Patrons of Husbandry – a website dedicated to the Granges located in Maine
Submitted by Sharon Morton
Richard Harriman, former Steward of the Maine State Grange has undergone successful surgery. Cards of get well may be sent to Richard at his home address of 280 Kennebunk Road, Sanford Maine 04073.
Have you thought about going into farm sitting as a business? This course is designed to equip individuals with the tools to serve as effective farm sitters and to understand the general responsibilities of helping an animal-based farm enterprise successfully continue in the absence of the farmer or manager.
The course will start on March 26, 2024, and will be a hybrid of online and in-person learning.
This training program is offered on a sliding scale (self-selected): $50, $35, or $20. We strive to make the training accessible and affordable for all Maine residents. Learn more and register here.
Here’s a discouraging word! As technology advances (including AI or artificial intelligence), everyone benefits–including the bad guys!
Stay vigilant with messages you receive.
As the bad guys discover new technology spam emails and text messages are on the increase. Think twice before hitting “unsubscribe.” Unless the email is from a legitimate organization (think commonly known names and national companies), do NOT “unsubscribe” by clicking the link in the email. If you “unsubscribe,” not only will most spammers not honor it, but they will also have confirmation that yours is a working email address. That makes it very saleable to other spammers. Using the “unsubscribe” link may actually increase the amount of spam emails you receive.
This morning (like most mornings), I received several bogus invoices, a few order confirmations for things I didn’t order, and one email allegedly from MSG Sherry asking for assistance with a matter of the utmost importance. Some junk gets automatically filtered, but typically the delete button gets quite a workout!
The best way to handle spam email is to use that handy-dandy delete button and not let it bother you. Don’t waste your time and energy!
The take-out lunch at Kennebec Valley Grange scheduled for October 28, 2023, has been postponed. We’ll provide the new date when it becomes available.
Sorry for any inconvenience.
While the reason for this postponement is unclear, note that there are a number of closings, cancellations, and postponements due to the recent events in Lewiston.
Gleaned from the Annual Report
Community Service Notebook Contest Winners
First Place: Highland Lake Grange #87
Second Place: Maple Grove #148
Third Place: Jonesboro Grange #357
Tied for Fourth Place: Valley Grange #144 and Saco Grange #53
Of 84 Subordinate Granges, ten reports were submitted. We are required to have a 25% participation rate to receive monetary support from the National Grange. We did not make it this year.
There were no entries for EMT/Firefighter/Educator of the Year and no entries for Granger of the Year. Previous Grangers of the Year included:
2017 – 2018 Victoria Huff
2018 – 2019 Ann Burns
2019 – 2020 Walter Boomsma
2020 – 2021 Rebekah Hodgson
2021 – 2022 John Cox Jr.
Family Health and Hearing Contest Winner
Highland Lake Grange #87
Annual Reports and Program Books are always available on the Program Books and Information Page when we receive them. Reports are also included in the delegate packages distributed at the State Convention. For your convenience, there is a list what we’ve received so far–if you click the name of the report or book, it will open in a new window where you can download and print it.
Annual reports are for the year 2022-23 and summarize activities and accomplishments. Program books are for the year 2023-24 and include contest information and other resources.
Norma Meserve, MSG Fundraising Chairperson
207 998-2586
Happy Spring! I hope all is going well.
The Fundraising Committee is making plans for our summer fundraising event. This year we are having A Little Of Everything Sale (just like the annual yard sale with a different name).
This will be held on Saturday, June 3, 2023 at Manchester Grange in Manchester from 9:00-1:00. We will be renting tables to anyone interested but the committee will not be selling yard sale items this year. Instead, we are planning to sell to-go “meal starters.” This will include your choice of a pint of one of two kinds of beans or lasagna (with a side of bread). Also, apple crisp or brownie for an extra $1.00.
We are looking for donations of needed ingredients, or a monetary donation to buy needed items. Items we need include- For beans: dried beans, onions, molasses, and dried mustard. For Lasagna: oven ready lasagna noodles, pasta sauce (any kind, any brand), cottage and ricotta cheese and eggs. For Apple Crisp: apples, quick oats, sugar, brown sugar and butter. Also, some family size Brownie Mixes.
If you’d like to help us with a donation or rent a table, please get in touch with me at meserve1965@gmail.com or 998-2586 and I will help make arrangements.
In addition, we will also be raffling off a $100 Visa Card.
Proceeds from this event will, in part, be used to help replace the furnace and repair the chimney at State Grange Headquarters. Thanks again for all you do, big or small, to help make these events a success.
Due to the weather forecast, the Junior Grange Meeting scheduled for this Saturday, December 17, 2023, has been canceled. Contact Junior Director Betty Young with any questions!
Are you an organization, municipality or entity serving agricultural or fishing communities in Maine? Do you have a project that addresses stress, wellness or safety in Agriculture? The Small Grants for Agricultural Wellness applications are open now until November 15th. Awards range from $1-$5,805, these grants can be used to support Maine farmers and fishers in their mental health and wellness needs (broadly defined).
Applications to the Small Grants Fund are expected to be competitive and to exceed the amount of funding available. Should this be the case, program administrators will rank applications based on a variety of criteria including projected impact, availability of requested services, and potential to support farmers and farm communities categorized by the USDA as historically socially disadvantaged or as Limited-Resource Farm Households. More information and to apply, can be found on the Maine FRSAN website.