Patrons of Husbandry – a website dedicated to the Granges located in Maine
NOTE: The situation was resolved late last night! We are catching up!
For the past 24 hours, I’ve been unable to receive or send email. The problem is NOT resolved–it’s a Microsoft issue, and they are not being at all helpful. I’m working on it, but the end is not in sight. This also means I am not receiving site-related emails such as comments that need approval.
Please be patient. If you have a situation that requires attention, try this address or call or text me at 207 343-1842,
Thanks!
By Heather Retberg, Quills End Farm
Last week, I ran into a friend we have not seen in a while. She and her late husband have been occupying my thoughts off and on since he passed. She has not been to the farm in some time because it reminds her of her love. It should. I drive his old truck. I keep his obituary as a bookmark in my bedside reading.
Nathan was so at home here… a Montana boy with a heart so big it lit up his whole face. He helped harden my thought that a farm always builds community around it by literally helping us build the farm. A classic rural genius, he could lay concrete, build with wood, and service anything.
When we needed our third cow, Cricket, in March 2010, it was he and his wife that loaned us the money. Then they wished us a merry Christmas in April. On occasions when they could spare some time, he would bring his cappuccino maker, and she a poppy seed cake, and make us spare the time. We hold those special times dearly now.
He had an uncanny knack for showing up when Heather was processing our farmstead cheese. She was messing about with the herbs and spices that she adds to it. Nathan was a willing guinea pig, with culinary advice to give. A little more of this, a little less of this, and then a kiss to his fingers…perfection. It was just spicy enough.
I’ve had the pleasure of another reminder of him every week since Heather is unable to make cheese. So, I blend and package, ruminate and remember. I taste test the spicy, sweet, salty combination. The last step in the farmstead cheese making is labeling, and we hand write every “Nathan’s Blend.”
Editor’s note: Phil continues to write “View from the Farm” while Heather recovers from her recent surgery. Send her a card/note at Quill’s End Farm, 192 Front Ridge Road, North Penobscot ME 04476
Heather and Phil Retberg together with 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. Heather is Vice President of Halcyon Grange #345 and writes a newsletter for their farm’s buying club of farmers in her area and has generously given us permission to share some of her columns with Grangers. Visit the Quill’s End Farm Facebook Page for more information.
by Walter Boomsma
Have you ever been to a Grange meeting where the Master/President didn’t skip the agenda item “Grange Services?” I can’t recall one. Once in a great while, someone gets curious as to what it’s supposed to include. So, after a little research, I have an answer!
As you might well expect, there’s a little history involved. A comparison of old manuals suggests it was at one time a “Report of Insurance or Business Agent.” A 1908 manual that was assigned to my great uncle list it as such. Since over the years, the Grange did provide services to farmers, one might rightfully conclude this is the place where the status of the services would be reported. By the way, my uncle often shared his displeasure with the Grange Insurance Program when one of his cows was killed by lightning. They didn’t pay the claim because it was an act of God. His argument that “God isn’t in the business of killing cows” did not prevail.
In my research, I’m told that there are still a few states that offer a form of Grange Insurance. (State insurance regulations often have created issues for these, but some remain out west. Here in Maine, Halcyon Grange has a silo and, I believe, participates in cooperative grain buying, Those Granges have something to report on.
But what about the rest of us? Are our community Granges not providing services?
Perhaps not in the historical sense but when we truly think about it, the Grange is all about service. Now it probably happens that many of those services are reported elsewhere during the meeting.
But before we drop this agenda item or tap the gavel and skip over it, let’s think about some of the services the Grange offers its members. Just change the word “services” to “benefits.” Perhaps during the Grange Services portion of the meeting, there could be a review of one member benefit offered at the national level. There is an entire section on the National Grange Website devoted to member benefits ranging from health-related to travel-related to shopping. Your membership chairperson could select one or two and review them briefly as a “report of Grange services.”
The Heirloom Program also qualifies as a Grange service. Every month we have the opportunity to be reminded of an important practice or principle of our Order.
Yet another opportunity exists in what might be called the “soft” benefits of being a member. I remember some years ago conducting a survey that asked people what they enjoyed most about the Grange. The answers were certainly rewarding. Some spoke of meeting new friends. Others enjoyed the opportunity to learn new skills such as leadership and public speaking. One person wrote that her parents met at the Grange and married as a result. She was thankful for the Grange because, without it, she wouldn’t be here!
Maybe it’s time to do that again—if not officially, at least locally. We could report how our Granges have served us. Who will step up and accept responsibility for a “Report of Grange Services?” I’m not sure it matters who it is, but this seems to fall naturally to a membership chair. It wouldn’t hurt us to devote some time thinking about the services/benefits we receive from being a member. And it definitely wouldn’t hurt for other people to start hearing about those services and benefits.
Once again, we prove the value of tradition and ritual. Let’s make this one work for us! When the master calls “Reports of Grange Services” and raises the gavel, who’ll jump up and respond, “I have something to report, Worthy Master!
(Special thanks to Phil Vonada, Amanda Brozana Rio, Steve Verrill, and Vicki Huff for their thoughts and contributions that will help us refocus on Grange Services.)
Any degree or ritual quotations are from the forty-sixth edition of the 2013 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.
By Margaret Morse, Maine State Grange Lecturer
207 439-0413
June is the time of the year when the theme for the next Grange Year (2022 – 2023) is to be announced. Over the last couple of months, I have considered several themes and thought that I had made the decision on which one to use. However, one Sunday morning while in church listening to the scripture reading a verse from Romans caught my attention. Romans 12:16 is “Live in harmony with one another.” To many, the word harmony has to do with music, which is one of the four parts of a good program. While a single vocalist singing acapella is pleasing to the ear, vocalists singing four-part harmony with instrumental accompaniment fills the room and feeds the soul. Similarly, to Live in Harmony also may mean members working together for the good of the order. Therefore, even though we might not always agree with each other or agree on how certain things are done I hope that this theme will remind us that we all need to live in harmony.
The Skit Writing Contest is open to all subordinate Grange and Junior Grange members as well as children and grandchildren of Subordinate members. All skits must be original work, include at least 2 characters, and take no more than 10 minutes to present the skit. All entries must include the name of the person submitting the skit, and the Grange including its number, home address, and skit title. Junior Grangers or other children must include their age as of August 1.
The Poetry Writing Contest is also open to all subordinate and Junior Grange members as well as children and grandchildren of Subordinate members. All poems must be original work. All entries must include the name of the person submitting the poem, the category, and the Grange including its number, home address, and poem title. Junior Grangers or other children must include their age as of August 1. The categories are Stars/the Universe, Patriotic, Humorous, and Other. Poems do not have to follow any specific format.
The Book Reading Club is open to all subordinate Grange and Junior Grange members as well as children and grandchildren of Subordinate members. The entries must include the book title, author, and number of pages. All entries must include the name of the person submitting the book list, the Grange including its number, and home address. Junior Grangers or other children must include their age as of August 1.
The due date for the Skit Writing Contest and the Poetry Writing Contest has been extended to September 1, 2022. The entries may be sent via email or by snail mail to my home address.
.
Many contest deadlines are coming up soon! National Grange Lecturer’s Virtual Photo Contest and Communication Department Publicity Item Contest are both due on June 30, 2022. Check recent issues of Patrons Chain and the National Grange Website for more information. Many National Junior and Youth Grange Contests are coming up–check your handbooks!
Granges are active in 1500 communities nationwide and we are 140,000 members strong. A few states are seeing massive growth in membership numbers, and (more importantly, in my opinion) activity and presence in their communities. Members are joining because they are proud of the work being done by the Grange and proud of the way their members are talking about the Grange.
Phil Vonada, National Grange Communications Director
This year’s telethon is July 9, 2022. We are seeking sponsorships, testimonies, and talent entries from youth and juniors! Please email Samantha or Mandy if you have questions about the event. Please plan to tune in, starting at noon eastern on July 9, 2022!
The deadline has been extended to September 1, 2022. More information is available here.
156th National Grange Convention will be held at the Nugget Casino Resort in Sparks, Nevada from November 15-19, 2022. Visit the National Grange Website for information and to register.
Grange Heirlooms are snippets from the lessons of the Grange as taught in the Ritual and Declaration of Purposes. Please share “success stories” about the use of the program with us, or if you come up with other innovative ways to incorporate the Program in your Granges. Information and materials are now available on the National Grange Website.
Want to see your new members recognized in Good Day Magazine? Anyone who has not been recognized as a new member in the past year can be included. Use this link to share the news. The deadlines for each issue are:
“Notes from National” is based on a monthly email received from the National Grange Communications Department.
156th National Grange Session is scheduled for November 15-19, 2022 in Sparks, NV
Castine Grange #250 would like to invite Grange friends to a Celebration of Life luncheon at noon on June 25 at the Grange Hall on Rt 166A, Castine to honor Betty Chatfield, former member of the State CWA committee and lifelong Granger from Hancock Pomona.
Betty’s family has also asked our Grange friends to join the family, if they would like to, for the graveside service at 10:00 am at Woodlawn Park Cemetery, 598 North Main Street, Brewer.
The Census of Agriculture is a complete count of U.S. farms and ranches and the people who operate them. Even small plots of land – whether rural or urban – growing fruit, vegetables, or some food animals count if $1,000 or more of such products were raised and sold, or normally would have been sold, during the Census year. The Census of Agriculture, taken only once every five years, looks at land use and ownership, operator characteristics, production practices, income, and expenditures. For America’s farmers and ranchers, the Census of Agriculture is their voice, their future, and their opportunity. June 30, 2022, is the last day to sign up for the 2022 Ag Census. If you have never received a census and are new to NASS surveys, sign up to be counted today. You do not need to sign up if you already receive NASS surveys.
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 responses link at the top right and share your comment with us!
Grange Heirlooms are snippets from the lessons of the Grange as taught in the Rituals and Declaration of Purposes.
For additional information and resources regarding the Heirloom Program, visit the Heirloom Resource Page on the Maine State Grange Website.
produced by the
Maine State Grange Communications Department
Unfortunately, we experienced some audio issues during this interview, but they won’t keep you from experiencing the energy and enthusiasm that exists in Jonesboro Grange and, more importantly, their community! This Grange has grown in size and attributes much of its current success to the pandemic. Discover their win-win approach to activities and programs and how they partner with community organizations.
Check out:
St. George Grange has started our Summer Public Suppers. We will host suppers on the 2nd Saturday of each month until October. We always start at 5 pm (even though people start arriving at 4 pm). The supper in October will include our Fall Craft Fair that day. We take November off and then on December 3, 2022, we will host the 40th Annual St. George Grange Christmas Fair! A wonderful community event.
PUBLIC GRANGE SUPPER
ST. GEORGE GRANGE
WILEY’S CORNER
SATURDAY, JUNE 11, 2022 @ 5 pm
Come enjoy a variety of homemade food, fresh-baked bread, biscuits, desserts, coffee, and cold drinks with neighbors, friends, and family
Adults $8.00 Children $5.00
(Under 10 yrs. Free)
Cooked food donations for our suppers welcome
(Casseroles, salads, desserts, etc.)
Thank you!
For more info. call 372-8904 or 372-6768