Patrons of Husbandry – a website dedicated to the Granges located in Maine
Suicide is a leading cause of preventable death in the United States. Today, our knowledge about suicide has evolved, as have conversations about mental health. We know that we save lives when we work to #EndTheStigma around seeking help. In September and always, we stand together in strength, dignity, hope, and purpose
During the month of September, the MSG Communications Department will be featuring brief weekly resources for suicide prevention. We’re Grangers. We help each other.
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.
I want to remind each of you and ask that you make it a priority to remind your membership of our long-standing and unwavering non-partisan policy, which has been part of our Order since day one. Our Constitution, Declaration of Purposes, and Bylaws clearly state that the Grange is not, and must never become, a partisan or party organization and this must be reflected in all we do. This applies to every publication at every level, oral reports at Grange meetings, social media posts made in the name of the Grange, and any other communication. I ask that you carefully review and ensure that all communications are free of partisan comments, endorsements, or implications. When we drift into comments about people and parties rather than focusing on issues, we erode the very bonds of unity built by our non-partisan approach. Our strength lies in being a trusted, non-partisan voice for rural America, and it is vital that we preserve that trust through our words and actions. That unity is what makes the Grange one of the few remaining places where civil dialogue across differences can thrive – and it is essential we protect it.
CHAPTER I – CONSTITUTION OF THE ORDER OF PATRONS OF HUSBANDRY
1.12.1 Denominational religious or partisan political matters shall not be the subject of discussions in the work of the Order, and no religious or political tests for membership shall be applied.
CHAPTER II – DECLARATION OF PURPOSES OF THE NATIONAL GRANGE OF THE ORDER OF PATRONS OF HUSBANDRY
2.5.1 We emphatically and sincerely assert the oft-repeated truth taught in our Constitutional Law, that the Grange — National, State, Pomona or Subordinate — is not a partisan or party organization.
CHAPTER X – CODE OF ALL GRANGES 10.1.4 No Grange of the various divisions of the Order shall use or allow to be used any name, insignia or mark of the Order in a manner which could indicate support, approval or opposition of any candidate for political office or any partisan political position.
MSG President Sherry requested that we post and publish this important message!
Friday, September 19, 2025
A potluck supper will take place at 6:00 pm. Our meeting follows at 7 pm
No, we won’t be having sandwiches for supper. Again this year, we are supporting Bangor Savings Bank’s PB & J Drive. Since 2012, the Bangor Savings Bank Peanut Butter & Jelly Drive has collected more than 146,000 jars and donated them to local food insecurity programs. That’s nearly 2.5 million peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for children, families, and individuals. That’s the power of community!
Please bring your donations to the meeting on Friday, September 19th, or drop them off at the Hall. Note that we must receive donations by September 25th. You can also drop off donations at any Bangor Savings Branch until September 30th. Tell ’em we sent you!
Here’s a short message for kids and parents everywhere. Things don’t always happen the way they’re supposed to. Let me explain.
I recently stopped for a school bus. That’s not big news. It is an example of things happening the way they should. I was facing the bus and could see past it, noticing that the cars behind it had also stopped exactly as they should.
The lights flashed, the stop sign on the bus opened, and the safety arm across the front of the bus swung wide.
Four or five kids got off the bus. They ranged in size from tiny ones with outsized backpacks to some older ones. They came around the front of the bus. So far, so good.
Some ran, some walked in front of the bus and across the highway.
When they started across my lane, I started yelling at them even though there was no way they could hear me. They didn’t stop or even pause to look up and down the road. Fortunately, everything was working the way it should. Well, almost everything. I think the kids were supposed to look both ways.
Safety shouldn’t be delegated; it should be shared.
“Mr. Boomsma”
Sometimes, things don’t work the way they should. I can think of several ways that might have been the case. Several days later, there was a headline from a distant state where someone didn’t stop for a school bus, and a child was injured.
If we want kids to feel and be safe, we need to involve them in the process. It wouldn’t be so bad for them to learn they have some responsibility for staying safe. A few seconds’ pause to look up and down the road is just plain smart.
At the start of the school year, parents should consider meeting the bus and ensuring their kids do this. I’d be happy if the bus driver kept the window open and told the kids to stop and look — at least until they got into the habit. It’s been a few years since I’ve attended a school bus safety program, but I’d be thrilled if crossing in front of the bus was part of that curriculum. Safety shouldn’t be delegated; it should be shared.
Make this part of your Family Health and Hearing Program?!
Maine residents looking to get rid of pesticides can take advantage of the Obsolete Pesticide Collection Program, a joint initiative of the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry’s Board of Pesticides Control (BPC) and Maine Department of Environmental Protection. The program aims to safeguard Maine’s natural resources and prevent agricultural pollution by promoting the safe and proper disposal of outdated, unused or unwanted pesticides.
Homeowners and family-owned farms are encouraged to bring their unwanted pesticides to one of several collection sites around the state. Pesticides include herbicides, insecticides, rodenticides, fungicides, disinfectants and similar products used in agricultural production or around the home.
Programs typically take place once a year in October. Pre-registration is required and collections are held at four sites across the state in Portland, Augusta, Bangor and Presque Isle. Event dates, times and locations are subject to change; and only registered participants will be notified of this information upon acceptance into the program. Registrants may apply at any time but will typically be contacted about the program in August and September. The program only accepts pesticides and spray adjuvants – a list of more than 11,000 registered products can be accessed here. For more information about the program’s drop-off locations or instructions on how to register, visit BPC’s webpage
The five Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) in Maine serve as “one-stop-shops” to answer questions from older adults, individuals with disabilities and their care partners about a wide range of in-home, community-based, and institutional services.
Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) are experts at answering questions about in-home care services and other types of long-term support. Maine’s five AAAs are also Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs) that:
Maine’s Aging & Disability Resource Centers (ADRC) are designed to serve all older adults, people with disabilities and their care partners who have long-term care community or program needs. To see which center serves your area, visit the Office of Aging and Disability Services’ website.
Maine participates in the National Grange Junior 1+ Program. If your Subordinate Grange has Junior 1+ members, please advise Maine State Grange.
By Walter Boomsma
207 343-1842
Communications Director
How are you communicating?
A Grange “brother” recently reached out by email, and we had an interesting “conversation” with a series of back and forth. He admitted that he was not spending much time on Facebook as he was “tired of the rants and stuff and knowing that everything I wrote was data that Zuckerberg would sell.” We commiserated briefly.
Facebook is probably one of the least understood communication vehicles we have available. It, and social media in general, serve some useful purposes—one reason these platforms have been so readily adopted. Since this is about and for Grangers, I think it raises some important questions.
In my not-scientific study, most Grangers I know who use social media do so to “stay in touch with family.” I might fall into this category. I try to ignore the “rants and stuff,” including the many ads, sponsored posts, and outright scam attempts. Given my role as MSG Communications Director and naturally curious nature, I wonder how many Grangers have social media accounts. Again, it’s not very scientific, but I know that most of Valley Grange’s members do not have a Facebook account. We (Valley Grange) do have a Facebook Page, but we do not rely on it to communicate. If we only communicated on Facebook, most of our members would be ignored.
My marketing mind would love objective demographic data, What percentage of Grangers are active on social media? A broader question would be, “What percentage of people likely to become members are active on social media?”
Given the rapid advances in technology, the data would almost immediately become somewhat obsolete. Nearly two years ago, Instagram introduced a feature called “threads” that allows users to create text-based conversations. This could make your eyes glaze over because Meta owns both Instagram and Facebook. Let’s not go there.
One important aspect of social media is that the platform tries to figure out your interests and decides what you should see. Equally important, you are the product, not the beneficiary. As my Grange brother noted, Zuckerberg is selling that data to advertisers and, more recently, using it in the runaway development of AI (artificial intelligence).
This is not an attack on social media. It is an attempt to encourage perspective among Granges and Grangers. I know posting events and information on Facebook is easy, and doing so can create a sense of accomplishment. But what have you truly accomplished?
Once a year, I “audit” any Facebook Pages or Groups I’m aware of or stumble upon. You might be surprised at how many of those are for Granges that no longer exist. You might also be surprised that, for some, where the Granges still exist, nothing has been posted for a year or two. The only action I can take is to eliminate any reference to the defunct page on the MSG Website. (I will advise the Grange involved.) I also occasionally discover inappropriate posts on individual pages and groups.
We could, and probably should, revisit the Grange’s social media policy. But for now, let’s get thinking about how we are communicating with members and potential members.
An important reality is that it is relatively easy to move information from the MSG Website to Social Media. Moving in the other direction is almost impossible. (And, remember, Facebook decides whether or not I get to see the information you have posted.) There are several methods for submitting your news and information to the site. More about that later. Once we have it on the site, you can share it on Facebook with a couple of mouse clicks.
A secondary reality is that when you submit events and news to the website, we offer a degree of quality control. I recently stumbled on a Grange Facebook post full of spelling and grammatical errors, not exactly an example of putting our best foot forward. Perhaps even more importantly, we check for missing information. In fact, if you submit using the website itself, you fill out a form that asks for the specific details. If time permits, I will also assist with flyers, etc. We’re Grangers. We help each other!
Enjoy social media, just keep it in perspective. When you’re planning an event (or have had one and want to share the news) make sure someone is assigned the task of submitting them to your MSG website!
► FACT: The Communications Department of one has a goal that email and voice mail will be replied to within 24-48 hours.
Can you stand one more reminder to use caution during the heat we’re experiencing in Maine? Here are some resources we’ve found. (If you receive this post as an email, you’ll need to visit the site to watch the video.)
The American Red Cross offers a fairly complete page of resources including a guide to the three types of heat illness and a complete Extreme Heat Safety Checklist.
This is a great time to be a good neighbor by checking on others. Something as simple as handing out bottles of cool water can help. Staying hydrated is important. If your Grange Hall can serve as a “cooling center,” send us the details and we’ll post an annnouncement.