KEVIN YOUNG, DIRECTOR
60822 Creek Road
Niles, MI 49120
269-684-3870
kevin60822@sbcglobal.net
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 GRANGE NEWS
Class II: Flowers: A-Potted Herbs
Flowers: Plant in Unique Container
Welcome to the 151st Annual Convention of the Michigan State Grange!! It is hard to believe that it is time for yet another Michigan State Grange Session. Time sure goes by fast, where has 2024 gone!? I hope everyone has enjoyed my articles as at times I felt like I was just rambling on but at the time I was writing them it was what was on my mind. Agriculture in our Great State is a very important part of life and of the State Economy, and I feel honored to be the Director of the MSG Agriculture Department. It has been a very up and down year so far for Agriculture in our Country and it isn’t over yet. As our elected officials that represent us in Washington DC still work on the new Farm Bill, we need to be mindful of the items that they may add or delete from it. We need to use our voice to let our State representatives know before it is too late that farmers are still struggling and we need to support the farmers more than ever as they continue to feed our Country and the World. We the Grange, need to stand strong more than ever to let everyone know that the Grange is still alive and here to help our friends in Agriculture.
I look forward to seeing what entries will be in the Ag Department classes this year. It has been another strange growing season in 2024. I hope to continue to bring you information on this Department that has meant so much to our Great Organization when it was first founded! I hope everyone enjoys the State Session and their stay in Charlevoix!!!
Class I Vegetables:
Potatoes
Potatoes
Subordinate:
1st: Sharon Popler, Burns #160
2nd: Heather Hyatt-Mudd, Studley #1174
Winter Squash
Subordinate:
1st: Heather Hyatt-Mudd, Studley #1174
2nd: Dale Young, Community #1675
3rd: Lena Young, Community #1675
Class II: Flowers: A-Potted Herbs
Subordinate:
1st: Dale Moore, Burns #160
2nd: Peggy Johnston, Burns #160
Flowers: Plant in Unique Container
Subordinate
1st: Arlene Douglas, Burns #160
2nd: Sharon Popler, Burns #160
3rd: Peggy Johnston, Burns #160
Class III: Flowers—Bloom
Subordinate:
1st: Peggy Johnston, Burns #160
2nd: Dale Moore, Burns #160
3rd: Sharon Popler, Burns #160
Class IV: Other Categories — decorated pumpkin
Subordinate:
1st.: Sharon Popler, Burns #160
2nd: Peggy Johnston, Burns #160
3rd: Lena Young, Community #1675
Class IV: —Other Categories —decorated flower pot
Subordinate:
1st: Heather Hyatt-Mudd, Studley #1174
2nd: Peggy Johnston, Burns #160
3rd: Chris Johnston, Burns #160
BEST OF SHOW — AGRICULTURE
Heather Hyatt-Mudd, Studley #1174
AGRICULTURE
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2024 GRANGE NEWS
Wow! August is just about over as I write this article and another County Fair season is just about over for my area. The weather is up and down with temperatures and humidity, but it wouldn’t be summer and fair season without that type of weather! The Berrien County Youth Fair just finished on Aug 17th and we had almost perfect weather, besides 2 days that had some rain. But once it stopped raining, it was great, and the people flocked to the grounds. There are only a few more fairs left in Michigan now with one of them being the St. Joseph County Grange Fair in Centreville and I believe the last one in Michigan being the Hillsdale County Fair.
We got our garden in around Memorial Day weekend this year, planting zucchini, tomatoes, butternut squash and pumpkins. I have seen a few squash amongst the vines so we will be able to enter in the Ag Department class. We had a hill of volunteer potatoes grow in the middle of the garden, so we will have to see if we can dig any up for State Session in October. I hope others have had better luck and will have lots of items to enter in this year’s classes. If there is a class suggestion for the 2025 State Session that you would like to share with me, please do so. I am always up for making changes if it works with when our State Session is held.
As we move into the harvest season, please keep in mind that we will once again be sharing the roads with very large sized farm equipment. I know we are all in a hurry to get where we are going but we need to keep in mind that those big pieces of equipment help to put food on our families’ tables.
I look forward to seeing everyone that will be coming to the Michigan State Grange Convention that is being held in late October up in Charlevoix. I hope everyone has been working on entries for the Departments so we have a great Grange Contest year!
See you at State Session!!
