Communication Shorts 11-15-2025

By Walter Boomsma,
MSG Communications Director
207 343-1842

Communication Shorts are brief (short) but important items posted for your information and use. Please send us your ideas and thoughts!

November Bulletin

The November Bulletin is available for download. Recent issues of the Bulletin can be found on the Program Books and Information Page in the communications section.

New Words for Thirds Resource

We’ve added a sample press kit to the Words for Thirds Resources. A press kit is often provided to reporters who are attending or writing about a particular event. This one is based on five dictionary days, but is easily adaptable. Help reporters and journalists who are helping you.

Craft Shows

It’s that time of year! In case you missed it, we’ve created a Grange Craft Show Logo or Icon. It will be beneficial when we receive announcements of craft shows that do not include a photo or flyer and help create a sense of “branding” of Grange Craft shows. Feel free to use it! And remember to get your craft show listed on the website, where it will be seen across the state and beyond.

Website Subscribers Sought

See the last page of the November Bulletin! Be sure to share with members!

Don’t Shoot the Piano Player!

He’s playing as fast as he can! We’re still catching up with results and information from the State Session. A printable ODD Directory is now available! Get yours today! (A copy will be snail-mailed to secretaries with the Bulletin.) The online ODD Directory should also be correct.

Think About This!

Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.

Melody Beattie 

An Idea for Your Grange

With all the recent media attention to Food Insecurity, it could make sense to add some food items to your Book Exchange Box. If it’s outside, be aware of freezing!

Subscribe!

Remember, we don’t share your email address with anyone, and you get a weekly summary of what’s been posted. Subscribe here! Share that link with your members and Grange friends!

Online Directories Available 24-7

Thanks to those who help us keep these directories current by letting us know of changes!

  • The Directory of Granges features all Granges in the state with a contact person. Please make sure your listing is correct! Visitors to the site frequently consult these directories.
  • The ODD Directory features all state officers, directors, and deputies, along with their contact information. Updated November 15, 2025.

Exploring Traditions – November, 2025

Meandering Around the Grange Way of Life

By Walter Boomsma, Guest Columnist

Words and Symbols

“Friends, the Grange is a great fraternity, and the lessons of its ritual are expressed by the use of symbols drawn from the field, the farm and the farm home.”

Overseer to Candidates at the beginning of the First Degree

I recently completed a “Words for Thirds” presentation at five schools, with nearly 250 third graders. The presentation includes “a little bit” about the Grange and a lot about words and dictionaries. It all ties together by the integration of farmers, their tools, and words that apply to the Grange. One of our objectives is to introduce the word “steward” and get the kids thinking about taking good care of their tools, including the dictionary they are receiving.

The staves or staffs we use in Grange Ritual are incorporated, and the spud and pruning hook are tools that help us “weed out” things that don’t belong. The shepherd’s crook is a reminder that anyone can be a leader. The owl with his big, round eyes reminds us to keep our eyes open both for things that shouldn’t be and for opportunities to be a leader.

It’s an interesting challenge to get the kids to transfer the purpose of the staffs into non-farming life. Since I’ve been doing this for over twenty years, I’m aware of changes. The transfer challenge seems to have increased. In the past, when I asked for examples of “weeds” (things we don’t want in our classrooms) it didn’t take long to get to things like “trash on the floor” and “meanness.” In one memorable group this year, it didn’t come easy. Even the teachers were rolling their eyes when the kids started answering “weeds” and “bugs.” Finally, one of the teachers raised her hand, and when I called on her, she answered “unkindness.” That got us on track, and additional answers were more to the point. Since I believe in shared management when it comes to learning, I’ve figured out that in the future, when I attempt the transition, I’ll give a sample answer.

Later, when we’re working with the dictionaries, I’ll find a kid who’s helping a classmate find the assigned word. “Look!” I’ll shout. I might even grab the shepherd’s hook. “There’s someone being a leader by being helpful to someone else. Anybody can be a leader!”

But the exercise does raise some interesting questions and consideration about the use of “symbols” and the lessons they can offer. Or maybe the questions are about our ability to find and adapt those lessons.

Occasionally, we get thank-you notes from the kids. (Another observed change—a few years ago I would have reported that we always get thank-you notes from the kids.) In kid form, the notes often include drawings. I’m always pleased and a bit surprised when the drawings accurately represent the four staffs. I wonder if the artist remembers what they represent.

So, Patron of Husbandry, what are the four staffs? More importantly, what is the purpose of each, and what does it remind us of? There’s often conversation about adapting the ritual and symbolism to today’s society. It just might be more important for “society” to adapt some of the symbolism to our daily lives.

Any degree or ritual quotations are from the forty-seventh edition of the 2023 Subordinate Grange Manual or the most recent edition of the Pomona Grange Manual. The views and opinions expressed in “Exploring Traditions” are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official doctrine and policy of the Grange. Information about the book “Exploring Traditions—Celebrating the Grange Way of Life” can be found at http://abbotvillagepress.com, on Mr. Boomsma’s Amazon Author Page, or by contacting the author.

Secretary’s Corner – November, 2025

By Sharon Morton, MSG Secretary
207 485-6197

The 151st State Grange Session in Orono is behind us, and I am getting the office back in order.  Wow, what a great session.  Learning Row, Row, Row Your Boat in sign language with National LAS, Kathy Gibson, and the election of three new officers.   I would like to wish them a great two years:  Ceres, Judy Meserve of Chelsea Grange; Pomona, Tracey Small of Danville Jct. Grange and Executive Committee (4 yrs), Dale Holst, Alexander Grange. 

Thank you for your outstanding dedication and hard work over the past year.  As Secretary of your Grange, you carry a vital responsibility-maintaining accurate membership records, managing dues, documenting proceedings, and submitting reports to both Pomona and the State Grange.  The Grange is stronger because of your efforts, we appreciate everything you do.

It is  very important to get your Quarterly Dues in on time.  If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me via email at mainestategrange@myfairpoint.net or call me at 207.623.3421. I would be happy to help.

The Holiday season offers a meaningful opportunity to honor your Grange members for their years of dedicated service.  Whether they served for 5 years or 85 years, recognize them for their commitment to the Grange.  Please send these requests in a timely manner so that the processing of such requests will assure arrival when you need them.

Have a great Thanksgiving!  Gobble, Gobble, Gobble!!!

View from the Farm – November, 2025

Webmaster’s note: The format of this column includes all of the Quill’s Endians participating at various times and in various ways! Phil writes this month’s column.

Creatures of the Future

We are creatures of the future. Hope keeps us moving forward. It keeps us living for another day, making plans, and looking for results that make lives better. 

But the future needs the present and the past for grounding. The last 80 years provides an ominous grounding for hope in farming. Since the 1970s, when then Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz’s “get big or get out” proclamation laid the policy groundwork for the consolidation of farmland in the U.S., many farms have “got out” while few have “got big”. The course of agriculture has been bound to a destruction ethos. Bigger machinery, more chemicals, and less reliance on human labor through technology has brought us to our current predicament. 

Less than 2% of the U.S. population is involved in farming and the average age of the remaining farmers is 58 years. Only 4% of U.S. farmland grows food for direct human consumption.

So why hope? Why continue producing food and improving soil for less than minimum wage? For what future?

The past and present, grounding as they are for hope, cannot predict any future. They can only teach. We use the knowledge gained here in the present to prepare for the future.

Today’s action is all we have to leave in the past. If we care for our neighbors, we eschew the destruction ethos and feed them like family. If we value human labor and skill and the meaning of useful fulfilling work for our community, we keep our reliance on technology to a minimum. If we rely on youth for help and vision, we help the average age of the farmer drop, and the percentage of folks involved in agriculture rise.

I think that the most important thing about the past, present, and future is soil. We are soil. From it we are made and to it we return. It calls to us when we are without regular contact, and needs our care to care for us.

So let’s care for soil, encourage our youth, and nourish our neighbors. The present can be delicious, even in the future.

Heather and Phil Retberg and their three children run Quill’s End Farm, a 105-acre property in Penobscot that they bought in 2004. They use rotational grazing on their fifteen open acres and are renovating thirty more acres from woods to pasture to increase grazing for their pigs, grass-fed cattle, lambs, laying hens, and goats. Quill’s Endians are members of Halcyon Grange and publish a newsletter for their farm’s buying club of farmers in her area and generously permit us to share some of their columns with Grangers. Visit the Quill’s End Farm Facebook Page for more information.

Getting the Words Out!

by Walter Boomsma, MSG Communications Director

As of today, there are 371 public schools in Maine (according to The Dictionary Project website). Of those, only 27 have a Dictionary Project Sponsor so far this year. That’s slightly over 7%.

The good news is that it’s still early in the year, and we can do better! If you have been sponsoring in the past, it’s time to start working on this year’s effort.

If you haven’t been a sponsor, this is a good year to start. For a list of unsponsored schools, visit the Dictionary Project Website. Remember, we have many great resources available on our MSG Words for Thirds Resource Page. We’ll even provide you with your Grange’s very own logo!

There are also Rotary, Kiwanis, and Elks Clubs that sponsor schools in Maine. One possibility might be to partner with a local civic organization in your area, particularly if you’re concerned about the cost and effort involved. There are several dictionaries available to choose from. All come in cases of 24 at a cost of around $100 per case, including shipping. Obviously, much depends on school size, but you can start a powerful community service with a minimum investment!

If you doubt the power of this program, check out this short news story about a Valley Grange “Dictionary Day” at Ridgeview Elementary School in Dexter.

If you have questions or would like some help. Let me know! We’re Grangers. We help each other. And let us know about your Words for Thirds Project!

MSG Words for Thirds Resources

Communications Column – November 2025

By Walter Boomsma
207 343-1842
Communications Director

Communication Changes and Challenges

We’re already in the second month of a new Grange Year! It may be appropriate to review some communication tactics and techniques with a brief update on some changes and challenges.

I could easily write an entire column and more on the role of AI (Artificial Intelligence) in communication. In terms of our website and Bulletin, I’m increasingly relying on AI, and it’s becoming more sophisticated. For some time now, all submissions have been spell and grammar-checked before release. But AI is not actually writing content, nor do I allow it to substantially change what’s been submitted. And it doesn’t always get things right. For example, the National Grange Communications Handbook insists the word “Grange” and derivations (Grangers, etc.) always be capitalized. AI doesn’t know that. Yet. That’s a minor point, but also a reminder that accuracy and consistency are important.

Communication is happening faster all the time. We can debate the value but not the fact. I mention this because we occasionally lose time due to omissions and errors. I occasionally feel compelled to remind people that the Communications Director’s job is, practically speaking, a volunteer job. I still try to maintain a 24–48 hour turnaround time. If, for example, you submit something for the website, you can expect it to be posted within that time frame. But that assumes you’ve included all the necessary information. If not, and I have to contact you, there’s a delay.

One idea I am pursuing to help with this challenge is creating a dedicated online form for submitting events, which will make all our jobs easier! Your thoughts and ideas are welcome! I might be bragging, but I do maintain some great software, and I am a pretty creative problem-solver. A few years ago, if someone submitted something written on a Mac or Apple computer, it was a nightmare. Today, no problem! Just recently, I received a link to a photo stored online. I was able to get it with a couple of clicks thanks to a screenshot program I maintain. My point is not to brag; it’s to bring the big challenge to the front. The big challenge is getting Grangers to submit the information. I can’t communicate what I don’t know. If you send me something, I can probably work with it!

Thanks in part to AI, I’ve “branded” our Words for Thirds programs, Book Exchange Boxes, and most recently Craft Fairs with logos or icons. Craft Fairs, in particular, seem to have exploded this year! We may be a bit behind the power curve, but we can certainly promote Grange Craft Fairs in Maine—if we know about them!

After the posts themselves, the more static pages of information get lots of  “views.” The graph to the right reveals which pages were most frequently viewed over the last twelve months, and brings us to another challenge. Are you surprised? The most viewed page is the directory of Granges. The information will be updated when the new roster is released, and I am looking into making “Find a Grange in Maine” more user-friendly. But everything hinges on the accuracy of the information. To keep this page useful, it must remain accurate throughout the year. You can help!

One other area worthy of note is that we’ve increased the number of subscribers to the website by 10% this year. Look forward to some additional efforts in that area. We can do even better! We will do even better!

FACT: The two most popular categories of posts are Grange Activities and Grange News.

Community Service/FHH – November 2025

By Brenda Dyer, MSG Community Service/FHH Director
(207) 608-9193

Thank you for your entries in the Community Service and Family Health and Hearing Contests. Keep up the good work. Thank you to the judges who worked on the entries.  

I want to encourage you to go through the Community Service Program Book.  Do what you can to help people during Thanksgiving, and keep up with the Heirloom and Substance Project. Keep good notes about your activities and refer to your Community Service reports to see what we are looking for when judging at the end of the program year.  

For Family, Health and Hearing — It is flu season, so please take precautions.  

Thank you all for your calls, cards, and prayers for me at this very challenging time. Your encouragement is appreciated.

Hollis Grange Words for Thirds

Hollis Grangers presented dictionaries to Hollis Elementary 3rd graders. Grange presenters were Butch Gannett, Vicki Huff, and Lila Wilkins.

Legislative Report, November 2025

By Steven Haycock, Legislative Director
(207) 329-6835

Friends, as I write this column, the embarrassment of the 42-day Federal government shutdown should be ending. It’s sad to think that we have gotten to this point in our politics. Portions of both political parties are holding “We the People” hostage for over 40 days and using people in need of food assistance as pawns, just to appease extreme members of both parties. Our Founding Fathers would be ashamed, and “We the People” should be upset. On the bright side, for the people of Maine, ¾ of our Congressional Delegation seems to have been working hard to find common ground and work towards a solution.

In these times of strong political support, opposition & opinions, I would like to stress and remind our members that the Grange is strictly non-partisan. While differing opinions on public policy should be encouraged at our Grange meetings, it is more important to speak in terms of policy rather than politics. Granges do not endorse political candidates or parties, but we do endorse and support various policies and positions. More than anything else, remember to keep it civil. Keep an open mind when encountering people’s views who differ from your own, also remember that compromise is not a “four-letter word.” 

At State Grange in October, delegates were tasked with considering nine resolutions, two of which were referred to the Legislative committee, with one being referred to both the Legislative and Agricultural Committees:

  • Resolution #2 – “Resolution to Protect Maine Farmland from Purchase by Foreign Nationals or Governments” – Adopted
  • Resolution #6 – “Social Security Retirement Age” – Rejected
  • Resolution #9 – “Food Banks Need of State/Federal Money” – Adopted.

In the coming months, I will try to communicate our support for the adopted resolutions to the legislature. Both are timely issues that require attention at the state and federal levels.

Until next time, start working on resolutions for the 2026 State Grange Session, keeping in mind the deadline is August 15, 2026. If you need assistance getting your idea into proper resolution form, I would be happy to help.

CWA Report – November 2025

By Margaret Henderson, Director
Committee on Women’s Activities
207 948-2762

Committee on Women’s Activities

On Friday evening, Oct. 17th, I had the privilege to present awards to the ladies who were winners at the “Big E”.

  • Class B Doilies: Sally Schofield, 1st Place.
  • Class C Embroidery: Gail Butterfield, 2nd Place.
  • Class D 3 Piece Baby Set: Rosanna Starks, 1st Place.
  • Class G Adult Garment: Rosanna Starks, 2nd Place.

I also presented a check to Richard Harriman to be given to House in the Woods.

On Oct. 29th, I met with the ladies at Home for Little Wanderers to present them with their check. Thank you to all the Granges that donated to these charities. It is greatly appreciated.

I hope that you will all have a very blessed Thanksgiving with your families.