Welcome to the Grange Booster Night! A longtime tradition, the booster program is intended to provide a “boost” in the activities and membership of each Grange.

This year, the officers and deputies of the Washington State Grange crafted a new mission statement:

“Washington State Grange: Working to Enrich Lives, Strengthen Families and Enhance Communities across our State since 1889”

This single statement strongly identifies our organization. It is reflective of our organization’s storied past, our modern-day projects and activities of the present, and the opportunities facing us in the future.

Every community in our state is impacted by the positive contributions of our Granges. Every successful community Grange provides the opportunity for its’ members to enrich the lives of its community members. We do this through our support of youth organizations such as FFA, 4-H, or scouts. We create partnerships with local schools by providing school supplies, dictionaries, and presenting scholarships for students. We enrich lives by supporting food banks, reading programs, and other volunteer organizations. In each instance, the partnership between the Grange and the community creates an impact by making each community a better place for our citizens.

The Grange is truly a “grass roots” organization. Grange legislative policy development begins at the local level. Subordinate and Pomona Granges have an opportunity to submit resolutions that will update or change our current Grange legislative policy. Each resolution is considered at our annual State Grange Convention, held this year in Okanogan. The resolutions adopted by the delegates become policy of the State Grange, while those with a national scope are forwarded on to the National Grange for their consideration. Our lobbyists, both in Olympia and in Washington DC, use these policies as they lobby on behalf of all Granges.

While our storied past is well documented and well written, perhaps our greatest opportunity for success is still ahead of us. If we continue thinking outside of the box, our Granges will continue to enhance our communities, as we simultaneously continue to enrich lives and strengthen families.

Thank you for taking the time in your busy schedule to attend our Booster Program. To those who are already Grange members, thank you for your commitment to our organization and your community. To those who are not yet members of the Grange, I encourage you to join us as we impact our communities in a most positive manner.

Fraternally,

Tom Gwin

WA State Grange Master

The WA State Grange Junior/Youth Fairs Program continues to create interest in our organization. The Clark County Fair (Ridgefield) and Grays Harbor County Fair (Elma) both provided opportunities for our Grange youth and junior to exhibit in their own divisions.

The Junior/Youth Grange display at the Clark County Fair was awarded the “Black & White” Special Award by WA State Fairs Commissioner Trish Meyers. In presenting the award, it was noted this was the second time in a three-year period for the Grange to be recognized their excellent display. Accepting the award on behalf of the Granges were Debbie Richards, Rodger Lance, and Tom Hann.

At the Grays Harbor County Fair, the Grange display featured three Junior Grange display booths, three youth agricultural displays, and 102 exhibits from the youth and junior Grange members. The Grange display was awarded the “Supers Award” as the outstanding department in the fair as voted on by all of the fair superintendents.

The Grange Junior/Youth Fairs Program is a prime opportunity for Granges to recruit young members and to provide opportunities for those young members to display their talents through local and county fairs. Grange membership, either in a Junior or Subordinate Grange, is required of all participants. This includes the 1+ Junior Grange program.

Any Subordinate or Pomona Grange wanting to develop a Junior/Youth Program at their local fair should contact State Master Tom Gwin for guidelines and details.

As we complete our summer activities and move toward the end of this year, the new decade is upon us. The hot summer days appear to be over, while cooler days with occasional rain are here. I am even hearing the prediction of snow for the last weekend of September in some of our higher elevations.

While harvest is complete in some areas, there are a few that have much work to be completed before winter arrives. We are just starting the cranberry harvest over here on the coast and some areas of the state still have fruit on the trees for picking. Let’s pray that all harvest gets completed before the weather completely turns on us.

Following the State Grange Convention in June, changes have been made in several of the leadership positions in our organization. I have appointed new deputies in several counties. Jim Lyle (Pine Grove Grange) will be the new deputy in Whitman and Adams Counties, while Kathy Knott (East Hill) is returning to the deputy position in King County. Robert (Bob) Knapp (Logan Hill) is the new deputy for Lewis County, while Jennifer Oliver (Pierce) will be the new deputy in Pierce County.

With Jennifer’s move to the deputy position, that left a vacancy in the Junior Grange Director position. Heather Ferguson (Waitsburg) has agreed to fill that role. She brings a vast array of Grange and educational experience to the position. Her ability to work with kids will be a tremendous asset to the department.

It is with great sadness that I announce the resignation of June Hendrickson from the State Grange Executive Committee. The remaining members of the Executive Committee and myself have discussed the process for appointment and hope to have the position filled in the next few weeks. The replacement will be appointed until June, whereupon the remaining one year of the term will be open for election.

The various departments of the Grange are now working on putting their programs and activities for 2020 together. Please share your ideas with directors and department heads on what you would like to see in our new program.

In just a few weeks, the 153rd Annual Convention of the National Grange will be held in Bloomington, Minnesota. State Secretary Terry Abbott will be serving as our second delegate this year. Terry will be on the Grange Law Committee, while I will be chairing the Conservation and Ecology Committee.

The Washington State Grange will be recognized as a Distinguished Grange, along with three Subordinate Granges – Five Mile Prairie, Goldendale, and Oakview. More than 60 Granges will be recognized as Granges in Action. Entries have been submitted for the Junior Grange and Community Service Departments. Seven of our youth members will be travelling to the convention as representatives of our state. Parts of the convention, including the Evening of Excellent will be live-streamed for those unable to attend the convention. A complete convention schedule, including meal functions and speakers, is available on the National Grange website: www.nationalgrange.org

After a summer of camps and fairs, Granges are busy planning booster programs, fund raising events, and holiday happenings. Plan your events wisely, keeping in mind that every event is an opportunity to promote membership in our organization. Be sure to order your banners, membership applications, and flyers from the state at headquarters. Our new updated materials are attractive and will make your job of attracting new members easier.

Here's to a successful autumn of successful Grange activities in every Grange as we move toward the next decade!

By Heather Hansen

Legislative Lobbyist

Livestock Identification

If you haven’t sold cattle or horses since July 28, you may not be aware of changes to livestock identification rules. These changes are the result of the passage of Senate Bill 5959 during the 2019 legislative session. Along with the new rules come increased fees for livestock identification. The changes include incentives to encourage livestock owners to use electronic identification and reporting rather than brand inspectors.

The preferred method of livestock identification is "840" tags — a three-number international code for the U.S. These are USDA-approved radio-frequency identification tags. Livestock owners using these tags will be able to report sales online to the state Department of Agriculture using the Electronic Cattle Transaction Reporting (ECTR) system. The system has been expanded to all animals – branded or not. This eliminates the need for a state brand inspector and brand fees for anyone selling animals with official 840 tags. The department hopes the convenience will motivate more cattlemen to use the tag. The 840 tags allow animal-health officials to track a cow from birth to slaughter. The USDA plans to make 840 tags mandatory by 2023. The agency believes that tracking each animal will prevent trade sanctions if a livestock disease breaks out. The 840 tags and online reporting are voluntary, for now.

The department is also expanding its advisory board from six to 12 members.

Overtime pay for agricultural workers

In two months, the Washington Supreme Court will hear a lawsuit brought by farm workers over pay for overtime work (working more than 40 hours per week). Agricultural workers are exempt from overtime pay at both the state and federal levels due to the seasonal nature of the industry. A court loss would cost Washington growers millions of dollars a year. A judge could rule that wages must be paid retroactively.

To complicate the situation even more, the Department of Labor and Industries is in the process of changing who qualifies for overtime pay. Currently, salaried workers who make $455 or more per week are exempt from overtime pay. Under rules proposed by Labor and Industries, that threshold is estimated to increase to $1536 per week by 2026. There would be incremental increases every year beginning in 2020. By 2026, salaried worker would have to be making nearly $80,000 per year to be exempt from overtime pay after working more than 40 hours in a work week.

A court loss coupled, with the new rule, would be a double hit for labor intensive sectors of agriculture. Tree fruit, wine grapes, asparagus, berries, dairies would be especially hard hit.