Looking Forward To A Full Summer Of Grange Activities
By Tom Gwin
State Grange
Master/President
The last of the Covid restrictions issued by Governor Inslee expired on April 3. This will allow a full summer of Grange activities across the State of Washington. We will be back to our regular complement of Grange activities for the first time in four years. Here is a highlight of what we all have to look forward to:
Grange Camper Association Fun Rally:
The Camper Association Rally will be held on June 2-4 at the Figg and Merwin properties in Ocean Shores. This will include a potluck picnic on Saturday, June 3. Attendees should bring their own place setting, lawn chair, and something for the potluck. If you want to camp (dry camping only), the cost is $20 for the weekend. More information is available from Marilyn Armit, Camper Association Secretary at mearmit@tds.net
State Grange Annual Session:
The 134th Annual Session is scheduled for June 21-24 in Moses Lake. The session will include action on resolutions, committee recommendations, and reports. Currently, only ten resolutions for consideration have been received. The deadline for resolutions is May 22 to the State Grange Office. Awards will be presented for several Grange contests, with awards and prize money presented to the winners. The State Grange Officers will exemplify the Sixth Degree on Wednesday, June 21. Degree tickets for candidates will be available at the session.
Annual Session Committees:
The preference sheet for session committees is due back to the State Grange Office by May 15. Committees will be assigned. All committees will meet prior to the session via zoom. Committee members will notified of date, time, and log in information. Look for the zoom meeting schedule on our facebook page.
Junior Grange Camping Program:
We will have five weeks of Junior Grange Camps in 2023. Camp Wooten and Camp Morehead will start the season on July 9. Camp Wooten, near Dayton, will be July 9-14, while Camp Morehead, on the Long Beach Peninsula, will be July 9-15. Those two camps will be followed by Camp Mayfield, near Mossyrock, on July 15-22 and Camp Cornet Bay, near Deception Pass, on July 23-28. The final camp will be Camp David, on the shores of Lake Crescent, on August 13-18. Information on each of the camps is on the State Grange website, www.wa-grange.com
Local, County, and State Fairs:
All fairs and will be fully operational this year. Some of you will create intricate displays, some will have food concessions, while others will sponsor or help put on their local event. Whichever role your Grange plays, I encourage you to complete your tasks and to do it well. We are in our second year of the Grange Youth Fairs Program. Fourteen fairs have approved the program. Grange Youth and Junior Members will be showing their animals and displaying their wares. Be sure to visit the Grange Youth and Juniors. Show them your support and encourage them to continue their work in our program in the future.
Western Regional Grange Leaders and Youth Conference:
This year’s conference will be July 27-30 and hosted by the California State Grange in the Sacramento area. Registration information should be available soon. Please note the 2024 conference is scheduled to be held in our state.
Let’s continue working for the Grange through the remainder of 2023 and beyond! Membership wise, 2022 was a great year for the Washington State Grange. 2023 is also proving to be productive as we continue rebuilding Granges across the state.
2023 State Legislative Session Come & Gone
By Jesse Taylor
Legislative Lobbyist
The 2023 version of the Washington State Legislative Session has come and gone, officially adjourning Sine Di at about 10:00PM on April 23rd. All three statewide budgets have passed the respective bodies and now await the Governor’s signature.
As you know the Washington State Grange had a legislative team transition this session, but we managed to have an impact at the legislature and take part in some important policy wins. Our presence was felt at committee hearings, bill sign-ons, our legislative day and youth legislative day. The more we engage our local legislators, the more they look to Grange members for advice and counsel on topics as they arise. We seek to expand the legislative focus going into future biennia and sessions, with an eye toward local Grange member engagement with legislators as well as interim work to bring Grange issues into focus with local member meetings.
Because of the depth and breadth of Grange legislative policy, it’s sometimes believed that we can’t have an impact on any one specific issue. But like legislators themselves, we can be one-issue advocates who become a go-to expert for our local elected leaders. Were you part of the original Voluntary Stewardship Program development a decade ago? Become the Grange go-to expert on VSP. Are you a gun enthusiast? Firearm policy is a major issue every legislative session. Do you have a creek running through your property? Let’s talk about riparian policy. Are you a former or current law enforcement officer? Public Safety is always a topic in our state. The more expert advice we provide to our local elected leaders, the more “juice” we have at the capitol to influence public policy. I hope to maintain and continue to grow our strong public outreach arm and bring more of our members into vocal advocacy. That work begins in the interim months before legislative session and I look forward to engaging many of you with this work.
The commencement of the 2023 session brings both wins and losses legislatively. Here is a quick preview of some of those as they pertain to Grange Policy.
WINS:
• SSB 5156 - Expanding the farm internship program
• HB 1018 - Hog fuel/tax exemption
• SHB 1019 – Creating the pesticide advisory board
• HB 1033 – Compostable product usage
• HB 1058 – Streamlining the licensing process for a commercial driver's license by allowing the department to waive requirements for applicants that previously surrendered the license, allowing the license to be renewed online, and modifying the license test fees
• SHB 1084 - Concerning freight mobility prioritization
• SHB 1117 - Addressing the extent to which Washington residents are at risk of rolling blackouts and power supply inadequacy events
• SHB 1138 - Concerning drought preparedness
• SHB 1322 - Concerning the Walla Walla water 2050 plan
• SHB 1500 – Increasing the cap on gross sales for cottage food operations
• HB 1573 – Dairy, etc. tax preferences
• HB 1775 – Salmon recovery/liability
• SB 5330 - Concerning the Washington pesticide application act
• SB 5341 - Creating a location-based branding and promotion program for Washington food and agricultural products
• SSB 5353 - Concerning the voluntary stewardship program
• SB 5390 - Establishing a programmatic safe harbor agreement on forestlands
• SSB 5439 - Concerning livestock identification
• SB 5531 - Concerning special use permits for milk product haulers
We also look at concerning bills we seek to amend and provide assistance on going forward. These are some important policy bills that failed to make the cut this year:
• HB 1371 - Providing incentives to improve freight railroad infrastructure
• HB 1412 - Addressing foreign ownership of agricultural lands
• HB 1422 - Clarifying that certain reusable packing materials are exempt from sales and use tax
• HB 1490 - Concerning direct sales of milk
• HB 1523 - Authorizing agricultural employers to select 12 weeks a year to employ workers for up to 50 hours a week before overtime
• HB 1574 - Supporting Washington agriculture by capturing and reducing greenhouse gas emissions
• HB 1603 - Creating a location-based promotion program for Washington food and agricultural products
• HB 1604 - Providing a retroactive business and occupation tax exemption for custom farming
• SHB 1698 - Providing flexibility for the department of fish and wildlife to collaborate with local governments to manage gray wolves
The Grange team is always available to answer questions regarding these topics or others. Thanks to all of you who have joined meetings in April to finalize our legislative priorities and handbook heading in to the State Convention. I look forward to seeing you all in Moses Lake next month!
To integrate the Grange Youth Fairs Program into the traditional Grange organization, we will be offering a variety of activities to the Annual State Grange Session that will be of interest to our youth and the Grange as a whole.
The activities focusing on this new group of Grange members includes a Livestock Judging Contest, Public Speaking Contest, and the Educational Poster Contest.
Livestock Judging Contest
This event will be held on Friday, June 23 at 8 a.m. at the Moses Lake Grange Hall, 14724 Road 3 SE, Moses Lake. Grange members will utilize their decision-making skills to compete with other Grange members for individual and team awards. Grange members will judge 7-8 classes of livestock animals – beef, sheep, swine, and goats. Oral reasons will be given on one of the classes. Individual awards will be given to the top individuals in each age division: 5-7 years, 8-10 years, 11-13 years, and 14-19 years. Team awards will be awarded to the top five teams. Teams may be mixed age divisions and must be registered before the start of the contest. As an added attraction, adults over 19 years of age may participate and compete with other adults for individual awards only.
Public Speaking Contest
This is a part of the Youth Department’s Annual Public Speaking Contest. Prepared speeches will be given at 2 p.m. on Friday, June 23. The first place winners will represent our state at the regional contest in late July in Sacramento, CA. Rules for the public speaking contest may be found in the State Grange Program Handbook.
Grange Youth Educational Poster Contest
All Grange Youth members, ages 5-19, may submit educational posters to compete for cash prizes. Each poster will be judged and the top three will receive cash awards. There are three classes in each age group: animal related topics, plant related topics, and other topics. Entries are due on June 20-21 to the Commercial Building at the Grant County Fairgrounds in Moses Lake. After completion of judging, ribbons will be attached and the entries displayed. Checkout of entries is after the talent show on June 23 or at 12 noon on June 24.
Any Grange Youth member, ages 5-19, may participate in these programs. It is not necessary to be a member of a Grange Youth Fairs Program.
Complete rules may be found in the State Grange Program Handbook, found online at www.wa-grange.com
These activities and other youth fairs program topics are discussed on the monthly Youth Fairs Program Update, held via Zoom on the first Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. Logon information is on the front page of the State Grange website.
By GN Staff
On March 25, 2023, at Greenwood Park Grange #590 in Hunters, Washington: A 50 year pin was presented to Sherry Cummins by Deputy Michael Schwartz. Sherry had previously received her certificate. Deputy Lynn Wells presented Michael Schwartz with his 50 year certificate and pin. Members Dorlan Hergesheimer and Keith Guenther also previously received their 50 year certificates.
Seals were previously presented to Ilene Daniels for her 60, 65, and 70 years, Loren Guenther for his 60, 65, and 70 years, and Beth Engelhardt for her 60 and 65 years.
25 year certificates were presented to Greenwood Park Grange members Karla Schwartz, Julie Pascal, and Mary Schwartz by Pomona President Michael Schwartz. Jackie Schwartz also received her 25 year certificate.