KEVIN YOUNG, DIRECTOR
60822 Creek Road
Niles, MI 49120
269-684-3870
kevin60822@sbcglobal.net
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019 GRANGE NEWS
ANNUAL REPORT:
Worthy Master, First Lady, Delegates, Brothers and Sisters:
Welcome to the 146th 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 and for some reason this year has gone by way too fast!! 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.
ANNUAL REPORT:
Worthy Master, First Lady, Delegates, Brothers and Sisters:
Welcome to the 146th 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 and for some reason this year has gone by way too fast!! 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. Please keep a close eye on future bills that could harm Agriculture as many of us know it. Some bills have become law and has harmed the small farmers yet again. 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 how many entries the Ag Department receives this year at State Session! I know the growing season this year has been very different than in past years so we might not have the entries that I hope to see though. We changed some of the classes to enter so I hope we were able to cover everyone no matter if you have an outdoor garden or a place in your home to grow things! 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 Adrian !!!
Fraternally, Kevin Young
RED APPLES
1st Place: Joanne Cebulski Barnard #689
1st Place: Joanne Cebulski Barnard #689
VEGETABLES—POTATOES
1st Place: Lena Young Community #1675
2nd Place: Kevin Young Community #1675
3rd Place: Russell Hoag Community #1675
1st Place: Lena Young Community #1675
2nd Place: Kevin Young Community #1675
3rd Place: Russell Hoag Community #1675
VEGETABLES — SQUASH
1st Place: Lena Young Community #1675
2nd Place: Randy Cebulski Barnard #689
3rd Place: Russell Hoag Community #1675
1st Place: Lena Young Community #1675
2nd Place: Randy Cebulski Barnard #689
3rd Place: Russell Hoag Community #1675
SUNFLOWERS
1st Place: Keith Bower Colon #215
2nd Place: Taya Bower Colon #215
3rd Place: Stacey Bower Colon #215
1st Place: Keith Bower Colon #215
2nd Place: Taya Bower Colon #215
3rd Place: Stacey Bower Colon #215
AGRICULTURE
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019 GRANGE NEWS
Wow! August is almost over and another County Fair season is in the books for my area. I am sitting here after finishing up a very busy week (August 20th) at the Berrien County Youth Fair both as a volunteer and a very proud Uncle! We started out with loading the 4 market pigs in less than 15 minutes! The kids washed the pigs in the trailer and then my oldest nephew gave each pig a haircut. The pigs looked very good and all made weight on Sunday morning during weigh in at the fair. The market goats and breeding stock all made it to the fair in good condition as well. The proud Uncle was so happy with how the kids did this year with their goats. They did very well with showmanship and then came the really proud moment when 1 of the kids were in the champion drive for Grand Champion Dairy Market Goat, which my nephew was the winner 2 years in a row with his goat that we raised in my back yard! That makes 3 years in a row as my niece won two years ago! Willow was a doe and is happily living at home with our good friend Jessica who raises registered Nubian Dairy goats. The pigs looked really well but the judge wasn’t looking for what we had in the type of pigs. With the fair week past us, that means my chores will slow way down as I do not have goats and pigs to care for any longer. They will surely be missed for the next few weeks, but I do have chores to do yet. Our small flock of 17 chickens and one guinea hen are stilling doing well. They enjoy all of the things from the garden that have been there a little too long. Like zucchini that are the size of baseball bats or tomatoes that the bugs started to eat on. They expect “goodies” every time I go out to the coop!
Wow! August is almost over and another County Fair season is in the books for my area. I am sitting here after finishing up a very busy week (August 20th) at the Berrien County Youth Fair both as a volunteer and a very proud Uncle! We started out with loading the 4 market pigs in less than 15 minutes! The kids washed the pigs in the trailer and then my oldest nephew gave each pig a haircut. The pigs looked very good and all made weight on Sunday morning during weigh in at the fair. The market goats and breeding stock all made it to the fair in good condition as well. The proud Uncle was so happy with how the kids did this year with their goats. They did very well with showmanship and then came the really proud moment when 1 of the kids were in the champion drive for Grand Champion Dairy Market Goat, which my nephew was the winner 2 years in a row with his goat that we raised in my back yard! That makes 3 years in a row as my niece won two years ago! Willow was a doe and is happily living at home with our good friend Jessica who raises registered Nubian Dairy goats. The pigs looked really well but the judge wasn’t looking for what we had in the type of pigs. With the fair week past us, that means my chores will slow way down as I do not have goats and pigs to care for any longer. They will surely be missed for the next few weeks, but I do have chores to do yet. Our small flock of 17 chickens and one guinea hen are stilling doing well. They enjoy all of the things from the garden that have been there a little too long. Like zucchini that are the size of baseball bats or tomatoes that the bugs started to eat on. They expect “goodies” every time I go out to the coop!
The garden hasn’t done well this summer for some reason. The zucchini produced okay this year but all came on a the same time. The tomato plants are behind so we are just starting to see fruit turning color. The butternut squash had struggled this year to grow and I am not sure how well they will turn out for State Grange. We did get potatoes planted even if it was not until June! But they are growing well with the method of planting we did. I believe it was the last article I mentioned about the Ruth Stout method of gardening. I hope everyone that has planted items for the Agriculture Department classes are doing well too!
As we move in to 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 at the Michigan State Grange Convention that is being held in late October at the Lenawee County Fairgrounds. I know our host region has been working hard to make this convention very nice. Keep in mind that State Session is still on a shortened schedule so check the MGN and the website for the proposed schedule.
Ya’ll come now, ya hear!!!
See you at State Session!!
