E-Newsletter January 31, 2014

Legislative Update: Farm Bill Reaches Final Agreement

Here are some brief bullet points about the new proposed conference report:

• Contains 949 pages of text.
• Speaker Boehner is supporting the proposed bill.
• The bill’s largest opposition is currently coming from the meat industry due to the bill’s failure to repeal the rules surrounding country-of-origin labeling (COOL).
• The bill achieves roughly $23 billion in savings over the next 10 years, a third of which is attributed to the nutrition title (SNAP).
• Savings from SNAP mostly come from new proposed crack downs on the system of coorelating fuel assistance to low-income households with their food stamp eligibility.
• The single largest savings come from ending the current system of direct cash payments to farmers, which cost more than $4 billion annually and are distributed at a fixed rate. This will make federal price support levels more significant.
• The bill DOES maintain Farm Bill permanent law (the 1938 and 1949 Acts), which had been removed by the House’s version.
• Conservation compliance requirements have a five-year grace period- meaning they could be completely thrown out or reworked during deliberations for the next Farm Bill.
• The Dairy Market Stabilization Program has been removed from the bill. It has now been replaced with a new system that creates two different tiers of premium rates for milk producers- one for herds of 200 cows and below and one for those above. The rates for smaller-scale producers were lowered while those for the larger milk producers were increased to a point where the ratio is roughly one to three. The idea here is to discourage large producers from buying too much coverage, while making it easier for smaller operators to buy extra protection.

American agriculture has withstood uncertainty and economic instability for over two years in the absence of a renewed comprehensive Farm Bill. They’ve been unable to make valuable, long-term decisions regarding their businesses and unable to grant their households and local communities the resources they require moving forward. Today, however, we are happy to see that the needs of farmers and ranchers across the country – and the millions of people who benefit from their work – are being made a priority.

We need your help in stressing the importance of Farm Bill passage to our legislators on the Hill. Please contact your House and Senate representatives to urge final passage of the 2014 Farm Bill. Contact information for these offices can be found here: http://whoismyrepresentative.com. If you have any additional questions, please contact me at gb********@************ge.org.

Historic Grange hall returns to Minnesota Grange after four decades

By T.J. Malaskee | tj*********@**hs.org
Pfizer Communications Fellow

After several months of talks with the Edina Historical Society, the Oliver Hudson Kelley Grange, No. 834 has formed a partnership with the city of Edina.  “We are—in effect—returning the Minnehaha Grange Hall to the Grange,” said Bob Moore, City of Edina Heritage Preservation Board member.

The 1879 Minnehaha Grange Hall has been maintained by the City of Edina since the 1970s.  The hall is historically significant in both local and Grange history.  One of the first structures in the country built specifically as a Grange hall, the building also served as Edina’s city hall after the community broke away from neighboring Richfield. Minnehaha Grange No. 398 was one of the first integrated Granges. Founded in 1873, charter members include the Yancey Family, African American farmers in the community.  Minnehaha was also the home Grange of Sarah Baird, the first female State Master in the organization.

Six members of OHK Grange attended an open house at the Minnehaha Grange Hall in early January as guests of the City of Edina. “When we put on our sashes,” noted Lady Assistant Steward, Jodi Larson, “there was great excitement.  A lot of people didn’t even know the Grange still existed, and suddenly we were engaging these people with their own history and getting them interested in an organization they thought only their grandparents belonged to.”

At the January meeting of the Edina Historical Society, OHK Master, T.J. Malaskee negotiated the use of the structure.  Chaplain, Lucas Skjaret who was also present remarked, “It was amazing to see the eyes of the board [of trustees] light up when they realized that they were going to have a strong and vital Grange in their city again.”

Aside from using the Minnehaha Grange hall for meetings and events, the Oliver Hudson Kelley Grange is also working with the Edina Historical Society to create a master interpretive and programing plan for the building. The city will maintain all costs associated with the maintenance and upkeep of the physical structure and grounds.  “[This partnership] IS exciting!” said Marci Matson, Edina Historical Society Director. “One of my board members emailed me today and said she had a hard time sleeping because she couldn’t stop thinking about all the possibilities.”

Lecturer’s Message

By Jim Tetreault | le******@************ge.org
National Grange Lecturer

Greetings from the National Lecturers Department!

I was pleased to have been elected your National Grange Lecturer at the National Grange session recently held in Manchester, N.H., back in November.

I thought this column would be a great opportunity to introduce myself and share my Grange resume with all of you. I became Master of the New Hampshire State Grange in October of 2010 and will serve in that capacity until October of 2014.

I have served in the following leadership roles in the New Hampshire State Grange: four years as Youth Director, 12 years as Legislative Director and two years as State Grange Lecturer. I have also served as Assistant Steward, Steward and Overseer.

The big question from the National level right down to the Subordinate and Pomona Granges is what is the roll of the Lecturer in the modern day Grange?

My personal view of the roll of the Lecturer today has changed since I was a Subordinate and Pomona Lecturer in my teens and 20s.

Today I believe that the Lecturer of every Grange across the country has an opportunity to impact their community by presenting educational programs that will bring people into our meeting locations these informative and educational programs also has an opportunity to help grow our membership. We also need to move beyond the traditional programming that for so long has been a staple of Grange literary programs.  Don’t hesitate to use technology to educate and stimulate our members, programs should be fun as well as educational.

I would like to make an appeal to all of the State Lecturers across the country, please send me copies of your State Grange programs, I would like to review what types of programs that our State Granges are providing.

The 2014 quilt block pattern has been sent out to the State Lecturers, Lecturers please share this with whoever handles this in your State Grange.

Please feel free to contact me via email at le******@************ge.org if I can do anything to assist you.

Free program focused on healthy eating for kids well received

What is “Food for Thought: Eating Well on a Budget”? It is a CD/DVD, recipe cards, and a mini comic book. All of this material is available in English and Spanish.

The booklet and other material is a way to show kids how to eat on a budget but eat nutritiously and getting them to try new foods The DVD has a presentation on a local farmers market, so kids can understand where food comes from.

Sesame Workshop created this program and all material produced with United Healthcare and Merck Company Foundation. These packets are available free to all Grange members and Granges until I run out. This is a great way to get the Grange name out and help people in your community to make the best meals out of the food they have in their kitchen. If you have any questions or would like more do not hesitate to contact me at sj******@************ge.org or 202-628-3507 ext. 109.

Trademark Update: Counterclaim file against firm

In March 2013, it came to the National Grange’s attention that a new for-profit law firm was opening in Minneapolis, Minnesota that intended to use the name “Fare Grange.”

The law firm was formed by two lawyers to offer legal services and lobbying on behalf of farmers, food businesses, and nonprofit organizations that promote those interests. These are the same areas in which the National Grange has been involved for nearly a century and a half. The National Grange is concerned that if the law firm were permitted to use the name “Fare Grange,” that it would falsely suggest an affiliation with the National Grange or any of its more than 2000 affiliated state and local Grange chapters, which is impermissible under U.S. trademark and unfair competition laws.

The National Grange contacted the law firm to try to resolve the matter, but the law firm filed a lawsuit seeking a declaration from a federal court that it could use the name “Fare Grange.” The National Grange maintains that the law firm’s claims (which also include unsupported allegations that the Grange coerces small businesses into paying for licenses, among other allegations) are unfounded.  As such, the National Grange filed counterclaims against the law firm on January 10, 2014 for trademark infringement as well as motions to dismiss the claims made by the law firm in their suit, in order to enforce the National Grange’s longstanding trademark rights.

The National Grange has made legitimate, good faith efforts to protect its legal rights in its name and trademarks.  The National Grange, of course, has always and will continue to make every legally necessary effort to protect its rights, as it must do under U.S. law, so that its members may continue to share in the goodwill of this 147-year-old American institution.

If you have any questions regarding this matter, or are contacted by a member of the media and asked to discuss the matter, please refer all questions and inquiries to the Grange’s Communication Director Amanda Leigh Brozana (ab******@************ge.org; 202-628-3507 ext. 102).

Butter Sculpture at 2014 Farm Show draws attention to organization

This year’s butter sculpture was a real tribute to not only this longstanding Grange tradition but also to the dairy farming community. Martin said, “The butter sculpture at this year’s Farm Show celebrates that grand tradition of agricultural commodity and community support.”

PA State Grange Membership/Public Relations Director Bryan Marchefsky, who previously served as the National Grange Communications Fellow, reported that more than 50 “rip cards” were filled out by interested individuals who will be contacted by Granges closest to them for membership and thousands more stopped by the Grange booth to learn more about our Order.

Maryland State Grange community service project attracts attention

The Maryland State Grange met in October for their 139^th Annual Session in Frederick.  As a State Grange Community Service project, toys were collected for the Toys for Tots campaign held every year in the Frederick area.

What a surprise to see all the toys that members brought to State Session and when it was time to pack up, we had a pickup truck full!

Local radio celebrity Dave Conrad who was staffing the drop off site that day made a big announcement about all the toys Grangers had donated during his broadcast.

Grange Youth unveil new Facebook page – Like it!

Patriots Program

Grange Radio Update

Grange Herd produces first newsletter

National Grange issues comment on FCC discussion focusing on rural broadband

Calendar

Feb 21-23 State Master’s Conference, Michigan

2014 Quilt Block Contest

The 2014 Quilt Block Contest will be a 12-inch block Flower Basket.

Quilt Block Score Sheet (2014)

Quilt Block Contest Rules (2014)

Quilt Block Pattern (2014)