Using a little trickery, club member Michele Schroeder had contacted Amber after the selection committee of past recipients selected the Browns for the honor. Amber agreed to have Eddie and Connie over for supper to “taste test the new venison burgers.”

Amber, Chad, and daughter Emily agreed that it was a hard secret to keep as Amber said, ‘I couldn’t clean up the house too much or Connie might have suspected something was up.”

The secret was kept, even though it was reported that Chad “kept looking out the window” while they were eating, until the cars pulled up.

“We were really surprised,” Eddie said. “This isn’t necessary.”

Eddie and Connie Brown, left, are pictured with past Service to Ag recipients Randy Schroeder, Michele Schroeder, Delbert Fischer, Linda and Pete Neigebauer, and Ruth Klossner.

The Service to Agriculture Award recognizes a person who goes above and beyond to serve the club and agriculture in general.

Eddie and Connie will be honored at the club’s annual meeting and banquet Monday, January 27 at the New Ulm Community Center.

The Browns are busy behind-the-scenes workers for the Hub Club, sometimes volunteering for tasks before the club even asks for help.

While the Browns can’t remember exactly when they joined the Hub Club, they think it might have been in the later 1980s. That seems to make sense as Connie remembers helping in the Farmfest food stand at Lake Crystal and later at Gilfillan.

They also aren’t sure who got them to join the club, but think it might have been neighbors Arline and Stanley Klingler, who they rented farmland from.

And just like Arline Klingler, a previous Service to Ag recipient, Connie and Eddie are behind-the-scenes workers who are always ready and willing to help with whatever needs to be done. Along with Farmfest, they’ve worked at Bavarian Blast, the Cash Wise brat stand, Autofest, Farm Show, and as Brown County Fair volunteers.

But it’s the behind-the-scenes work that Hub Club officers and committee chairmen especially appreciate.

When inserts for Family Night on the Dairy Farm were too large to fit in the goodie bags for the kids, Connie took them home and folded all 500 of them while watching TV. And when the club needed volunteers to hang Family Night and 50th anniversary posters around New Ulm, again Connie was there, willing to take on the job. For one of those runs, she recruited grandson Caleb to help.

The Browns are very willing to help–even before a need is published. Eddie and Connie don’t have email, so they don’t get a printed copy of the club newsletter until a few days after it’s sent out.

Club secretary Ruth Klossner commented, “Several times Connie has called to ask if help is needed for an event, even before I’ve sent the newsletter out. She knows what’s coming up and wants to be sure to get on the list to help. Connie and Eddie will take some of the jobs that other people skip over.”

Even if they can’t be there, they’ll do their part ahead of time–doing some of the prep work that nobody but the committee members even see.

Connie said, “We always want to help. We feel bad it we can’t be there. We always have fun doing things with the club.”

Eddie and Connie (Forst) grew up a few miles from each other on farms in the St. George area and graduated together from New Ulm High School in 1971. They married on a hot August day in 1973 and went right to farming, milking cows until the later 1980s.

Ironically, it was a pig that caused them to quit milking. Eddie was bit by a boar when he tried to separate it and another boar that were fighting. A severe leg injury put him in a cast for six or seven months and he couldn’t bend down to milk cows.

The Browns expanded their hog operation but, after some years, quit farrowing and bought and fed feeder pigs. They discontinued that about eight years ago. They continue crop farming, running 500 acres between Klossner and St. George.

Connie spent more than 20 years in the banking business, first working for a number of years at Klossner State Bank, then moving on to Citizens Bank in New Ulm, always working the drive-thru. She retired in 2018, with 18 years of service. She continues to help on the farm, with chopping and unloading loads her major jobs.

Both Connie and Eddie are active members at St. George Catholic Church, and especially at the fall festival. Eddie helps cut and prepare meat for brats and Connie is a banker for the festival. She’s also been CCW treasurer “numerous times.”

They enjoy following their grand kids’ activities–Chad and Amber’s kids Caleb and Emily and son Jason and Melissa’s kids Madison and Morgan. Jason and family live at South Haven.

And there’s one more thing they enjoy.

“Eddie has a Harley,” Connie said. “We like to take short trips and have done a few bike runs–but we’re back for chores.”

The Hub Club gives its congratulations to Eddie and Connie and are looking forward to “roasting and toasting” them Monday, Jan. 27.