WASHINGTON, DC – On Sunday, November 9, National Grange President Christine Hamp delivered her annual address, “Hands that Feed, Hearts that Lead,” to officers, delegates, and members gathered for the 159th Annual National Grange Convention.
The National Grange is the United States’ oldest rural fraternity, founded in 1867, with a focus on advocacy and service for rural America and beyond.
“Today, the needs are many, the challenges are real, and so too are the opportunities and the people ready to seize them,” Hamp said. “We have seen time and again that when rural voices are absent – or when those who care about rural prosperity – are not in the room, the essentials of our quality of life are the first to be trimmed from budgets.”
In her annual address, Hamp positioned the Grange as a unifying force, capable of addressing the many crises facing rural and small-town America. She called for the Grange to advocate on a wide variety of issues that affect all who live in rural and small-town America, including agriculture, immigration programs, healthcare and mental health, veterans, infrastructure and rural development, education, and civic engagement.
“For almost 160 years, the Grange has stood as proof that when ordinary people come together with purpose, we can do extraordinary things,” Hamp said.
As the Grange has advocated for agriculture throughout its existence, a bulk of the annual address focused on a broad range of agricultural issues. Hamp warned that “a nation that cannot feed itself, cannot defend itself,” suggesting that consolidation, aging producers, and large farming corporations that overshadow local producers are threatening the future of family farms, and thereby national security. She highlighted that America continues to lose, on average, more than one family farm per day.
Hamp also criticized tariffs and trade disputes that disrupt markets, arguing that farmers “don’t need managed crises; they need functioning markets.” She urged federal, state, and local governments to pursue trade “rooted in reciprocity and reason.” She encouraged building stronger global relations and more reliable partnerships. “The Grange will always stand for trade that feeds families, sustains communities, and strengthens America.”
While welcoming new technology, Hamp warned that “progress without principle is profit without purpose,” and urged policymakers to ensure that innovations such as precision agriculture and artificial intelligence serve producers, not corporations, and empower local farmers instead of exploiting them for data.
Over the past few decades, the Grange has also made significant inroads in improving healthcare access in rural America. She stressed the growing crisis that rural America is facing, which includes rural hospitals closing at an alarming rate, a lack of access to specialists or even standard care, and rural Americans being priced out of access.
“We urge Congress to ensure stable, long-term funding of essential programs,” Hamp said, “These are not entitlements or handouts; they are investments in the health, dignity, and productivity of our people.” Hamp urged lawmakers to find ways to expand healthcare access in rural America, including the expansion of rural residency programs or the creation of incentives that attract highly qualified practitioners to rural areas.
Hamp also called for a stronger emphasis to be put on mental health in rural America, citing that “suicide rates in rural counties are 60 percent higher than in urban areas, and 65 percent of rural counties have no psychiatrist at all.” She urged support for mental health for all citizens, but particularly highlighted the need for support among veterans and caregivers.
One of the most significant issues hindering healthcare is a lack of access to broadband in rural America, Hamp said, which limits even telehealth options designed to reach vulnerable populations.
“In the 21st century, broadband is no longer a luxury – it is a lifeline… The Grange calls on federal and state leaders to complete the job of rural connectivity once and for all. Every farm, every business, and every home deserves equitable access to the tools of modern life – not just the bare minimum,” Hamp urged.
She called for increased investment in rural infrastructure, education opportunities, workforce development, entrepreneurship, disaster preparedness, and affordable housing. “Rural America doesn’t ask for charity. We ask for partnership – and a fair chance to build the future with our own hands.”
Hamp also called for the renewal of authentic civic engagement. “From the grassroots to the highest offices in the land, we must rebuild the habits of civility and cooperation,” she urged. With the United States’ semiquincentennial arriving in 2026, Hamp called on every American to rededicate themselves to “the ideals that shaped this Republic: liberty, equality, justice, fellowship, and service.” She also urged every citizen to renew their habits of volunteerism, civic engagement, and cooperation.
Positioning the Grange as the vehicle and voice that can help create real, lasting, positive change in rural and small-town communities around the nation. “Let us show up – in our communities, in our statehouses, in our schools and in our Grange halls… as authors of a movement,” Hamp said. “Let us welcome others to do so with us, shoulder to shoulder, amplifying our voice… bound together by purpose, sustained by service, and committed to one another.”
She closed with one final call for unity and purpose. “When rural America thrives,” she concluded, “so too does the nation.”
