Grange officers work for farmers, rural America
The grange isn’t just about agriculture anymore.
The Pennsylvania State Grange and the National Grange grew from farming when they were founded 146 and 152 years ago, respectively.
The number of farmers has dwindled since then and the grange has evolved into an organization that advocates for rural America in addition to farming.
“We’re not just an agriculture organization anymore,” said Virgina Mangel, who along with her husband, Dick Mangel, serve as officers in the state grange and Butler County Pomona Grange.
“We have a legislative consultant who works in Harrisburg,” said Dick Mangel, a state grange executive board member and president of the county grange. “We do legislative work for agriculture and rural America. Anything that affects rural America.
“One thing we’re working on is broadband. A lot of people in rural areas don’t have broadband. That’s tough these days when everything is electronic.”
Virginia Mangel was recently elected to a second two-year term as flora, one of the four officer positions women can hold in the state organization, at the state grange convention held recently in Cranberry Township.
The officer positions open to women are known as graces and the flora’s role is similar to other officers in the grange.
“I’m just like any other officer of the grange. We have to work and promote and explain the grange to people,” Virginia Mangel said.
Dick Mangel is serving the second of his four-year term on the state executive committee, which is comprised of four members and the grange vice president and president. He was vice president for six years and has held various officer positions for the last 12 years, he said.
“Any grange work that has to be done for the state grange itself is our responsibility. We oversee operation of the state grange and the finances of the state grange,” he said.
With almost 7,000 members, the state grange ranks second nationally in the number of members. Washington is the state with the most members, he said.
The Mangels retired from jobs in the agriculture industry and have been active in the grange for many years.
“We’re both retired. My wife grew up on dairy farm. I worked for Agway Energy Services for many years,” Dick Mangel said.
He is president of the county grange, which is made up of four subordinate granges — now known as community granges — in the county, and Virginia Mangel is the officer in charge of family activities.
“We’ve been active in it for 50 years,” Virginia Mangel said.
A lot of the grange’s work still revolves around agriculture.
The organization represents farmers when issues arise with the state Department of Agriculture and Department of Environmental Protection, and is working to help the effort to improve milk marketing, she said.
Legislative issues prioritized at the state convention will be among those from other state granges that will be taken to the national convention that will be held in Vermont from Nov. 15 through 20.
The national grange president and national legislative consultant lobby legislators to address the issues.
The Mangels will attend the convention.
“State grange presidents are delegates from each state. They formulate the policies they want our president and our legislative consultant to take to Capitol Hill to work on,” Dick Mangel said.
The Mangels also have made a lot of friends attending state and national conventions and working with community granges and granges from other counties in the region.
“Every year we meet new friends. The work that we’re doing will have an impact on our grandchildren as well,” Virginia Mangel said.
“We’re doing something to improve our community and the world around us. The grange is involved in community service and helping people,” Dick Mangel said.
