The Grange

On December 4, 1867 Washington, D.C., in the building that housed the office of William Saunders, Superintendent of Propagating Gardens in the Department of Agriculture, the Order of Patrons of Husbandry, more commonly known as the Grange, was born. Since 1867 the Grange, the nation’s oldest agriculture advocacy group, has had a history of grassroots activism in rural America and agriculture. Local Granges hold regular meetings during which issues like rural broadband access, climate change, and rural healthcare can be discussed. As the Grange is a grassroots organization, policy recommendations are adopted in local Granges, passed by State Granges, and moved to the National Grange who advocates for them in Washington, D.C. with Congress and other federal agencies.

As the the National Grange Vision Statement states: "As the premier progressive family fraternal organization, the National Grange is dedicated to using its solid, historical foundation to advance a widely recognized, welcoming, and cooperative Order that empowers people to pursue their ideas of entertainment, education, and enlightenment for all who desire to benefit."

National Grange