(Washington, DC, April 6, 2009) -The nation’s oldest agricultural and rural advocacy organization, the National Grange, has declared April as Grange Month. The theme for this year’s Grange Month is “Opportunity Knocks.” Local Granges will celebrate with open houses, citizens’ awards and community service projects.  Many will hold traditional pot luck suppers and pancake breakfasts. Events will be open to the public and those interested in supporting and improving their communities will be encouraged to join. 

Founded in 1867 to help both southern and northern farmers recover from the ravages of the Civil War, the National Grange has evolved to incorporate the interests of non-farm rural families and communities, as well as the traditional interests of family farmers and ranchers.  Free rural mail delivery and the breaking of railroad monopolies are among the organization’s historical achievements. Today, rural health care, education and communications access are just a few of the Grange’s areas of involvement. It has approximately 240,000 members in 2,700 local and state chapters across forty states.   

In his declaration, National Grange President Ed Luttrell of Sandy, Oregon stated, “The Grange continues to advocate on the behalf of traditional American values and aids in keeping the family structure strong by bringing the entire family together in one organization and remains true to the principles of grassroots empowerment of all citizens.” 

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