From Blue Jackets to Blue Sashes; the Connection Between FFA and Grange
Grange members like Joe Stefenoni, Gail Switzer, Victor Salazar, and Caroline Tart are also members of the FFA.	Download full issue New Grange Issues New Grange Archives Current Issue Jul - Aug 2011 May - Jun 2011 Mar - Apr 2011 Fan - Feb 2011 Sept - Oct 2010 Jul - Aug 2010 May - Jun 2010 Mar - Apr 2010

By Charlene Espenshade, Youth/Junior Development Director

Walk the halls of almost any high school in America, and there are few things as universally recognizable as the blue corduroy of an FFA jacket. It is not only the unique style and bold colors that make it stand out, but also the young men and women who wear these jackets with pride. For many, the FFA is a focal point of their high school career. However, from the first time a student dons their FFA jacket, in the back of their mind, they realize it will one day come to an end.

Hanging up the blue jacket can be an emotional time for a retiring FFA member. They have invested countless hours in preparing for contests, developing leadership skills, and organizing their Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) project. Many are faced with the question of “what now?” For many, the Grange serves as the springboard for FFA alumni looking to take the next step in life.

Across the country there are Grange members, both current FFA members and alumni, who call the Grange home and say the blue sash of the Grange is a perfect fit.

From its inception, the Grange has advocated agricultural education, and has been an ardent supporter of FFA. Formerly known as the Future Farmers of America, the FFA was formed in 1926 to augment what was taught in the classroom with extracurricular activities. The Grange supported vocational education efforts, including the passage of several laws that lead to the FFA’s formation. The first FFA Executive Secretary, Henry Gloscose, was also a Seventh Degree Grange member, and is the author of the FFA Opening and Closing Ceremonies.

Some might think the similarities between the two organizations are coincidental. However, look beneath the surface, and the connection is profound.

Victor Salazar, 2010-2011 Connecticut FFA State President said, “Both organizations are rooted in agriculture, both promote excellence, and both make the member a better individual.” Salazar served as the 2008 National Grange Youth Master as part of the National Grange Youth Officer Team.

“I believe the best way to illustrate the connection between the Grange and the FFA is to look at the closing charge of the Master in the Grange and the President in the FFA;” he cited the charges’ common themes of diligence in labor, honesty and fairness. While each is said differently, the similarity is undeniable.

“These were written more than 50 years apart from each other, yet they say basically the same thing. To me this exemplifies the connection between the two organizations the best,” Salazar said.

National Grange Master Ed Luttrell said the FFA provided him with several life skills that he utilizes today in his Grange duties. However, he is quick to point out that it was in the Grange that he was able to take the classroom experience and apply it to real life.

“That is why the connection is so positive. You learn the skills on one side [in FFA] and then use them on the other side in Grange,” said Luttrell. During his time in the Hillsboro Mid-High chapter in Oregon, Luttrell said he participated in every FFA contest possible, soaking up information “as a sponge.” A favorite contest was parliamentary procedure, a skill that comes in handy in his current role as National Master.

Former Pennsylvania FFA State Reporter, and Elizabethtown Grange member, Suzannah Mellinger said that the one unique aspect of the Grange is its sense of family among its members. It is one of the reasons she joined the organization near the conclusion of her State Officer career. She also noted that for FFA alumni looking for the next step in leadership, the transition into the Grange is an easy one.

Caroline Tart, the 2009-2010 National Grange Youth Mentor and Rosewood FFA Chapter member, is facing this difficult phase of her FFA career; putting on her blue jacket for the last time. Like Salazar, she has had an active FFA career, including chapter and regional FFA offices and serving as a National FFA convention delegate for her home state of North Carolina.

“Hanging up my blue jacket was a very tough realization and the end of an era,” Tart said. “However, having the Grange there helps fill the void immensely. I know that it is an organization that has a passion for agriculture and helps improve the youth of today and those two things are what I am passionate about.” She also noted her dedication to agriculture and education did not have to end with FFA and that she is able to continue her work, just in a different way.

2009 National Youth Officer Team Master Joe Stefenoni of California encourages FFA members to seek the Grange to use their talents; “Once FFA members are out of high school they have very few places to use those skills, and the Grange is one of the places they can.” He is a member of the Sebastopol- Analy FFA chapter.

As an FFA member who has an appreciation for the opening and closing FFA ceremonies, Stefenoni said he has developed a passion for such Grange traditions as its rituals, describing them as “beautiful.”

Pennsylvania’s Gail Switzer, 2008-2009 National Grange Youth Mentor, and Conrad Weiser, FFA Alumni, said the National Grange Youth Department activities allow her the opportunity to continue her leadership growth through contests such as public speaking, gaining responsibility by completing tasks, and making her community better through Grange service projects.

The Grange is noted for its traditions of family and rural advocacy. It is those traditions that have made the lasting impact for FFA alumni in the Grange.

“The thing I remember most from FFA is the friendships we had,” said Luttrell. “We were the ag boys when I was in FFA… in reality, we were a close bunch because of the activities. Those things are exactly the same in the Grange, except the friendship and fellowship is far deeper and much longer lasting. There is a real difference from being a group of just high school students to being a part of a group that includes grandparents and little kids. The family structure of the Grange fills the void from FFA. It’s more than a bunch of peers, it’s a family. As we go through life, family becomes more and more important to us.”

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National Grange President, Ed Luttrell

As I’ve traveled the nation having conversations with our members this year, there are certain things that have become apparent. The first is that communication remains a challenge within our organization.

Looking back at how we’ve done it in the past, it seems that members used to come out in greater numbers to hear what the National and State Leaders had to offer. I am sure they also spoke up to let those leaders know what they and their local Granges wanted and expected. Our advantage is that transportation is now relatively fast and easy. We can drive much greater distances in less time than they could 60 plus years ago due to road improvements and more reliable and comfortable cars. Our disadvantage is that there are more demands on our time than ever before. It is our belief, at the National level, that we must give value to our members for their time or we cannot expect them to give of that precious commodity.

For the first few decades of the Grange’s existence, the postal service was the only method to communicate between Granges and members, outside of physically going to talk with them. Today, the postal service is trying to reduce service while steadily raising the cost of this type of communication. While most members have alternatives to only using the postal service, it still remains an effective and important communication tool for many people. When the telephone made its way into rural America, it became an essential tool to keep local members informed of what was going on. As that technology matured, we held teleconferences and sent faxes, all of which served to improve how we communicated throughout the Grange.

With the advent of the electronic age, our organization began building websites and using email to foster the exchange of ideas within our organization. Today, members use voice over internet with Teamspeak and many daily use social networking sites like Facebook to reach out to our members in new ways.

As the number of methods increase, the challenge is how to use them to ensure that every member is “in the loop” within their Grange. It is obvious that if your Grange only uses one method of communication with your membership, you are leaving some of them out. Those who attend meetings and activities need to share information with all the other members. Newsletters, telephone trees, email blasts, websites, and Facebook all add to the critical communication flow within your Grange.

It is crucial that every member be kept “in the know” by your Grange. It makes them aware that you consider them important, it gives them positive things they can share with others, and it builds their pride in your Grange. All of these things make it better for your Grange and builds the sense of family within your Grange.

Your National Grange has adopted many of these technologies to help our State and Community Granges. Many of our departments have been able to increase their service and benefits to our members and Granges while actually having no increase in the cost of doing business. Our constant goal has been to help our State and local Granges to take advantage of every opportunity to grow.

Communication has always been a challenge and I expect it will always be a challenge. As new methods appear, we need to have our members evaluating and testing them to ensure that our organization continues to grow and prosper. Internal communication within our organization ensures that we remain relevant and responsive to our membership and that contributes immensely to our continued success.

Our history of advocating for improvements in communication shows that our members have always been concerned about communication. Today, the challenge isn’t so much of how to give people a voice, but how to maximize and share it with a diverse membership.

Communication is essential to success and the first step is within your Grange membership, while the second step takes the message out into your community. I commend every Grange that seeks to improve their communication and urge every member to offer their ideas and suggestions. What will be the topic of conversation and action at your next Grange meeting? What answer are you going to propose to this challenge?

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My name is Nicole Palya Wood and I have recently taken over for Leroy Watson as Legislative Director, here at the National Grange. For the past 14 years, I have worked in government affairs, serving numerous organizations in Washington, D.C. and in State Legislatures. I am a native Virginian, being born and raised in Alexandria, where I still reside today. As we progress through the next political cycle, I look forward to representing you on the issues currently facing the Grange and its members. Thank you for your ongoing support and I hope to meet you all at the upcoming National Session in Charlotte.

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By Rusty Hunt, Membership/Leadership Director

Like the old commercial, “Looking for a few good men…,” Grange leaders all over the country are looking for a “few good Grangers.” More and more State Masters are beginning to look at starting teams or expanding the teams they already have. They are looking for Grangers that have some ideas and are willing to work with others to help struggling Granges, as well as helping to start Granges in communities
that don’t yet have one. We need you; so jump on the Grange band wagon and let’s go!

At just about every event I attend, Grangers come up to me and ask what can be done for our Grange? The situations and scenarios are different, but all the answers share one common thread; they all need some attention from us. There needs to be a Granger willing to listen and then take action towards a solution. In most states, there are those that have the time and talents needed to help a few Granges. These helpful Grangers are willing to try different approaches to the problem until they find what works for that community Grange and its members. They are willing to spend time with the Granges in need of assistance to ensure success.

But, one person cannot take care of all the Granges needing help. There just isn’t enough time in a day, week, month or year for one person to do all that is needed. We, the Grange, need YOU!

We all know of Granges that need some attention. They are not getting a quorum or just barely have enough members showing up to pay the bills. They lack creativity and have lost the energy to look for new programs and activities. Therefore, we ask the National Grange or State Grange Membership Director what can be done. Well, since Samantha is fresh out of magic wands and pixie dust in the Grange Store, we will just have to go over and pay a visit to that Grange to talk with them and assess the situation. If I am the one driving to that Grange I will be calling you to go along. Since you are closer to them, and you have a concern for their Grange health, it seems only fitting to ask you along. This will also give me a chance to visit with you and share some of the ideas I have on how to best help this Grange. I will be able to show you how I approach the different situations so that you can follow up with this Grange at their next meeting without me. But, having beenthere and worked with you, I will have some firsthand knowledge and will be able to visit via phone and internet to advise you along the way. I am now freed up to go help another Grange with someone else, just like I did with you. You will also be gaining some experience to share with another Grange, and you can take someone with you and start showing them how to help.

There are Granges in every state that are struggling and need attention. That is why we need teams of helpful Grangers in each state to assist. There are also those communities that do not have a Grange and need one. Who is going to start those? We all want to start new Granges. There needs to be a team for this too. I have even been talking with one State Grange that is starting a “ritualistic” team. I got the feeling they had no problem finding folks to serve on that team, since they had more Grangers sign up for that team than the others.

If you are not on a team now, and would like to be, contact your State Master. The more flexible you are, the more opportunities you will have to serve on a team. The more rigid you are with your time and talents, the less the State Master is going to be able to use you. Try to attend a training weekend or conference so you can meet your State leadership and directors. Get to know them and share your ideas and willingness to help. I know that as I travel around and get to visit Granges, I will send out the call to those I know in that state or area: “We need you. Let’s Go!” I am always looking for help and potential new team members and team leaders.

You all have some good ideas and you all know of Granges and communities that could use some help. Many of you have asked for programs and information from me. This is great and I am glad to provide it. Also, ask your State Leaders for help. They have lots of useful information and programs, and can provide
more knowledge of the Grange in your area and state. By asking, you also show your concern and willingness to help. Together we can come up with more ideas and raise our chances of success.

I need you, your State Grange needs you, and the Granges and communities around you need your knowledge, energy, and willingness to help. Now Let’s Go!

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