Matt Espenshade's family has been farming for seven generations. Now the Bainbridge man has been elected to lead the Pennsylvania State Grange.

"It's a tremendous honor that the membership would select me and give me this ability to serve," said Espenshade, whose position became effective on Oct. 15.

He's a member of Elizabethown Area Grange 2076, where he also serves as master/president, and he lives on a dairy farm with his wife, Charlene, and their two sons. His seventh-generation farm is home to 70 Holsteins and Guernseys, with milk marketed through Mount Joy Farmers Cooperative.

As president of the State Grange, Espenshade will be responsible for continuing to increase the organization's visibility within the agricultural and rural communities served, he said. "One of the Grange's founding principles is to serve as the voice for rural America," he explained. "There are many challenges facing our farmers and neighbors. We need to work together to find common ground and the solutions to sustain and strengthen our communities."

In addition to his roles with both his local Grange and the state organization, Espenshade has been an advocate for dairy issues. He is a past winner of the Pennsylvania Granger of the Year and served the Grange at the local, state and national levels. He also has testified on behalf of the State Grange on agricultural policies, including speaking at hearings conducted by the Pennsylvania Milk Marketing Board.

Outside of the Grange, Espenshade is a member of the Wyoming-Lackawanna County Farm Bureau, Mount Joy Farmers Cooperative, American Guernsey Association, Abraham C. Treichler Lodge 682 and Mount Calvary Church.

Founded in 1873, the Pennsylvania State Grange was created to serve as an advocate for farmers, businesses and citizens in rural Pennsylvania. As the new president, Espenshade becomes the first person from Lancaster County to hold the position since the 1950s, when the role was filled by J. Collins McSparran.

Espenshade said he takes his new job seriously, noting, "There are more than 200 local and county subordinate Granges across the state. They play a pivotal role in the rural structure of Pennsylvania. I want to be sure the Grange continues to be the voice for the agriculture industry."