President’s Perspective – July 2025

By Sherry Harriman,
Maine State Grange President/Master
207 490-1029

STATE GRANGE SESSION

Here it is July already, that means three months away from the 2025 State Grange Session, Friday, Oct 17, and Saturday, Oct 18, at the Black Bear Inn, 4 Godfrey Dr., Orono. This year will also be a full State Grange election. The schedule and information have been mailed and posted on the website and will be remailed after August 15.

The Conferral of the 6th Degree will be on Saturday, October 18, at 1:45 p.m. You must have had your Pomona 5th Degree to move up to the State or 6th Degree level. There is a $10.00 one-time per candidate fee.

Due to circumstances beyond MSG’s control, one major change that occurred this week: There will be NO lunches provided by the hotel on Friday at noon or Saturday at noon either; lunches will be on your own. There are plenty of restaurants, fast food, delivery, convenience, and grocery stores close by, or bring your own. 

We will still have the Buffet Banquet on Friday night at 6:00 pm. Tickets are $40 each, reserved and paid in advance. The deadline is October 1, 2025, and must be received by the office; no exceptions will be made. New forms will be mailed in August, or you may use the one we have already mailed, but please note that no lunches are included.

I am very pleased to announce our National Representative at State Session will be Kathy Gibson, Lady Assistant Steward of the National Grange and her husband Glenn Gibson, Past Master/President of the Massachusetts State Grange and past voting delegate of the National Grange, I know you will give them both a very warm welcome.

As we are already in the middle of July, I would like to issue one final reminder: there is less than one month to submit your resolutions to the office by August 15, via standard mail and/or email. Each Resolution is required to have a Title when it is submitted to the office. I cannot give them a title; your Grange must come up with one.  The Title explains what the resolution is about or trying to accomplish.  The Whereas section or sections of the resolution give the WHY reason(s) and give facts about the resolution. The Resolution is the final paragraph that states what you want to happen.  Every Resolution must be read and voted on in your Subordinate or Pomona Grange before submitting it by August 15 to the State for consideration.

National Grange Launches Rural Life Initiative Grants

The National Grange is doubling down on its commitment to revitalizing rural communities with the launch of two new competitive grant opportunities through the Rural Life Initiative.

On June 24, during the “GPS to Success” webinar, National Grange President Christine Hamp announced the launch of two new grant opportunities as part of the expansion of the Rural Life Initiative (RLI), a program designed in partnership with Grange Advocacy to strengthen rural communities through health, wellness, agriculture, and community projects and events.

If you missed the webinar, it is available to watch on the National Grange YouTube channel.

Following the 2024 successes of programs in seven pilot states and nearly 25 Granges that received mini-grants for holiday events, the National Grange is expanding the RLI program and eligibility for all Granges.

Successful examples of past projects include senior fitness classes, building Grange awareness at a community zucchini race event, vaccination and wellness clinics, a cancer research fundraising 5K, and more.

The grant opportunities are as follows:

$1,000 Summer Grants (30 available)

  • Projects must be completed and report submitted by September 30, 2025
  • Applications reviewed as received. Must apply by July 31, 2025.

$5,000 Long-Term Grants (2 available)

  • Projects must be completed and report submitted by December 31, 2025
  • Applications are due by July 31, 2025, with notification of grant winners on August 8, 2025.

Both grant opportunities are open to either local or State Granges.

While the main grant amounts are fixed, there are additional incentives available for completing projects and submitting reports on time, and for each new member gained through your project.

What are the grant requirements?

Because RLI aims to build stronger communities across the country, there are three main components to the grants:

  • You must include at least one partner organization beyond your Grange.
  • You must submit a current membership list with the application proposal.
  • You have the flexibility to choose topics based on local needs, but:
    • Projects cannot involve building improvements or equipment purchases. Projects must focus on recruiting and engaging new members.

“We are excited to see what Granges will create for their communities,” said Hamp. “The flexibility of this grant cycle encourages Granges to truly think outside of the box and the Grange ‘norms.’ I look forward to seeing the dynamic events and powerful programs that this grant helps make possible.”

During the June 24 webinar, presenters Beth Westbrook and Nona Bear offered guidance on how local Granges can apply for these grants, develop project ideas that align with the program’s mission, and measure community impact. Participants were encouraged to think creatively and collaboratively in identifying rural needs and proposing solutions.

The tips and tricks presented also encouraged Granges to go after other community-based grants, always aiming for success.

“These grants are about investing in the people, traditions, and future of rural America,” said webinar leader Beth Westbrook, a member of the Grange Advocacy Board of Directors. “By empowering Granges to take action on local priorities—from health to heritage—we’re building stronger, more connected communities.”

To watch the full announcement, visit the National Grange YouTube channel and view the full grant requirements and submit your applications at the Rural Life Initiative page on the National Grange website.

Communication Shorts 6-16-2025

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!

June Bulletin

June Bulletin is available for download and will be mailed soon. Recent issues of the Bulletin can be found on the Program Books and Information Page in the communications section.

Email, Deputy Dave Gowen

Please note that Cumberland Deputy Dave Gowen and Master of Highland Lake Grange has a new email address: davegowen84@gmail.com.

Think About This!

“There is no reward equal to that of doing the most good to the most people in the most need.”

Evangeline Booth

An Idea for Your Grange

Does your Grange have a membership directory–even just a simple one you can easily share with each other? Since we’re all electing officers this month, they could be identified in it.

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!

Online Directories Available 24-7

Thanks to those who help us keep these directories current by letting us know of changes! With the election of officers coming up, don’t forget!

  • 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 consult these directories often.
  • The ODD Directory features all state officers, directors, and deputies with contact information.

Exploring Traditions – June, 2025

Meandering Around the Grange Way of Life

Growing the best fruit..

By Walter Boomsma, Guest Columnist

Many years ago, one of my consulting assignments included auditing the hiring process of a manufacturing company. That process included giving prospective employees a tour of the plant. I followed one of those tours, staying at the end of the line and observing.

One of those prospective employees would often reach down and pick up stray pieces of paper and trash on the floor. Based on my observation and recommendation, at the end of the tour, he was pulled from the group and hired on the spot.

Wherever you go, whatever your calling, aim to do good. Good deeds are ever fruitful of yet more good.

Lecturer to Candidates, Second Degree

It didn’t occur to me to ask if he was a Grange Member, but he could have been!

The second sentence of the lecturer’s instruction is a bit obtuse. Just prior to this advice, she asks the Assistant Steward if the candidates have been furnished with seed. The reply is that Ceres has provided corn and “enjoined” them to save the best for planting. The Lecturer notes that the candidates have been “guided by the lesson of faith.”

If we save the best seed for replanting, the harvest will increase. Doing good is much like planting seeds. Doing the most good produces even more good and that’s true regardless of who we are and where we are.

A candidate for employment picks up trash. He does some good and gets hired. He demonstrated that he aims to do good. His simple act demonstrates his potential as a good employee.

A candidate for membership in the Grange gets some good but simple advice. “Aim to do good.” It might be interesting if the lecturer were to ask each candidate to share an example of something good they have done. It shouldn’t be an intimidating question, although for some, doing good is instinctive and unconscious. The job candidate didn’t call attention to himself.

After receiving the Lecturer’s instruction, the Grange candidates move on to the Chaplain. The Chaplain reminds us “the springing seed teaches us to increase goodness…” and to “Do good, hoping for nothing in return, and your reward shall be great.”

This is not so complex or controversial. But in today’s society, where there is much complexity and controversy, a value of the Grange and Grangers is the demonstration of “doing good.”

A demonstration doesn’t have to be a protest.

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.

Communications Column – June 2025

By Walter Boomsma
207 343-1842
Communications Director

Did I Lie or Miscommunicate?

Our Memorial Day Program here in Maine’s #1 Town (alphabetically) includes an opportunity to chat with friends and neighbors—one of the joys of rural living. After the small crowd had mainly disappeared, I noticed two of those friends chatting intensely—one I hadn’t seen for some time. As I approached, I said, “I don’t mean to interrupt, but I must say ‘Hi’ to…” Of course, I said more than that as we needed to briefly “catch up” on each other’s health and doings.

Later, as I strolled to my vehicle, it occurred to me that I had lied. I had, in fact, fully intended to interrupt their conversation. I know both well, so I felt comfortable interrupting. I also trusted both would honestly have said “This is not a good time…” if that were the case. So why did I lie, even if it was unintentional?

As I consider that question, I am reminded of the conversation between Caesar and Mark Antony in Act 1, Scene 2.

“Let me have men about me that are fat, Sleek-headed men and such as sleep o’nights. Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look, He thinks too much; such men are dangerous.”

While I’m not sure I am sleek-headed or have a lean and hungry look, I am occasionally accused of thinking too much. For Shakespeare Fans, we could think too much about the context of the quote. The digression is enticing, but to pursue it might make the point. “He thinks too much.”

Spontaneous communication means we are not thinking much. Had I been thinking more critically as I approached these friends, I might have said, “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I must say ‘Hi’ to…” If a similar situation develops, that would be a more likely line now that I’ve had time to think about it. I’m not sure that’s overthinking.

While the characters in Julius Caesar are speaking, it’s important to remember that they are not speaking spontaneously. They are speaking words that were written carefully. A writer has an opportunity to think and edit what will be “said.” Thanks to technology, we now have AI that helps with the written word. Even as I’ve written this, a great deal of thought has been given and many changes have been made. I can even ask the computer to read it aloud and listen to how it sounds. This might be another digression.

All this thinking ultimately aims at the continuous improvement of our communication. It’s admittedly easier when communication is written, but the patterns are similar. Over forty years ago, I taught an interpersonal skills course that primarily focused on communication when speaking and listening. “When your initial response is to reject or ignore, clarify and confirm what the speaker is saying.” The idea behind it was to ensure you understood what the speaker was saying and why they were saying it. Students who “got it,” realized that it was equally important to understand that when they were speaking, they should be clear on what they were saying and why they were saying it.

Communication should be about understanding. During my days as a real estate instructor, I will never forget an instructor’s meeting during which a colleague said, “I want to be sure we are all saying (teaching) the same thing.” I couldn’t resist responding that I hoped our students would all hear the same thing, but doubted it. Let’s not forget that while we think words have meaning, ultimately, people give meaning to those words. It’s not an exact science and never will be.

Social media offers endless opportunities for miscommunication. A recent post reported the death of three children, allegedly at the hands of their father. One commenter wrote, in part, “I am angry at those poor babies who were murdered by their father…” If we think before reacting, we can conclude she probably wasn’t angry at the babies. She was probably angry at the situation. If she were a politician, there would soon be a news story announcing that she was angry at the murdered children, perhaps even speculating that they were somehow responsible for their own deaths. It wouldn’t take much effort to turn her miscommunication into a lie.

Speakers and writers should attempt to communicate accurately. Listeners and readers should attempt to hear and read accurately. That involves some discipline and thinking. Of course, skill helps, but the focus needs to move beyond communicating to understanding.

This article was initially posted on the Brain Leaks and Musings Site by Mr. Boomsma, educator and author.

► FACT: Your website was viewed nearly 1,400 times by over 500 people in the month of May!

Chaplain’s View – June 2025

Christine Hebert, MSG Chaplain
(207) 743-5277

My Journey

I beg assistance, God of my journey,

To accept that all of life is only a loan to me.

To believe beyond this moment.

To accept your courage when mine might fail.

To hold all of life in open hands.

To treasure all as gifts and blessings.

To look at the painful part of my life and to grow through it.

To allow love to embrace me on days that might feel empty and lonely

To receive the truth of Your presence.

Joyce Rupp, O.S.M.

God doesn’t leave you. You leave Him.

Yardscaping-Is your lawn truly green?

Reprinted with permission from an enewsletter published by Maine Representative James White.

An attractive, carpet-like lawn adds value and enjoyment to any home; however, these benefits can come with a cost to the environment.  Lawn care practices can impact water quality.  At risk are lakes, streams, and eventually the ocean — the send point of all watersheds.

The pursuit of the “perfect” lawn now drives many homeowners to use an unprecedented volume of herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, fertilizers, and herbicide-fertilizer combinations known as weed and feed products.  This offers little or no benefit to turf.  

By applying horticultural knowledge instead of pesticides and fertilizers, YARDSCAPING practices can create quality turf that delivers recreational and eye-pleasing benefits.

YARDSCAPING is not about using good chemicals instead of bad ones.  YARDSCAPERS, conversely, put to work horticultural principles that deliver robust turf and landscapes that demand less of any product!  You can too by following the practices outlined in the publication Is Your Lawn Truly Green?  Sage Advice from Top Northeast Experts (PDF). For more information about Maine YARDSCAPING, please click here.

View from the Farm – June 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.

The Intimacy of Eating

Here’s to letting our taste buds lead the way. Our pastures this week have me drooling a little at the capacity of our animals for converting this lush June fertility into delicious, nourishing food.

There are many reasons to support human-powered, small, ecologically friendly farms. We produce real food that is nutrient-dense and full of flavor. We care for our place by improving the soil and local ecosystem. We keep dollars circulating through our own communities. We strive to raise and train the next generations of stewards. Farms can add a common sense to our communities’ dialogue that comes from working closely with nature, recognizing our part in it, not apart from it. We provide a measure of comfort and security in case of supply chain breakdowns.

I could go on, but you get the point. I believe strongly that we need more farms and farmers on land to stem the tide of the last 80 years of adulteration from corporate chemicals that has occurred in our soil and to our food.

The number of dairy farms in Maine has dropped from 5,100 in 1945 to 145 in 2023. Ponder that.

In 1945, the entire dairy herd was pastured during the growing season and fed dry hay in the winter. In 2023, the majority of dairy cows in Maine eat a “total managed ration” and live most of their lives on a concrete slab.

As a rule, our culture has called this progress. The cows are more efficient. The tractors are more efficient than animal power. Economies of scale are more efficient than a decentralized, localized system. This same logic would result in a “total managed ration” for humans as well. It would be more efficient.

Oh, but the taste buds. The intimacy of eating. The culture and variety. The seasonality. The memories.

It gives me a great degree of pleasure to watch all the critters here at Quill’s End eat. Especially during the growing season when their ‘plates,’ like ours, have a wider diversity of foods.

Imagine the choices we abandon if we step only into the grocery store for our sustenance, where 85% of the products on the shelves did not exist before 1945: what farmer to patronize, what sustainable practices to encourage and support, what particular variety to request from one of your farmers. We leave behind a farm visit with a pasture or garden walk for aisles of bright packaging and fluorescent lights.

As blessed as we are here in western Hancock County, we shouldn’t rest until our places are filling up our plates daily, and more of our pastures are full of life and laughter, furthering a community-based model of food production that continues to spread to more rural places. Led by our taste buds and the intimacy of the act of eating from our place.

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.

President’s Perspective – June 2025

By Sherry Harriman,
Maine State Grange President/Master
207 490-1029

Thank you to all the folks who helped with the recent State Grange yard sale & fundraiser. We appreciate your efforts, those who sold and bought raffle tickets, made donations, and your hard work. Thank you to Manchester Grange #172 for hosting this event. The weather was great, and thanks to those who came to support us. 

The routine of Grange meetings, activities, events, fundraisers, yard sales, dinners, and more is in full swing all over the state.  I would like to encourage everyone to support in some way Grange events planned for this summer and fall.  Get involved, spread the word around, and be there for your Grange. Agricultural Fairs are going on throughout the summer and fall.

REMINDER, there are set things that must happen to “open” the Grange in due form.  There must be seven members of that Grange present to be a legal meeting. Assistant Stewards open the Bible on the Altar, Opening Prayer, Salutation, the Charter MUST be present, the Implement case is opened, the Grange is declared open, and Salute to the Flag. Business and votes may only happen when the Grange is opened in full form.  Special meetings are exactly as implied, “Special” for a specific, pre-designated event or activity only.  No other business may be conducted. 

RESOLUTIONS are due in the office August 15, 2025, either by email to mainestategrange@myfairpoint.net or by standard mail to 146 State St., Augusta 04330. Submit both ways to ensure we receive them.  Each Resolution is required to have a title when it is submitted to the office. I cannot give them a title; you must come up with one yourself.  The resolution must be voted on by the Grange submitting the resolution.  After the 15th, we then have to print everything and mail all resolutions back to each Grange. The Delegate Registration, Banquet and Luncheon forms, etc.,  will be sent later in August. This all takes time.  

Officer and Department Reports are due in the office no later than September 15th. (written or emailed to the office and to my email  SHarriman@twc.com).  I prefer emailed reports. These dates may seem early, but getting everything put together for the session takes time. 

ELECTIONS are at hand, and every Grange is required to have full elections every year.  Please consider the officers and leaders of your Grange. Are you ready for a change? What is best for your Grange? Are there others who would make good officers? Are you helping others learn the different duties of the offices, or are you pushing too hard?  Some offices are more involved than others. Some committees are more involved than others.  Maine State Grange will have full elections at the State Session in October.  MASTERS and SECRETARIES – A strong reminder – Your correct ROSTER information is to be sent to the State Grange office as soon as possible after your elections are completed. The Master of each Grange sets up the Committee Chairmen for the Grange and informs the Secretary who those people are.  The Secretary gets and/or checks the name, address, phone, email, etc. for each of the people involved, fills in the entire form provided, and gets it back to the state office.

Grange Heirloom — June 2025

Grange Heirlooms are snippets from the lessons of the Grange as taught in the Rituals and Declaration of Purposes.

Use the icons below to share this Grange Heirloom on social media and help others understand what the Grange stands for! If this heirloom has a particular meaning for you, click the “leave a comment” link at the left and share your comment with us!

For additional information and resources regarding the Heirloom Program, visit the Heirloom Resource Page on the Maine State Grange Website.