This year, when agricultural leaders from all across the nation converge on Washington D.C. for National Ag Day, a group of agricultural education students and teachers will have a very special mission.

Six current agricultural education majors and three mentor teachers will prepare and teach an agriscience lesson in a DC public school on National Ag Day,  Thursday, March 8. Their activity and the agricultural education profession will also be highlighted to legislators and industry representatives at the Ag Day luncheon on Thursday.

“This activity is important on so many levels,” said Ellen Thompson, National Teach Ag Campaign coordinator. “We’re giving urban students an opportunity to experience agriculture, pre‐service teachers an opportunity to work with experienced mentor teachers, and Washington decision‐makers the chance to see up close what agricultural education is all about.”

Read the full story here.

Robert G. Waggoner, a mainstay of the Lake Grange who wrote about his unit of the fraternal organization for a history of Wood County’s Lake Township, died Sunday in Mercy St. Charles Hospital, Oregon. He was 86.

He had heart and kidney problems. He experienced chest pains while at dialysis Feb. 10, his wife, Sally, said.

Mr. Waggoner lived for most of his life within a two-mile radius of the unincorporated community of Moline, according to his biography in A History of Lake Township Wood County, Ohio. His family has lived in the community, near what is now East Broadway and State Rt. 795, since the late 1860s.

He and his wife were among contributors to the 350-page volume, and he wrote about what he knew best: Lake Grange No. 2205, of which he was a former master, as his father had been. His research included reviewing material in the archives of Bowling Green State University.

“We enjoyed finding different bits of information you didn’t know before,” his wife said. “It was really a great experience.”

Read the full story here.

The first stop will be on Feb. 9 at the Morgan Hill Grange in Morgan Hill. The following night, on Feb. 10 the Masters will visit Danville Grange in Danville. On Feb. 11, the three-day tour will conclude at the Rainbow Valley Grange, 2160 Rainbow Valley Blvd. The meeting starts at 4 p.m. and is a good opportunity to meet the National Master, ask questions, and keep informed.

Everyone is welcome to attend, including non-members interested in learning more about the Grange. There is no admission charge. For more information, call (760) 489-9502.

Read the full story here.

What do you know about the Portsmouth Grange?

Did you know granges offer leadership development for local community service projects within their theme of “American Values, Hometown Roots?”

Granges also offer a legislative voice through grassroots advocacy. While Granges are non-partisan, they urge full participation in the American political process.

Family is a part of every grange meeting. Children, youth, adults and senior are welcome participants in competitions such as music, art, public speaking, crafts and more. Members and visitors enjoy the fellowship, recreation and social activities of grange meetings.

Read the full story here.

Monday, February 13, 2012 is a date that will go down in history for Wolcott Grange. It’s the date that began a new chapter in the community as the family-oriented group reorganized. It’s the date that the Connecticut State Grange reinstated their Charter.

There was excitement in the air as Connecticut State Grange President Jody Cameron presented the Charter to Henry Ouimet, who was elected as President of the revitalized Grange.

“This was without a doubt one the most exciting evenings for the Grange,” said Cameron. “I want personally thank Mr. Ouimet for all of his hard work in making this reorganization possible.  His efforts have guaranteed that Wolcott Grange will be serving the community and all of its citizens for many, many years to come.  You can?t do anything but celebrate knowing the impact this energetic group is going to have; I can?t wait to see what they have in store for the community.”

18 new members were recognized and initiated to helm Wolcott Grange during its revitalization. Jeff Barnes, Connecticut State Grange Vice President and Chairman of the Grange Growth Team, performed part of the evening’s ceremonies. Over 40 people were in attendance, cheering on the new members as they looked forward to a positive future.

Barnes knew that an infusion of energy was needed to bring Wolcott Grange back to its community service roots, and sees good momentum moving forward. “This is exactly the catalyst we needed.  It will inspire all of the Granges in Connecticut to grow,” Barnes said.

Wolcott Grange was originally formed March 17, 1909. Their Grange Hall was built in the 1920s as part of the Wolcott Green Historic District. Through the years the group presented floats in local parades, hosted pancake breakfasts, supported its agricultural roots, presented dictionaries to local school children, and was well-known for their delicious Dairy Dinners. The organization grew quickly, at one time having more than 200 members. But time took its toll, and despite all of the Grange’s community-service work, members were growing older and tiring.

Thanks to the hard work and dedication of Ouimet and community members he recruited to become a part of the revitalization core, the new Grangers are now reinvesting in the pride and future of their organization. Membership growth and building partnerships within the community are first on the priority list.

According to Cameron, the new Wolcott Grange is seeking local-minded people who would like to make a difference in their community. “This is a great opportunity for members of the community to be part of a collective voice that betters the community for all citizens,” he said.

Wolcott Grange will be meeting on the fourth Monday of each month at 7:30 PM at the Grange Hall, located at 313 Bound Line Road, Wolcott. Their next meeting will be held on March 26th, and will be the installation of the new officers. For membership information, please contact Cameron at 860-759-2326 or via e-mail at president@ctstategrange.org

Information on the nearly 60 Community Granges in Connecticut can be found on the Connecticut State Grange website at http://www.CTStateGrange.org.

Mansfield’s local chapter of the National Grange has provided its yearly donation of dictionaries to Southeast Elementary School’s third graders.

The Grange is proud to support The Dictionary Project through its Word for Thirds program. Through the tireless efforts of the Grange’s network of more than 300,000 volunteers, America’s oldest rural and agriculture organization has presented third grade students across the nation with more than 100,000
dictionaries.

A dictionary is one of the most powerful reference tools young children will be introduced to during their schooling years. Its usefulness goes beyond just providing correct spellings, pronunciations, and definitions. It is also a companion for solving problems that arise as children develop their reading, writing, and creative thinking abilities.

Read the full story here.

John grew up on his grandfather’s farm in Allegheny County, where he lived with his parents and sisters, Dorothy Scott Neel and Martha Grace Scott. In 1936, the family moved to their farm in Franklin Township, Butler County, where John lived until 1963, when the Commonwealth acquired the farm through eminent domain to become part of Moraine State Park. When the Scotts arrived in Butler County, their new farm adjoined the farm of B.H. and Phoebe McCandless, whose eldest daughter Dorothy was away at Slippery Rock State Teachers College. The next year Dorothy received her teaching certificate and returned home to be the teacher at the one-room Island Independent School, which was located just north of the Scott farm. That winter, John shoveled the path to the school and fired the pot-bellied stove so the building would be warm when Dorothy arrived. They were married on August 25, 1939, and moved into the house they built on the farm in the spring of 1940.

In addition to operating the family farm with his father, John was a community leader. He was a member of the Butler Fair Board, the Butler County Health Board and the Agricultural Extension. He was a long-time deacon of the Mt. Zion Baptist Church at Isle and hauled all the stone and concrete products used to build the addition to the original church in the 1950′s. John was a founding member of the Slippery Rock Area Joint School Board and served as President of the Board when the remaining one-room schools in the District were closed and the current high school building was built in 1959. In 1960, John was named the “Butler County Man of the Year.” In 1937, John joined the Grange, also known as the Patrons of Husbandry, as a member of Unionville Grange, No. 1971. The Grange would become the focus of much of his adult life. He held every office in the local and Pomona (county) Grange and served on the State Executive Committee. When the farm was acquired by the State, John was elected Master of the Pennsylvania State Grange, and the family relocated to Mechanicsburg. During John’s tenure as State Master the Grange was instrumental in a major reform of the state’s eminent domain law. The “Eminent Domain Code of 1964″ greatly expanded the protection of landowner rights, insuring for the first time that property owners would receive 80 percent payment within 60 days of the condemnation, without prejudice to their right to seek fair compensation thereafter in court. John was also directly involved in the adoption of the Susquehanna River Compact which led to the creation of the Susquehanna River Basin Commission.

In 1968, John was elected Master of the National Grange, headquartered in Washington, D.C. For the next 12 years he led the Grange at the national level, crisscrossing the country with Dorothy to build membership and programs, traveling abroad as an ambassador for American Agriculture, and providing counsel to Presidents Nixon, Ford and Carter. While John was the National Master a commemorative postage stamp honoring the Grange was issued, and the Grange satisfied the mortgage on its national headquarters building at 1616 H Street, N.W., the only privately owned structure in the “Federal Square” sector of Washington D.C.

In 1980, John returned to his home in Mechanicsburg. Shortly thereafter he was employed by the Pa. Dept. of Agriculture as the Chief of the Fruit and Vegetable Inspection Division. He retired from the state in 1990. After his retirement, John volunteered at the Harrisburg Hospital, accumulating over 10,000 hours of volunteer service. Although John had to leave high school as a teenager because of family farm responsibilities, education was always important to him. He earned his high school diploma from Cumberland Valley High School in 1986, as a member of its adult degree program in time to attend the 50th reunion of his original high school class.

John is survived by three sons and three daughters-in-law: James Walker and Carolyn Balko Scott; Thomas W. and Jane E. Scott; and David M. and Patty Scott. He is also survived by six grandchildren: Ann Scott Rowland, John Andrew, Matthew Walker, Eric Thomas, Rebecca Lynn, and Julie Christina. Additionally, he is survived by ten great-grandchildren: Isabella Faith, Sophia Jane, Gavin Walker, Efren James, Alexander Dagohoy, Ripley Kenneth , and Maddox Thomas Scott, as well as Sean Walker, Kelan Martin, and Brady Andrew Rowland. He is also survived by his niece, Jean Scott Neel of Butler, and two step-children, Sylvia Shoup and Jeff Paden.

Services to celebrate John’s life will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 14 at St. Paul’s U.C.C. Church, Mechanicsburg, officiated by Pastor John Ward-Diorio. There will be a viewing at the church from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Monday, as well as from 10 to 11 a.m. Tuesday. There will be a luncheon at the church after the service. Burial will take place privately thereafter in the Mechanicsburg Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to:

WASHINGTON, Feb. 10, 2012—Acting Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services Michael Scuse announced today a package of technology enhancements from the Farm Service Agency (FSA) that include Web access for handheld and smartphone users, as well as a more efficient and timely option for receiving news and critical program information. The technology improvements will allow users of FSA information to gain access to easy-to-read data, including key features such as loan deficiency payment (LDP) rates, posted county prices (PCP), FSA news releases and AskFSA, the agency’s online self-help knowledge base.

Today’s announcement by FSA underscores USDA’s Blueprint for Stronger Service, a plan introduced in January by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack that takes a realistic view of the needs of American agriculture in a challenging budget climate, and lays out USDA’s plans to modernize and accelerate service delivery while improving the customer experience through use of innovative technologies and business solutions. Three of the 27 initial recommendations implemented by USDA focus on information technology, while other process improvements already put into place by FSA have strengthened the agency’s electronic customer service and online presence.

“As an increasing number of farmers and ranchers move to mobile devices and other high-tech tools, we need to keep pace by investing in the best possible customer service while making the best use of taxpayer resources,” Scuse said. “The mobile website is an added convenience for farmers and ranchers and an effective, efficient way for USDA to deliver news, program information and reliable guidance on a variety of agricultural issues. And investments in technology help USDA continue to make other, more significant investments in rural America, preserving the success of U.S. agriculture in the long term.”

Read the full story here.

National Grange President Ed Luttrell said the organization commends the  decision because as written, the proposals would have had a negative impact on America’s family farms and ranches.

“As a family organization, the safety and well being of our youth is a top priority for the Grange, because we know that we are training tomorrow’s farmers and ranchers,” Luttrell said. “Bestowed with that responsibility, we understand that it is necessary to provide a safe and secure setting where our youth can develop their interests in agriculture and carry that knowledge into the future.  regulations that prohibit youth from obtaining that knowledge are ultimately counterproductive to the larger legacy of training tomorrow’s growers.”

The National Grange and numerous other agriculture organizations had decried the proposed regulations in late 2011, citing concerns that such a move might lead to the waning interest of future producers in agriculture and many other social consequences outweighing potential benefits to changes in regulation.

“The Department’s proposals, though well intentioned, were far too encompassing and limiting to farming youth,” Luttrell said. “We applaud their decision to withdraw, and believe this to be a victory for America’s farming families.”

Established in 1867, The National Grange, a nonpartisan, nonprofit fraternal organization, is the oldest agricultural and rural community service organization. With more than 2,100 local chapters, the Grange has evolved into the nation’s leading rural advocacy organization and a major benefactor to local communities. There are more than 160,000 members across the United States.

CONTACT: Amanda Leigh Brozana
Communications Director
Phone: (202) 628-3507 ext. 102
or 888-4-GRANGE ext. 102
abrozana@nationalgrange.org