andreas-Nelson: Sole heiress to Canada's Andreas
Grain, second-largest grain broker in the world. She appears early in
the story at her mansion with three guests: her brother, president of
America Bank and chairman of the board of Merit Oil; the Secretary
of Defense; and a man named McClay, one of the most powerful
lawyers on Wall Street. Four big players—what could their purpose
be?
James Kenaghy: the President of the United States. Armstrong
introduces us to the man behind the curtain. He seems so powerless
in Washington that we continually wonder about his ability to
deliver. Armstrong, however, shows us a real person with real and
serious problems who decides to deliver on his promises.
General Vincent Hayes: Head of the Montana Militia (with
links to all the states), agrees to provide Cromwell and Mahan with
the sort of support his militia can uniquely give.
What keeps the pages turning? Armstrong can shift gears, storythreads, smoothly and definitively. Here's how he moves from the
White House Oval Office to the grain fields of Kansas:
[Continued on next page]
IndependentGrangeCommunicationsNetwork
The first Grange was
founded nearly 150 years ago
in Fredonia, New York by
Oliver Kelley and others. The
situation in 1867 was
remarkably similar to our
circumstances today. What
Kelley advocated then—cooperative buying groups, a
farmer bank, shared grain
storage, and a network of
Granges to strengthen farmer
communication and the farm
community—are all equally
needed today, and the Grange
remains the best organization
for making that happen—which
is why I made it the center
piece of my novel Prairie Fire
that addresses the sustainability
of industrial agriculture.
The Grange has certainly
gone through its changes since
Fredonia. At times it has been
an extremely progressive entity,
advocating at the turn of the
19 th century for women’s
suffrage, anti-trust laws, and
the nationalization of the
railroad. But the Grange has
moved away from its
progressive roots. Today, the
largest and longest lasting
national farmer union remains
in the age of industrialized
agriculture and is not taking
part in some of the most
important farming issues of our
t i m e s . We s e e s e r i o u s
movement in the California
Grange to adjust this vision. We
have seen the arrival of the
Green Granger and the Green
Granger Summit in Oregon.
[Continued on next page]
Page 4
"In essentials, unity—in non-essentials, liberty—in all things, charity"!
"While the masters of the universe were moving markers
around on a board in Washington, out in America's heartland, three
men in faded blue jeans, worn work shirts, and baseball caps had
gathered at the one fence post all three of their farms shared, and
in the laconic way were discussing the most important thing on the
face of the earth—topsoil. It was a slow Sunday afternoon, twelve
days into April…. The winter growing season had been good, and
the wheat was less than three months from harvest. There was
reason to be satisfied, but the talk was subdued."
Those three men actually set the story's core in motion.
They know that heavy petro-chemical use is slowly but surely
destroying their land. They talk about an alternative way of
farming supposedly advocated by the National Grange President.
It's amazing that a non-Granger captures the essence of the
populism, progressivism, and the democratic underpinnings to the
founding of the Grange Movement 140+ years ago.
One might be tempted to think that the author has a political
agenda underneath or behind the story. Perhaps he does. But more
prominent is the biologic and sociologic point of view or agenda.
And that's also amazing, because first and foremost Prairie Fire is
an entertainment! And a gripping, refreshing, unpredictable one at
that.
I couldn't help it. I called Dan Armstrong on the phone, so
fascinated was I with his treatment of the Grange and its deepest
roots and mission:
LC: Are you a member of the Grange?
DA: No, never a member.
LC: Have you considered becoming a member?
DA: Yes, I'd consider it. Much of what I do here in the
Willamette Valley, as a farmer advocate, could be the work of
the Grange.
LC: Why did you use the Grange so centrally in your
story?
DA: It was a natural fit. It was an organization already in
place that just needed a dynamic leader. Once I read about the
origin of the Grange, and Oliver H. Kelley, I was hooked. I
realized that what he was trying to do then still makes sense
today. Farmers need an organized community and they have to
work together. Cooperative is not a dirty word.
LC: Why did you put Forest Mahan in the middle of the
story?
MAR.
21, 2014 ~ SPRING ~VOL. 2 NO. 1
But this is just the leading edge
of a movement that really needs
to happen…and soon.
Age demographics tell a
significant part of the story.
Both for the Grange
membership and the country’s
farmers, our farmers are getting
older and for too long the
farmers’ children have been
reluctant to pick up the hoe.
Fortunately there is an
awakening occurring among
America’s young farmers. It’s
not on the front page of the
newspaper. It’s not visible
anywhere but at the farmers’
markets, the organic vegetable
stands, the little five-acre farms
that are sprouting up in little
farming communities from
New York to California, and
significantly in the California
Grange membership where the
average Granger age has dipped
from 65 to 45. This is exactly
where the Grange needs to be
—a new Grange with a vision
for the young farmer, a vision
that incorporates the economic
necessities, the environmental
concerns, and the emotional
support for those farmers who
are leading this new and
necessary movement in
American farming.
☯
[Continued on next page]
IndependentGrangeCommunicationsNetwork
Page 5
"In essentials, unity—in non-essentials, liberty—in all things, charity"!
DA: Because I knew unity was the biggest hurdle for
the farmers to overcome. I wanted a character that could
get his arms around everyone. He's the perfect balance
between the farmer and the environmentalist—the man
who could sit at the table with both organic and
conventional farmers and find the common ground.
LC: What do you want people to learn through this
story?
DA: The two G's—grain and gasoline. Management
of the planet starts with learning how to feed ourselves
sustainably. Using petroleum inputs can’t last.
LC: Do you think the small farmer or the market
should determine what is grown and where?
DA: Neither. The land should dictate what we grow
on it, not the market. And if the farmers are good
stewards, they'll listen to the land.
Remarkable man, Mr. Armstrong.
Kit Bradley, in a review of Prairie Fire on http://nateslibrary.blogspot.com/, writes: "In this story, we are very
concerned about the damage industrial farming is doing to
the land, the political efforts to control global oil supplies,
the ability of big industry to influence government in
furthering its agenda, the free-wheeling antics of the CIA,
and the list goes on. …Republicans and Democrats
collaborate, environmentalists and right-wing militia work
side-by-side. On the other hand, while the government, the
military, the CIA, and big industry have somewhat
complimentary agendas, they are not as visibly cooperating."
So you see Mr. Armstrong writes about a world we know
all too well. The book is neither left nor right: it's about
localizing the stewardship of the land and the commitment
that may be necessary in order to do so.
That's it. Get the book. Pass it around to all Grangers. Be
a damn good thing to chat about the next time y’all get
together.
From your local book store. From Amazon. Or from Dan
Armstrong himself: http://mudcitypress.com/mudfire.html.
I’ll bet he’ll sign your copy.
☯
IndependentGrangeCommunicationsNetwork
MAR.
21, 2014 ~ SPRING ~VOL. 2 NO. 1
Cloudbursts
Comments came in from Grangers across the land.
Here are a few that seemed particularly energized
and beg for discussion. So, we’ll start a section
called CLOUDBURSTS or SHORT SHOUTS FROM
LONE GRANGERS and ask that you send in a “short
shout” yourself.
⊞
“There’s not enough horizontal communication
among Grangers across the land. Each state, each
Granger, seems isolated one from another.” ~ MJ,
Massachusetts
“It’s amazing that the Grange has lasted as long as
it has. But the declining overall membership worries
us here.” ~ TG, Washington
“Maybe there was a good reason for it, but the
Grange is too topdown hierarchical for Grangers
today who harkening back have a strong populist
bent and looking forward are plugged into online
social networking and web 2.0.” ~ GF, Oregon
“The Grange Movement rises again!” ~ HY, New
York
“How to make the Grange Movement relevant to the
times—that is indeed the question! We do it, or we
die.” ~ DW, California
“I know what the purpose of the National Grange
used to be, when the Grange was really about
farming and agriculture, before the insurance
industry took over and before social networking and
smartphones. But today, I don’t think we’re as smart
about farming and we need to learn much more
about “growing healthy food from healthy soil,” as
you put it in the last issue. ~ GG, Colorado
“Do a story about the rooftop Brooklyn Grange farm
—even if they’re not a chartered Grange. They
should be! And welcome to them! ~ AW, California
☯
Page 6
"In essentials, unity—in non-essentials, liberty—in all things, charity"!
[Continued from page 2]
those Granges most likely to succeed would
provide information and programs that could be
transferred to all of the Granges.
The formation of the Action Program was
announced in late 2000, and applications to
become an Action Grange were solicited with a
deadline of March 2001. The application included
a very thorough description of the applying
Grange and if selected, an investment fee of $200
to cover materials and trainings. One hundred and
sixteen Subordinate Granges from around the
country became Action Granges.
Action Granges were given leeway by the
National Grange to forego much of the ritual and
formality of the traditional Grange. The only two
requirements for an Action Grange meeting were
saying the pledge of allegiance and the presence
of holy book on the table. The Action Granges
were given a mandate to create new programs and
new approaches that would better serve their local
communities, draw in new members and
ultimately revitalize the Grange movement. Each
Action Grange was required to develop a 5-yr
strategic plan which began with writing a vision
statement and ended with specific tasks to be
accomplished within a specific timeframe. The
National Grange supplied educational materials
and workbooks and workshops to help with this
task. Completing the workbooks required going
through a structured strategic planning process
which included writing a vision statement,
prioritizing goals and objectives with a timeline to
meet the vision, and identifying the tasks and
personnel to carry them out. All this was submitted
to the National Grange.
Regional workshops, lead by the consultant/
facilitator, were held to go over the workbooks and
to report on what changes were being instituted and
how they were succeeding. Most if not all Action
Granges changed from the ritual meeting format to
an open roundtable or business format. The name
MAR.
21, 2014 ~ SPRING ~VOL. 2 NO. 1
Subordinate Grange was replaced with Community
Grange, and the names of the officers were
changed to the more contemporary President for
Master, vice-president for Overseer, etc. Meetings
which were previously restricted to members were
opened to the public who were encouraged to
come. Various innovative programs were
developed by different Action Granges to make
their Grange visible in the community, through
participation in local events such as 4th of July
parades, opening up the halls for community
meeting, and putting on events and doing projects
for the community.
In an article published in June 2008 by the
Connecticut State Grange, National President
Luttrell discussed the Action Grange Program and
the contribution it has made to changes for all
Community Granges. Those included: allowing the
Executive Committee to be called the Board of
Directors; allowing Subordinate Granges to be
referred to as Community Granges; letting the
Annual Word be optional for Community and
Pomona Granges; approval of an Alternative
Manual for conducting meetings; the use of
alternative titles for officers; adoption of a
[Continued on the next page]
IndependentGrangeCommunicationsNetwork
Page 7
"In essentials, unity—in non-essentials, liberty—in all things, charity"!
MAR.
21, 2014 ~ SPRING ~VOL. 2 NO. 1
[Action Granges—continued from previous page]
Welcoming Ceremony with a method for receiving
new members, and the formation of two study
committees to look at both the manual and
updating the degree and installation ceremonies.
What the National President failed to discuss was
The changing of meeting formats and changing
of titles certainly helped newcomers feel more
comfortable at meetings, but those changes alone
will not make the Grange more visible in the
community, or get folks wanting to join. Working
together toward fulfilling the vision of a
sustainable future will. The Action Grange
program taught us how to do that.
~•~
In writing this article I have relied on the
Strategic Planning Task Force Report, Ed Luttrell’s
paper, notes from Daniel Feldman, comments by
the Aromas, New Haven, and Greenhorn Granges,
Richard Roth’s webpage, and my notes and
memory as a participant in the Action Grange
program. While Roth’s webpage lists websites for
most of the Action Grange materials provided by
the National Grange, none of these pages are
how the Action Granges learned to bring folks into currently available. Likewise, a Google search for
their halls, become visible in the community and
any documentation of the Action Grange program
grow their membership. These were the real
failed to turn up anything from the National
lessons learned from the Action Grange program. Grange.
It began with brainstorming sessions where the Luttrell, Ed ‘The State of Action Grange’,
members as a body reached consensus on what
Connecticut State Grange, 2008
they wanted their Grange to be 3 to 5 years down
http://www.ctstategrange.com/printarticle.asp?
the road. This visioning process took the focus off
ID=704
of the immediate needs that dominate so many
Roth, Richard Another Grange Secret: Action
Granges and provided a framework for the future
Grange’‘, The Grange Insider, December 2012
that the Action-Grange members had built together
http://thegrangeinsider.blogspot.com/
and believed in. From the vision came goals for
Strategic Planning Task Force. ‘A Strategy for
bringing the vision to light and the specific projects
Renewing the National Grange: The Rationale
needed for meeting those goals.
and Importance of the Action Grange Program’,
Long range planning (3–5 yrs) was a revelation
November 2000
in that it laid out the trail by which we could become
Copies available by e-mailing Buzz Chernoff at
what we wanted to be. To get people into the halls
[email protected]
we need to put on events, but before we can put on
events we need to make the hall safe and inviting.
[There used to be a lot of info about Action
Thus, while we were doing that we could participate Granges on the National Grange website—http://
in community events like the traditional annual
www.nationalgrange.org/ActionGrange/
events, and, most of all, go to community meetings PositionPapers.pdf—but it’s been taken down. We
to listen and tell about what the Grange was doing to wonder why. ~Editor]
become relevant in the community.
☯
IndependentGrangeCommunicationsNetwork
Page 8
"In essentials, unity—in non-essentials, liberty—in all things, charity"!
[Woods—continued from page 1]
contemporary belief, shared by many of
Jefferson's revolutionary generation, that corrupt
commercial interests were arrayed against
farmers. According to agrarians, monopoly
capitalists were selfish, cared little for community,
and were eager to capture the economic and social
benefits of the farmer's
labor for themselves.
In the mid-19thcentury, farmers found
themselves in a changing
world. The industrial
revolution, increasing
urban populations, and
improved transportation
systems had altered the
way they farmed and
marketed their crops. No
longer focused on
feeding only their
families and a local
community, farmers were enmeshed in a complex
commercial system. They found themselves
dealing with manufacturers, salesmen, buyers,
elevator operators, wheat graders, money lenders,
and others—middlemen with whom few had had
previous experience. Their former independence
disappeared. As the commercial system
developed, monopoly capitalism quickly began
eliminating competition among buyers and
railroads that purchased and hauled the farmers'
produce. When that began happening, farmers
protested that American justice, liberty, and
equality were being perverted by greedy
capitalists.
The great American agrarian protest
movements of the 19th- and 20th-centuries were
focused in the West and the Midwest. The protests
emerged from the relative social isolation of
farmers, low farm commodity prices, and high
costs of production that resulted in economic
MAR.
21, 2014 ~ SPRING ~VOL. 2 NO. 1
hardship for farm families. These economic and
social problems were coupled with the strong
belief that monopoly capitalists were stealing their
profits with unreasonably high equipment,
transportation, and credit costs and low
commodity prices, and that they were violating
basic American concepts of equality and freedom
of opportunity. Farmers
felt like the victims of
railroad managers,
middlemen,
manufacturers, and
creditors.
Throughout the
nineteenth and twentieth
centuries, agrarian
movements have
emerged, prospered for
a while, and then
receded. Generally,
farmers' organizations
and related political
parties advocated increased governmental
regulation. They believed that a government
which fairly represented the common American
would and should ensure social justice and
preserve economic and political equality. Most
farmer organizations were organized to provide
protection and relief for themselves through three
courses of action: 1) legislation to protect the
farming class from the economic power of
capitalists, which usually included government
control or intervention; 2) cooperative buying and
selling opportunities to reduce the cost of
purchased goods and increase the profits on their
commodities; and 3) a moral purification of the
American political and economic system, which
generally meant a return to truth and democratic
fairness in government, and to the old
“republican” ideals of equal and parallel paths of
opportunity. The basic concept of this republican
form of capitalism was the belief that all
[Woods—continued on next page]
IndependentGrangeCommunicationsNetwork
Page 9
"In essentials, unity—in non-essentials, liberty—in all things, charity"!
[Woods—continued from previous page]
Americans should have an equal chance for
success, and the success of one individual should
become an asset to other community members,
not an obstruction to their success. It was a
concept built around the idea that individual
achievement could be good for all individuals in
the community. (Note that the words republican
and republicanism here and in my book Knights
of the Plow have nothing to do with the
Republican Party, but refer to this concept that
was commonly understood by community leaders
in the 18th and 19th centuries.)
Although there were earlier farmer-based
revolts, such as the Whiskey Rebellion in 1791,
the Grange was really the first national agrarian
movement based on these concepts. In 1867,
Oliver H. Kelley, a farmer from Minnesota
organized the Grange, or Patrons of Husbandry,
while working as a clerk in Washington, D.C.
The Grange was organized initially as a fraternal
organization for farmers, with secret ritual,
educational programs, and social activities. But
this concept was “dead on arrival” with farmers.
Once he was back among active farmers in
Minnesota, however, Kelley, who had conceived
the idea of the Grange and was its primary
advocate and organizer, quickly found he could
not interest significant numbers of farmers in this
MAR.
21, 2014 ~ SPRING ~VOL. 2 NO. 1
initial concept which did not address the
immediate issues they faced.
As a result, Kelley reverted to fairly activist
ideas he had advocated as secretary of the Benton
County Agricultural Society (BCAS) in
Minnesota in the 1850s. In addition to helping
educate farmers about state-of-the-art farming
practices, by 1855, Kelley believed the BCAS
should help members acquire agricultural
implements at reasonable prices, and provide
protection to farmers from middlemen, dishonest
traders, and monopolies. (See Knights of the
Plow for a fuller description of Kelley’s early
agrarian ideas.)
Between 1867 and 1875, active Grange
organizers advocated a consistent program they
believed the Grange should follow: establish
farmer cooperatives to eliminate the middleman;
encourage competitive water transportation to
destroy the railroad monopoly on marketing
transportation; create state laws to regulate
railroad rates; return to a more balanced
monetary system; and eliminate the protective
tariff that raised the cost of manufactured goods
farmers needed.
The Grange swept through the Midwest,
West, and South in the early 1870s. Farmer
cooperatives bought and sold goods, and
independent political parties successfully passed
"granger laws" to regulate railroads. As it
[Woods—continued on next page]
IndependentGrangeCommunicationsNetwork
Page 10
"In essentials, unity—in non-essentials, liberty—in all things, charity"!
MAR.
21, 2014 ~ SPRING ~VOL. 2 NO. 1
[Woods—continued from previous page]
approached a million members in the mid-1870s,
the Grange was beset by conflict between those
who advocated political activism that addressed
the needs of the time and those who preferred a
more moderate approach, primarily by providing
opportunities for social interaction, educational
lectures, and fraternal goals. Kelley lost the battle
with the conservative members of the National
Grange and in 1878, he resigned and moved to
Florida to focus on town site development. When
the National Grange refused to address the core
social, political, and economic problems of
farmers, the members deserted the organization
in droves.
As the Grange
appeal faded, the
agrarian torch was
passed to the
Farmer's Alliance,
which became the
largest and most
successful agrarian
movement.
Borrowing much
from the early
Grange, the early
Alliance was a
fraternal organization
with secret rituals, educational programs, and
social activities, but it quickly focused on
cooperative activities, and then became
politically active again. Like the Grange, the
Alliance negotiated agreements with
manufacturers to purchase equipment at reduced
costs, and local chapters organized joint stock
stores so members could purchase goods at
reduced prices. Cotton and other produce were
marketed jointly. By 1892, the Alliance, now a
national phenomenon, became openly political
when its members formed the People's Party,
whose supporters were referred to as Populists.
Populists demanded government control of
railroads, telegraphs, and of the new telephone
systems; opposed land ownership by aliens and
corporations; and insisted on a monetary system
that was controlled by the government and
increased the amount of money in circulation.
The Farmers’ Alliance withered when the
Populist candidate, William Jennings Bryan, lost
in the 1896 presidential election.
The Farmers’ Alliance was succeeded by
other agrarian organizations advocating similar
goals. The Non-Partisan League emerged in the
Dakotas in 1915, the Farmer’s Holiday
Association emerged in Iowa and Minnesota in
1932, and it contained many former Non-Partisan
Leaguers. While most
of these early 20th
century organizations
disappeared, the
National Farmers
Union continues to
operate today. It was
formed in 1902 and
incorporated agrarian
goals similar to these
other agrarian
organizations. The
National Farmers’
Organization can also
be termed an agrarian movement because it
shared similar cooperative goals. It emerged in
1955 in Iowa as a kind of producers union. In the
1960s it organized withholding actions to
influence the market, but later moderated its
character and became less confrontational.
In all cases, these agrarian organizations
attracted members because they specifically
addressed farm issues of the time. Although some
of these organizations disbanded, several of the
goals they advocated were later achieved.
In the twenty-first century, farming is
undergoing another revolution, a technological
revolution that is perhaps even more disruptive of
[Woods—continued on next page]
IndependentGrangeCommunicationsNetwork
Page 11
"In essentials, unity—in non-essentials, liberty—in all things, charity"!
[Woods—continued from previous page]
social and economic relationships than that from
which the Grange and other agrarian organizations
emerged in response to the nineteenth century’s
commercial agricultural revolution. Farmers today
make up less than two percent of America’s
population, and many of those farmers are largescale farmers for which farming has become more
specialized, complex, and capital intensive.
Today, it is not uncommon for farmers to raise
hundreds of livestock in concentrated locations, or
to cultivate thousands of acres. Many large crop
farmers have turned to
“precision farming.” Aided by
Global Positioning Systems,
farmers plant seeds and fertilize
at exact intervals. Fertilizers
and pesticides are sometimes
even incorporated into the seed.
During harvest, farm equipment
monitors precisely track
production. Machinery is
increasingly intricate as the
precision approach demands
exacting calibration and
operation. Some tractors and
equipment have become robotic
extensions of the farmer,
independently sensing the field
and crisscrossing it with little
human intervention.
It is also not uncommon for the large-scale
21st-century farmer to make increasingly extensive
use of bioengineering. Genetically modified crops
(GMOs) have genes from different species
implanted into their genetic makeup to resist
certain pests, tolerate drought, or contain additional
nutrients. Today, GMOs account for about 85% of
all agricultural crops, and about 70% of the foods
in grocery stores have GMO ingredients. While
GMO technology focused first on corn, soybeans,
and cotton, GMOs are now found in food crops
like rice and wheat, canola, papaya, plum, potato,
IndependentGrangeCommunicationsNetwork
MAR.
21, 2014 ~ SPRING ~VOL. 2 NO. 1
tomato, zucchini, cantaloupe, and sugar beet.
Genetic manipulation also plays a large role in
the modern livestock industry. It is not new for
animals to be carefully bred for particular
characteristics. But today, it is not uncommon for
some farmers to use cloning techniques to
reproduce particularly valuable cows or other
livestock. Many farmers raise livestock in highly
mechanized feedlots where computers measure and
deliver exact amounts of scientifically formulated
feed. Growth hormones and antibiotics are added
to avoid disease and quickly increase weight. The
most modern dairy farms are as
highly mechanized as modern
factories. Robots do most of the
work. Cows are trained to walk
up to milking stations. Lasers
guide a machine that robotically
milks the cows.
A growing number of farmers
and consumers are resisting
these trends. While the number
of large farmers has steadily
declined, small farmers
following alternative methods
have steadily increased during
the past several years. These
alternative farmers believe that
the technological revolution is
dehumanizing agriculture.
Generally, their goals are to
produce healthy foods, families, local
communities, and environments. They are
concerned about the unknown long-term health
effects of GMO food and the widespread use of
pesticides geared to GMO food. They believe that
the increasing dependence on genetic manipulation
and expensive technology is separating people
from the food we eat and the ecological systems
we depend on. They are advocates of humane
treatment of food animals, preferring open-range
conditions to intensive confinement operations.
They advocate a closer relationship to the food we
Page 12
"In essentials, unity—in non-essentials, liberty—in all things, charity"!
Bravo Massachusetts!
Bravo California! Two
State Granges Take
Diverse Educational
Paths to Return the
Grange to its
Agricultural Roots
By Michael Foley, Pres. Little Lake Grange #670 (CA)
At the 2013 Massachusetts State State Grange
Annual Session, delegates reaffirmed their
commitment to a new Grange Roots initiative to
promote agricultural
education throughout the
state. First formulated at
the 2012 Session, the new
initiative draws in the
e n e rg i e s o f J u n i o r,
Community, and Pomona
Granges as well as state
committees to continue
the Grange's partnership
with Agriculture in the
Classroom, 4H, FFA, and
state agricultural schools. Massachusetts also
voted to support the Massachusetts State Grange
Pollinator and Herb Garden and Food Security
Through Urban Community Gardens and Home
Garden Revival projects of the UMass
Agricultural Learning Center. Massachusetts
State Grange is committing $100,000 to the first
year of the program, as well as establishing a
grant fund to help Granges initiate new projects
in agricultural education.
California's initiative is more narrowly
focused but no less ambitious. At the October
2013 State Convention, California’s delegates
voted to support the creation of the California
State Grange School of Agricultural Arts with
funding of $50,000 a year over the next three
years. This will necessitate additional fundIndependentGrangeCommunicationsNetwork
MAR.
21, 2014 ~ SPRING ~VOL. 2 NO. 1
raising of another $50K/year to make the budget.
The School is modeled on the highly successful
apprenticeship program at the AgroEcology Center
of the University of California Santa Cruz.
Starting in 2016 the School will offer a ninemonth apprenticeship in all aspects of building a
small farm, from crop planning to livestock raising
to business, marketing, and industrial arts. In
addition the School will offer workshops to
farmers, aspiring farmers and home gardeners on
site—and at neighboring Little Lake Grange. The
School will also develop a Youth Program for local
high school students and 4H members.
In the long run, the California State Grange
program has ambitions that parallel those of
Massachusetts. The hope is to spawn similar
apprenticeship program in other parts of the state,
develop a series of workshops that can be held at
Granges throughout California, and foster
C.R.A.F.T. Networks in California. (C.R.A.F.T.
stands for Collaborative Regional Alliance for
Farmer Training, a big name for small networks of
farmers committed to offering their farms for oncea-month workshops and tours by farm interns from
neighboring farms. Popular in the Northeast and
parts of the upper Midwest, C.R.A.F.T. is just
coming to California, and California State Grange
plans to be at the center of its development.)
One of the leading promoters of California’s
new School is Damian Parr, a professor of
Agricultural Education at UC Santa Cruz and CSG
Page 13
"In essentials, unity—in non-essentials, liberty—in all things, charity"!
Executive Committee member. Similarly, the
Massachusetts initiative grew in part out of the
desire of Dr. Stephen Herbert, Director of the
Center for Agriculture at the UMass Agricultural
Learning Center, to involve the Grange. But both
initiatives draw on a desire to return to the
Grange's roots in agriculture and the education of
the modern farmer. As the Massachusetts
Executive Committee put it, “The Massachusetts
State Grange's new focus brings us back to our
roots and centers on the promotion of agricultural
education at all levels of the Grange. The new
initiative promotes agriculture, greater community
involvement by the Grange, more visibility and
publicity.”
School of Agricultural Arts Announces
New Farm Site Manager, Seeks Students
The California State Grange School of
Agricultural Arts recently announced the hiring of
Ruthie King, a Granger with experience in both
livestock management and
CSA farming, as its new
Farm Site Manager at the
School's farm on
Ridgewood Ranch. Ruthie
will join the School in late
February and plunge into
readying the site for
incoming Practicum
Students. Over the next two
years, the School will ramp
up to a full enrollment of
apprenticeship students, and
Ruthie will oversee housing
and daily life for students as
well as play an important
role in teaching and field
work.
The School has offered its first workshop on
fruit tree pruning and orchard care lead by a
master pruning specialist on caring for aging
orchards—and two more on raising chickens and
building animal shelters. This May will see the
IndependentGrangeCommunicationsNetwork
MAR.
21, 2014 ~ SPRING ~VOL. 2 NO. 1
first students as Practicum Students arrive to
participate in the exciting work of creating the
school while taking classes once a week. The
School is seeking applicants to the Practicum
Student program, providing room and board,
along with enrollment in Mendocino College's
Cooperative Work Experience program, in
exchange for work on launching the project. So
this is a call to action. We need your direct
support or in-kind donations. Those who are
interested should contact
Director Antonia Partridge
[email protected].
Grangers across the country! This is open
especially to you…or you children…or, if you’re
old enough (and most of us are!), your
grandchildren. With Massachusetts and now
California creating practical farming education
programs—the Grange rocks!
The past guides us—the future needs us! ☯
Page 14
"In essentials, unity—in non-essentials, liberty—in all things, charity"!
Best Practices—
As Johnny Mercer wrote and Sam Cooke
once sang: “You've got to accentuate the
positive, eliminate the negative, latch on
to the affirmative, don't mess with mister
in-between.”
In this recurring section we’ll share with
you good ideas sent in by Grangers from
across the land—they’re definitively
positive.
Here Jan Saxton offers tips about GOOD
COMMUNICATIONS with volunteers, and Jerry
Allen submits his best practices for EVENT
PLANNING, very important for attracting
new members and keeping those who
have just joined.
Clarity of the job for
volunteers
~from Jan Saxton, Pres., Aromas Grange #361 (CA)
Last December the Aromas Grange ended up with
our big Holiday Community Potluck on a Friday
and our biggest concert of the year on Sunday of
the same weekend. I was really worried about
getting enough help to cover both events so I did
something I wish I had figured out five years ago:
I sent out an email to the membership asking for
help (nothing new). What I did that was different
was I broke down what was needed into a list of
very specific jobs and included how many people
were needed for each job; i.e. I need three people
to bring mashed potatoes, two people willing to
roast a turkey (the Grange will pay for it), three
people to serve, five people for kitchen cleanup,
etc. I got the best response I’ve ever had, we had
plenty of help with both events and everyone had a
great time.
MAR.
21, 2014 ~ SPRING ~VOL. 2 NO. 1
and, second, that someone had thought through
what was needed so we would have plenty of
people for each thing. I think that made it feel less
risky to volunteer, because they knew they weren’t
going to end up alone with a mountain of dishes or
the only one on set-up, so more people stepped up.
It also made it clear that we really needed a lot of
folks to help—and they did!
=PoH=
Suggestions for Event
Planners:
~from: Jerry Allen, Pres. Sebastopol Grange #306 (CA)
Concept Phase
Get clear on what you want the event to be.
Run the concept past others to strengthen it.
•
•
Pre-Planning
Recruit a committee to Name the Event and
build it.
Pick a venue and a date(s). If fundraiser, decide
on who gets what percentages.
Coordinate the date with other similar events to
minimize overlap.
Decide on what talent/speakers you want and
coordinate availability with dates.
If a meal(s) and chef are needed select and
coordinate dates.
Prepare pre-budget if needed for a parent
organization, with funding to carry it out.
•
•
•
•
•
•
Once you have date, venue, overall
concept and main talent and food
The key was letting our members know, first, that
they were being asked to take on one specific job,
Spread the jobs among your committee:
Marketing themes, message, flyer, social media,
print media, begin early.
Community networking among potential allies,
tablers, vendors, contributors, etc.
Volunteer recruitment (everyone on committee
helps) for pre-event flyering, hauling & set-up,
during event, clean-up/tear down/ haul back,
stage manager, ushers, liaisons, runners, first
aid, tickets & registration table, food choppers,
helpers. Assign volunteer manager(s) and
IndependentGrangeCommunicationsNetwork
Page 15
•
•
•
[Continued on next page]
"In essentials, unity—in non-essentials, liberty—in all things, charity"!
MAR.
21, 2014 ~ SPRING ~VOL. 2 NO. 1
[Best Practices—continued from previous page]
•
•
•
•
•
liaisons with food/chef, vendors, tablers,
suppliers, & allies.
Equipment rental/borrowing/purchase,
supplies, food.
Develop a full “guerrilla marketing” plan
from pre to post marketing.
Business elements: get insurance as needed,
decide admission price(s), how and who of
registrar, who will do treasurer and hold the
accounting and manage the money, prepare
any fuller budget if needed. Decide on work
trades/volunteers.
Grounds, bathrooms, parking, handicap
access, security as needed.
Check-in as needed with fire, police, city,
county to avoid surprises or noise-ordinance
problems.
Hold the event
up the responsibilities for the day/
• Divide
event so no one is burnt to a crisp.
checking in with tablers, vendors,
• Keep
liaisons, cooks, parking, registration.
a full first aid kit on site and go to
• Have
people.
After the event
•
•
•
•
•
Debrief it. Collect your thoughts mostly about
gratitudes, appreciations, but also what could
be improved next time.
Reach out to all who helped, contributed,
vended, supplied, marketed, & volunteered to
say thank you and to re-emphasize how you
value them.
Get some articles in the news and on-line and
videos on You-tube to spread the word.
Write a good final report for your parent
group if you have one.
Lay the ground work for a repeat event with
your post-marketing.
☯
IndependentGrangeCommunicationsNetwork
Grangers Are Pondering…
Question: If the Grange once focused primarily on
agricultural concerns, what is our relationship to
agriculture now?
Question: If the Grange once strove to protect the
rights, property and survivability of small,
independent farmers, should it still do so today?
Question: Is small, independent farming the same
thing or deserve the same support as big industrial
agricultural enterprises—as far as the Grange is
concerned?
Question: Do the plight, rights, and realities of the
undocumented farm worker concern the Grange?
We can, perhaps out of convenience or tradition,
ignore these questions, but we do so risking our
integrity, reputation, and survival.
Do you have an answer? Send it to us. Anonymous
or signed, we shall respect your wishes. This is the
IGCN, and we are part of the Grange
Movement!
Some of these questions—ours or sent in by
readers—will smart or annoy. We’re willing to
risk it because we have one over-riding goal: To
grow the Grange!
Page 16
"In essentials, unity—in non-essentials, liberty—in all things, charity"!
GRANGE FUTURE - A YOUNG FARMER
PERSPECTIVE ON THE GRANGE
BY JEN GRIFFITH, OF THE GREENHORNS
“History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme.”
- Mark Twain
Farmers of the 1860’s were hindered by
monopolies created by the railroads, telegraph
companies, warehouses, and huge grain silos that
charged exorbitant rates to store a farmer’s grain
while awaiting shipment and distribution. That’s
when a populist uprising vigorously and
creatively sought ways to deal with these
roadblocks:
through
collectivism, legal
action, building
of alternative
infrastructure,
and shaping
public view. An
important actor
within that
movement was
the Grange.
This fraternal
order not only
worked to unite
local farmers and
farming communities, it spurred a national
movement. The actions they took were
innovative; they created anti-monopoly laws,
cooperative enterprises, and a form of organizing
that was democratic and strongly uniting. While
we cannot today exactly replicate the actions of
the past, we can be inspired and learn from the
their successes and failures.
Farmers of the 2000’s are facing a
consolidated food system (Big Ag, Wall Street,
MAR.
21, 2014 ~ SPRING ~VOL. 2 NO. 1
and their lobbyists) with policies favoring big
industrial agriculture. Over the past ten years,
however, farmers young and old have been
creating the infrastructure needed to support a
local food economy. We have been changing laws
and reshaping the way growers and eaters think.
But we still have needs: laws to be changed,
equipment to be shared, and resources made
available to allow farmers to grow healthy food
while earning a living.
The needs vary. While farming communities
continue to use combines, grain storage,
commercial kitchens, slaughterhouses, butcher
shops, creameries, and affordable land, we also
require regulations which are appropriate for
family farms, not corporate farms, access to
renewable energy, justice, inclusion, and
rethinking of
subsidies—to
name just some
of the challenges
we currently face.
While we
individually farm
our fields, to
make this level of
change, we need
cooperative
action. And we
need the venues
and organizing
strategies to act
cooperatively. We need pathways to move
forward.
The Greenhorns is a non-traditional grassroots
non-profit organization made up of young farmers
and a diversity of collaborators. Our mission is to
recruit, promote and support the new generation
of young farmers. We do this by producing
programming, video, audio, web content,
publications, events, and art projects that increase
the odds for success and enhance the profile and
social lives of America’s young farmers.
[continued on next page]
IndependentGrangeCommunicationsNetwork
Page 17
"In essentials, unity—in non-essentials, liberty—in all things, charity"!
[Greenhorns—continued from previous page]
The Greenhorns sees opportunity and
inspiration in the Grange. The Grange has a
history of success in organizing farmers: an
intact democratic process, elders in the farming
community to learn from, and physical spaces
(Great Halls) as resources.
And it only helps that the need is mutual and
that young farmers could be equally as
beneficial to the aging Granges. As the
membership ages, the institution is at-risk with
chapters closing and buildings being neglected
or sold.
We are working on a project right now
called Grange Future. Grange Future is a
project to highlight both the inspiring history of
the Patrons of Husbandry as a populist
movement, to showcase the Granges and
Grange-like organizations working in this spirit,
and to give young farmers an entry-point into
the movement. Capturing the history and
current activities in audio, visual, and written
MAR.
21, 2014 ~ SPRING ~VOL. 2 NO. 1
form, we hope to learn from those with decades
of experience and connect those that are
working on similar themes throughout the
nation.
Adding energy to the Grange is another
opportunity to develop even stronger ties and
support within the farming communities. The
next generation did not grow up on the land that
they are now newly farming. We did not learn
the skills from our parents. Young farmers are
in search of mentors and institutions that can
support our work.
We are interested in hearing about and
highlighting Grange projects that are supporting
young farmers. We are also interested in
hearing about Granges at-risk of closing or of
Granges looking to include younger farmers in
their membership. Please be in touch with us at
[email protected]. And look out for our
website www.grangefuture.net which will be
live in April.
☯
[Woods—continued from page 12}
raise, consuming locally grown, open-pollinated or even simple hybrid food crops that are naturally
produced with organic methods designed to raise soil productivity and resist diseases and insects in
natural ways. They favor healthy, natural food-producing systems on smaller, more labor-intensive
farms. In support of this trend, or perhaps driving this trend, consumers are increasingly requesting
locally grown, organic crops, grass-fed beef and meat from animals fed and raised in more humane,
natural environments.
The dilemma for today’s Grange (and all farmers’ organizations) is how to respond and become
relevant to this new agricultural and consumer revolution. Remaining the same in the face of this
tsunami of change is not an option—except as a death wish. On the other hand, these changes also
represent a tremendous opportunity for the Grange to lead the way as a modern agrarian organization, to
become relevant to a new generation of farmers.
Bibliography
Buck, Solon. The Agrarian Crusade: A Chronicle of the Farmer in Politics. New Haven, 1920.
Goodwyn, Lawrence. Democratic Promise: The Populist Moment in America. New York, 1976.
Shover, John L. Cornbelt Rebellion: The Farmers' Holiday Association. Urbana, 1965.
U. S. Food and Drug Administration, tiny URL http://tinyurl.com/jw9y249, accessed February 15, 2014.
Woods, Thomas. Knights of the Plow: Oliver H. Kelley and the Origins of the Grange in Republican Ideology.
Ames: 1991.
☯
IndependentGrangeCommunicationsNetwork
Page 18
"In essentials, unity—in non-essentials, liberty—in all things, charity"!
OFFER AND THEY WILL COME
There is a new movement afoot in the world which
has as its center an interest in agriculture. This
movement is made up of young and old, with the
common interest of putting sustainable practices
in agriculture, food, health, and the environment
over short term productivity and profitability.
Some Granges have experienced growth and
transformation by opening their halls and hearts to
this new generation of farmers and concerned
citizens. The Sebastopol Grange #306 in Sonoma
County California is just one of these Granges. If
your Grange has found a way to attract folks with
this vision, why don’t you share your story with us
so we can learn how to grow from each other?
Please send your story to: Editor, IGCN,
[email protected]
A N I NSPIRING S TORY ABOUT G RANGE R EVITALIZATION
Sebastopol Grange #306 (CA) has come a long
way in the last three years. At the turn of the
decade the Hall had meetings of 4 to 5 people.
Last week we had over a 100 at our meeting and
sixteen new people took the obligation to join.
Our total active membership is now above 150.
MAR.
21, 2014 ~ SPRING ~VOL. 2 NO. 1
partnerships are with our traditional
partners like the 4-H club, two local high
school FFA groups and school garden
groups. Others are newer, such as our
sponsorship of the Food CO OP which,
after three years of our support, is set to
open its doors in April 2014.
We frequently bring the community to our
Hall for high value, low cost education and
fun. Examples include farming films,
Slow Food dinners, seed exchanges, craft
fairs, and a Cowboy Disco Christmas party
with Chili cook-off. The families come
early and stay late, and the young people
come and stay to the end. We have also
hosted groups of concerned community
members working on political issues such
as information on the drought, City
Council debates, and the conversion of our
apple orchards to vineyards.
The partnership I'm most proud of is with the
Framers Guild. This group of young farmers was
meeting in a barn to exchange ideas, teach each
[continued on next page]
No farmers—no food
How did we do it? We have used the traditions
of the Grange and the Grange Hall to invoke a
forward-looking vision. We held some great
events, ate some great food and most
importantly we made, deepened, and sustained
partnerships throughout the Sonoma County
community.
Our Grange has reached out and partnered
with other groups and individuals in the
community. All our partnerships are based on
our Grange mission of local food and rural
community resilience—those are old Grange
precepts in modern dress. Some of the
Tractor dance
IndependentGrangeCommunicationsNetwork
Page 19
"In essentials, unity—in non-essentials, liberty—in all things, charity"!
[continued from previous page]
other, and encourage each other in starting and sustaining
farms in Sonoma County. We reached out to them and
invited them to move out of the barn and meet in the
Grange Hall. We helped them know about the farmers
who had built our hall decades ago and how these Halls
and the Grange organization exactly suit their purpose.
The Farmers Guild came and their members became our
members. As a result, The Farmers Guild is expanding
and in each of its five communities it is meeting in Grange
Halls.
The Grange is relevant and active in our community. We
are not a community center but a center of community. We
are honoring the traditions and building left to us in trust.
We are about the connection to the food system and the
fertility of the land and the productivity of the people in
our community. It is our history, our traditions, and our
ability to come together and educate, inform, and entertain
that make us continuously relevant in our community.
Lawrence Jaffe, Sebastopol Grange #306 (CA)—Recipient of 2013
California Grange Leadership Award
☯
Women of Healdsburg Grange #400—circa 1906
MAR.
21, 2014 ~ SPRING ~VOL. 2 NO. 1
Oliver H. Kelley was often questioned
harshly and marginalized for insisting
that farmers become modern. What
did that mean in his day? It meant
being open to new ideas, new
technologies, and new ways of
educating themselves.
☯
WHY ORGANIC FARMING?
Besides avoiding consumption of
agricultural chemicals, organic farming
has many other ecological advantages
over conventional agriculture. Chemical
fertilizers and pesticides require
tremendous amounts of fossil fuel
energy in their production, while the
natural soil enhancers used in organic
farming require very little. Chemical
run-off from huge agribusiness fields,
especially in irrigated desert lands in
the West, is also a major cause of fish
and bird kills on nearby wildlife refuges.
Remember: when the Grange was
formed all farming was organic.
In the next issue of IGCN News (Vol. 2
No. 2,) we shall explore in some detail
what people mean when they say the
Grange needs to enter the 21st century
or become relevant to the times once
again.
Yes, yes, we know there will be
Grangers who will take umbrage or feel
collectively insulted by this. It’s the
price we are willing to pay for bringing
home the message: get relevant or go
the way of the Dodo bird and other
venerable fraternities. It is essential.
Please don’t kill the messenger.
ATTN: all Grangers who advocate
going ORGANIC! You’re up next. Tell us
why and how the Grange should
promote organics—or not.
☯
IndependentGrangeCommunicationsNetwork
Page 20
"In essentials, unity—in non-essentials, liberty—in all things, charity"!
Our article above on Action Granges showed
what could be called the modern precursor to
another attempt to expand Grange horizons.
While we feel the essence of Action Granges is
still relevant, today, especially in Oregon and
California, there is a growing movement we call
Green Granges. Here, gratefully taken from the
webpages of www.greengranges.org, we share
with you an edited overview of this emerging
Grange vision.
~Editor
Demonstration of live power at
Live Power Farm, Covelo, CA
WELCOME TO GREEN
GRANGERS—PATRONS OF
TRANSITION
The Order of Patrons of Husbandry, generally
known as The Grange, was a radical populist
movement from the 1870s that formed in
opposition to both monopolistic corporations and
their middlemen. This detrimental concentration
of resources and the power it creates they
reasoned, would result in a society that degraded
the producer, violated the public good, and
undermined the republic. [Read that again—
editor]
Over a century later, this situation not only
persists, it thrives, fueled by dwindling supplies
IndependentGrangeCommunicationsNetwork
MAR.
21, 2014 ~ SPRING ~VOL. 2 NO. 1
of non-renewable and toxic fossil fuels. To
survive, society needs to transition to a
sustainable, re-localized civilization. Many of us
feel that the Grange should accept this challenge,
and become a major player and even leader for
rural communities in transition.
GRANGERS TRANSITIONING TO SUSTAINABILITY
The coming years will see increased energy
costs, which will dramatically affect the cost of
most of our commodities, as much of their price
depends on how much it costs to ship. This
“centralized” approach to our daily needs is
flawed and is already failing, as it is based on
non-renewable resources, planned obsolescence
and unsustainable growth.
However, society as a whole, is slowly
moving towards a re-localization paradigm, even
if many in industry fail to recognize it, or actively
oppose it. We see this in our grocery stores with
the ever-expanding range of local organic
produce; Or in the increase in vibrant Farmer’s
Markets and in the creative ingenuity of many of
our rural citizens. Our society has grown up
around the paradigm of cheap energy and rapid
mobility. This is changing no matter what anyone
feels about it one way or the other.
Many of us feel that the Grange should accept
this changing paradigm, and become a major
player and even leader in rural communities in
transition.
The Green Grangers is an Education,
Information & Outreach Project of the Silverton
#748, Macleay #293, Marys River #685,
Rockford #501, and Russellville #353—Oregon
Granges
Page 21
"In essentials, unity—in non-essentials, liberty—in all things, charity"!
A Look at National’s
Elections Procedures:
An IGCN News Editorial
Every American knows that
free and fair elections are
essential for a democratic
society. However, most Grangers
seem unaware that the procedure
for elections held at our annual
National Conventions are not
conducted according to the
Grange Constitution; that is,
there are no formal nominations.
Our constitution calls for us to be
guided by Roberts’ Rules of
Order, which call for separate
nominations during elections.
At the subordinate, pomona,
and state levels nominations are
mandatory, traditional, and make
sense. Why not at National?
We’ve asked many notable
Grangers; so far, no one has
given an explanation why
procedures outlined by Roberts
Rules of Order have been sidestepped…other than it has
become a tradition.
When the moment arrives to
elect officers the National Master
doesn’t call for nominations from
the delegates; instead, delegates
are asked to go directly to the
election: small pieces of paper
(the ballots) are passed out.
“Please write your choice for
Master (or whatever office is up
for election) on this paper, fold it
once, and put it in the boxes
circulated by our election
MAR.
deputies.”
Thus, no delegate stands to
put forth a brother or sister as a
worthy candidate. No slates are
allowed. No one knows who’s
running or wants to run—except
those incumbents who choose to
run again.
Unless you know someone
fairly well, say from last year’s
Session, you don’t talk about
elections. When you’re a newbie
you’re told that talking about
candidates in the open is
“politicking,” and politicking is
frowned upon.
The ballots are collected and
counted. If the candidate with the
most votes gets 50% plus one
vote, the election is over and that
person is elected. If no one gains
that majority, then there is a
second ballot taken—and this
process goes on until one
candidate gains 50% + 1.
You don’t get to see who the
nominees are before you cast
your ballot. You don’t get to
assess your first impression of
her or him. You don’t get to hear
what the nominee says about
what s/he would do if elected.
This may not be important for the
office of Gatekeeper or Assistant
Stewards, but it could be quite
significant for Master, Overseer,
and Executive Committee—
especially in critical areas such
as membership decline,
protecting small, independent
farmers from the predations of
Big Ag, creating fiscal policy…
IndependentGrangeCommunicationsNetwork
21, 2014 ~ SPRING ~VOL. 2 NO. 1
and so on.
Thus, if you’re a delegate you
merely put down a name, maybe
a name suggested by the Old
Timer sitting next to you. If
perchance you don’t know
anyone or have a candidate in
mind, it is certainly easy—and
one might think probably safe—
to vote for the incumbent.
Which begs the question:
Who might be clearly in favor of
this procedure? The incumbents.
Who might be against a by-laws
change to reverse this
“tradition”? The incumbents.
Having no nominations hugely
favors the incumbents. Thus, it’s
really not democratic.
As was mentioned in our last
issue, many young potential
members of the Grange are not
interested in joining an
organization run by a good ol’
boy network. Times have
changed. They are independent,
connected through social
networks, and some are
courageously returning to the
land and might want to join a
community service fraternity if
and only if it is fair, democratic,
and dedicated to supporting
those who grow healthy food
from healthy soil. We don’t know
if this loss of nominations has
ever been formally contested.
But, in our opinion, it is time for
a change.
If you agree with this
position, pass it along to your
subordinate, pomona, and state
Page 22
"In essentials, unity—in non-essentials, liberty—in all things, charity"!
leadership and see if they feel it’s
the right time to correct this
inequitable procedure and
perhaps submit a resolution of
their own calling for change.
~ Lanny Cotler, editor
)()(
Here is one such resolution.
Use it only as a suggestion. Write
your own version. The more such
that arise from the grassroots, the
more chance the grassroots will
have to influence for a change.
Resolution Title: Separating
Nominations and Ballot
Voting during National
Election of Officers
Proposed by: ___________
Whereas: In a democracy, it is
necessary for the electorate to be
as informed as they can be on the
issues at hand and on the citizens
running for office; and
Whereas: the by-laws of
subordinate, pomona, and state
MAR.
21, 2014 ~ SPRING ~VOL. 2 NO. 1
Granges stipulate formal
specifically changed by Grange
nominations from the floor
Parliamentary Code; and
before voting ballots are cast, and Whereas: Roberts Rules of
Whereas: it has been the recent Order stresses that the
custom in the National Grange to nominating process should not be
have a single balloting for
confused with the election to
Officers that combines both the
office; and
Nominations and the Election of Whereas: It is crucial for the
Officers into one procedure; and National Grange to be above
Whereas: This makes it difficult
if not impossible for delegates to
apprehend and consider the entire
ballot prior to voting; and
Whereas: This gives undue and
unfair advantage to
incumbents; and
Whereas: It is important, indeed
necessary, for the Grange to
attract and involve new and
younger members; and
Whereas: Our Digest of Laws
(10.4.1) on ELECTIONS
stipulates ONLY that there shall
be no nominating speeches; and
Whereas: in our Constitution
(1.3.6) we are enjoined to use
Roberts Rules of Order unless
IndependentGrangeCommunicationsNetwork
reproach in its electoral
procedures; therefore, be it
Resolved: That the National
Grange call for a By-Laws
change which in turn call for its
elections to have nominations
separate from its voting ballots;
and be it further
Resolved: That these elections
allow for delegates to have
sufficient time to learn who the
nominees for every office are and
what they each propose to bring
to their office should they be
elected.
)()(
For the Good of the Order
Page 23
"In essentials, unity—in non-essentials, liberty—in all things, charity"!
IS TRADITION THE ENEMY OF CHANGE?
It shouldn’t be black and white. Tradition can be good;
change can be good. A sustainable society, large or small,
probably partakes of both.
Take Grange Ritual. There are those who says it is
crucially important if we are to fully experience what it means
to be a Granger. There are lessons in the degree work that
are, to coin a phrase, exemplified in the rituals. We couldn’t
agree more. But let’s face it: how many old timers who know
the ritual are passing it along to the younger generation? Even
more importantly: how many are able to engender a love,
respect, and enthusiasm for our ritual? It’s a problem. It’s a
challenge.
In our next issue, we shall endeavor to explore the how
and why we might make this part of our “tradition” more
accessible and inviting to our younger members who, let’s face
it, are swept up in social networking, texting, and web 2.0.
(Can Web 3.0 be far ahead?) If any of you know of Grangers
working on this conundrum, please let us know.
Integral to our U.S. Constitution is The Bill of Rights.
These rights have become a tradition, the foundation of our
sense of ourselves. Why was the Bill of Rights necessary?
Let’s explore this by asking if a Farmers Bill of Rights might
not be necessary now. In Our Next Issue, let’s seek out
Grangers’ views on a Farmers’ Bill of Rights.
The traditions of farmers have a spiritual component that
still informs us today. Our own Grange rituals teach us this
spiritual component as few other organizations and efforts
do; it is indeed the purpose of our rituals. This spiritual voice
has softened, but it’s still there pulling us. Those who live to
grow healthy food from healthy soil hear this voice and
deserve our respect at the very least; and if we truly
understand it, our support. If you know someone who is
interested as a Granger in a Farmers’ Bill of Rights, please
contact us.
!
!
!
!
!
—Lanny Cotler
MAR.
21, 2014 ~ SPRING ~VOL. 2 NO. 1
¡Action Alert!
Karina McAbee, OMD—Past
president of Little Lake Grange
#670 of Willits, CA—sends us this
short but important op-ed update:
The Food Safety Modernization Act of
2010 (H.R. 2751) was signed into law by
President Obama on January 4, 2011. It
aims to ensure that the U.S. food supply is
safe by shifting the focus of federal
regulators “from responding to
contamination to preventing it." Don’t be
fooled.
Every time there is a real problem (e.g.
contaminated spinach and chicken from
factory farms), the corporate-run
government uses it as an excuse to destroy
our self reliance as a nation and make us
more beholden to corporate control—and
they often don't solve the real problem.
This is truly a bald and blatant attempt to
force more small family farms into
bankruptcy and make organic agriculture
nearly impossible.
The FDA got so many comments and
criticisms on their rules for the FSMA that
they have gone back to rewrite the rules. I
assume there will be another comment
period when the new rules are amended.
For more from the FDA, see http://
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
FDA_Food_Safety_Modernization_Act.
The good and original work of the Grange
continues. Please stay tuned for further
developments.
☯
IndependentGrangeCommunicationsNetwork
Page 24