A24-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 14,2001
Grange Master Says Political Advocacy
Remains Key Element In Grange Future
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Grange Master Kermit W. Rich
ardson told 35 “2001 National
Grange Legislative Fly-In” par
ticipants recently, as well as sev
eral conference call participants
from across the nation, that po
litical advocacy will continue to
be a key element in the Grange’s
future. He thus put to bed specu
lation that grassroots advocacy
activity will diminish under the
new, strategic plan to revitalize
the Grange. In fact, resources al
lowing, he envisions the National
Grange implementing new advo
cacy training programs for state
and local Granges.
“The D.C. headquarters will
continue to implement grassroots
legislative directives,” Richard
son told the audience. The
Grange has a truly grassroots
method of establishing its legisla
tive priorities.
Each year, starting at the local
level. Granges vote on a series of
resolutions regarding local, coun
ty, state and national issues. Ap
proved local resolutions remain
at the local level for implementa
tion. The others are passed up
the line for voting and imple
mentation at the appropriate
level. This leads to between 300
and 400 resolutions on national
issues coming to the floor of the
Grange Annual Convention each
November. Delegates vote on
each issue, and those that pass
become National Grange Legisla
tive Policies. From those, various
committees select 10 to 20 to
make up the Grange’s annual
“Blueprint for Rural America”,
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which serves as a guide for head
quarters’ legislative activities.
Richardson indicated that Na
tional Grange legislative activity
will continue to focus on “Blue
print for Rural America” issues
that are designed to revitalize
rural America and return U.S.
agriculture to prosperity. He also
described how the National
Grange leverages its resources by
creating or joining coalitions
with like legislative and regula
tory objectives.
When asked how state and
local Granges can help the Na
tional Grange further the goals
of the “Blueprint for Rural
America,” Richardson told the
workshop participants, who rep
resented 21 State Granges, “Talk
to your U.S. Representatives and
U.S. Senators. Your are their
constituents, we are not.”
Richardson stressed the im
portance of political advocacy in
gaining recognition for the
Grange. He encouraged each
state to adopt issues and pursue
them aggressively and openly. To
assist local and state Granges in
the political advocacy arena, a
new grassroots advocacy training
program to be conducted by the
National Grange is being consid
ered. Under this program, Na
tional staff would train the
“trainers” selected from each
state.
The “trainers” in turn, would
spread throughout their states to
train those “committed to the
process” in the art of political ad
vocacy. “People have to know
how to do their job and what is
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expected of them,” Richardson
said. He also encouraged the
group to get “new people” in
volved in the process. In response
to a question on how many
would be trained in each state,
Richardson did not give specific
numbers. He envisions a building
process in which states go from a
few to as many as twenty train
ers. He also envisions the train
ing as an on-going process, with
perhaps annual follow-ups after
the initial training.
In terms of timing, Richardson
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But with all the news cover
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dairy and livestock producers
still have many questions
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They want to know more about
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explained that the implementa
tion of a new training program is
dependent upon a dues increase.
If the dues increase is approved
at the November Annual Con
vention, it will take effect Janu
ary 1, and the National Grange
will start realizing revenue in
creases in the spring of 2001. At
that time, the training program
can be started.
Fly-In 2001 participants spent
three active days in Washington,
D.C. Starting on Sun., Apr. 1,
they attended workshops on
Medicine at the Virginia-Mary
land Regional College of Veter
inary Medicine and the Mary
land Department of
Agriculture will host an FMD
seminar on April 17 to address
these and related issues. The
seminar will run from 1 p.m. to
5:30 p.m. at the Avrum Gu
delsky Center at the University
of Maryland, College Park. It
will feature a list of animal dis
ease specialists speakers;
• Dr. Charles Mebus, former
director of the Foreign Animal
Disease Diagnostic Labora
tories at the Plum Island Ani
mal Disease Center;
• Dr. Roger Olson, state vet
erinarian at the Maryland De
partment of Agriculture;
Grange history and using the In
ternet for political advocacy.
Apr. 2 saw a series of workshops
related to issues in the “2001
Blueprint for Rural America.”
Speakers included Washington’s
top experts in their fields, includ
ing a White House official. Tues
day, the participants met with
their Representatives and Sena
tors on Capitol Hill. Over 50 ap
pointments were set up. This was
the fifth annual National Grange
Legislative Fly-In.
• Dr. Dave Vogt, area veteri
narian in charge at the U.S.
Department of Agriculture’s
Animal and Plant Health In
spection Service; and
• Dr. Tracy DuVemoy, Cen
ter for Veterinary Public
Health at the Maryland De
partment of Health and Mental
Hygiene.
Registration is limited to SO
people on a first-come, first
served basis. To register, send
your name, phone number and
a check for $25 payable to the
Maryland Department of Agri
culture to Donna Emberger,
MDA, 50 Harry S. Truman
Parkway, Annapolis, MD
21401. For more information,
call 301-935-6083.
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