The American National Grange was founded by Olive Hudson Kelley in 1867, originally as a friendly society or social club limited to farmers. In the lithograph mural above, the inscription underneath the central figure, a sturdy Grainger, says "I pay for all." This ideal farmer is surrounded by rural pastoral scenes, including the Biblical Ruth and Boaz (lower right), a harvest dance (lower left), a farmer's fireside (upper left) and the Grange in session (upper right).
In Ontario, our farmland is disappearing underneath urban sprawl, and what farmers remain are being squeezed out by cheaper produce from outside of our borders. You really can't get more short-sighted than this. Come on, folks, check your food labels and buy Canadian!
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