Following its annual outing, this year to the Minnesota State Public School for Dependent and Neglected Children and the Art Center located in Owatonna on Oct. 8, the Brownsdale Study Club held its monthly meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 16 hosted by Mary Kidwiler Moritz.

Newly elected President, Sharon Willis brought the meeting to order with the reading of the Collect. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved, as was the treasurer’s report.  Nine, of the current number of ten members, answered the roll call to the question, “What is the funniest movie you can recall seeing?”

Old Business included  Comments regarding the annual excursion earlier in the month were very positive.  A big thank you goes out to Sharon Willis for her research regarding days, times, and fees for the visit to Owatonna and for making arrangements at the Kernel Restaurant for lunch.  On another topic, efforts to invite prospective new members to come to the Brownsdale Study Club have, so far, been unsuccessful.

New Business: Collectively, the members of the Brownsdale Study Club want to see the organization continue to meet. Members were clear that they preferred to keep meetings in the afternoon. Shelley Vogel suggested that, if two more members cannot be recruited, two months of the year (probably January and February) would be vacant, with gatherings to begin in March.  However, members were encouraged to continue to search for new women who would like to join. Any lady, from in and around the Brownsdale area, interested in attending a Brownsdale Study Club meeting to learn more about the organization is asked to contact Sharon Willis at 1-507-456-9139.

“Happy Birthday” was sung to Rena Perrigo.

Hazel Schlichting presented the outside reading entitled, “Positively!  Wisconsin Cranberries.”  Wisconsin is the leader in cranberry farming and produces more than half of the 500 million pounds of cranberries that Americans consume each year. Cranberry production contributes $300 million to Wisconsin’s economy.  The cranberry is only one of three fruits native to North America. It takes 3-5 years for a new cranberry bed to produce a sufficient crop for harvest, once the vines are mature, they will produce a crop for several decades. In addition to its boost to the state’s economy, cranberry marshes support a variety of natural habitat, including bald eagles, calypso orchids, sandhill cranes and ospreys.

For her main topic, Fern Paschke presented, “Big Future for Local, Indoor Agriculture.”  Bushel Boy, an Owatonna-based grower of year-round tomatoes in Minnesota is expanding with a new 50-acre greenhouse and satellite office in Mason City, Iowa.  Having grown all of its tomatoes in a controlled green house in Owatonna, the site in Iowa will increase production by 50 percent allowing the company to maintain a more consistent crop of tomatoes throughout the year.  This move by the Bushel Boy Company is consistent with a growing national movement of indoor agriculture.

The meeting was adjourned by a motion from Rena and seconded by Mary Gallaher.  Lunch followed.