Kittleson Brothers keeps North Iowa's harvest moving
From planting potatoes and onions in the spring to sorting, grading and packaging them throughout the winter, the work at Kittleson Brothers involves far more than putting crops in the ground and harvesting the vegetables. At the longtime St. Ansgar agricultural operation, every potato that rolls down the grading line and every onion loaded for shipment represents the work of people whose jobs help move North Iowa produce from farm fields to dinner tables across the country. Those jobs were on display Saturday, Nov. 7, as Kittleson Brothers welcomed the public for an open house featuring tours of its facilities, sampling food, activities for children and an opportunity to see firsthand what goes into running the business. The event drew a large crowd. For Kittleson Brothers, which employs fewer than 20 people, the work requires a combination of agricultural knowledge, equipment operation, quality control, packaging, shipping and plenty of hands-on labor. Some employees work seasonally, including area farmers who have time available during the winter months when their own fieldwork has ended. Laura Pahl is one of those workers. Pahl has farmed independently for six years and previously worked in agricultural research for Syngenta. About three years ago, she began
