Untiedt's Family & Team
Since 1971, Untiedt's Vegetable Farm has been growing fresh fruits, vegetables, and garden plants for Minnesota families. Our founding motto "We Grow For You" encompasses everything we do.
our family history
From left to right: Jenna Untiedt, Megan Untiedt, Jerry Untiedt, Paul Nelson, and Trent Nelson at MN Ag Day Gala
Jerry Untiedt
Founder, Owner
In 1970, Jerry and his wife Susan moved to Waverly from the Twin Cities so Susan could begin her teaching career and Jerry could begin dabbling in farming. He had a passion for the land as he had grown up visiting his grandparent’s farm in Southern Minnesota and fallen in love with farming. In the beginning, Jerry had a full-time job in the lumber industry and farmed on the side, while Susan taught full time and did so for 38 years. As she says, “Someone needed a steady income and benefits in the early days of the business.”
As a first-generation farmer, Jerry was self-taught in just about every area of agriculture. There were many successes, but many more failures. To this day, Jerry is still learning something new every day when it comes to farming, agriculture, and the land. His passion for agriculture is evident in everything that he does. He shares his knowledge willingly as he thinks it is extremely important for everyone to have an understanding of how food is produced and how it gets from the field to your table.
Not only has Jerry worked extremely hard to build his own family farm, but he has given back to the entire agricultural community. Over the years, Jerry has served on the board of Minnesota Grown supporting the buy local initiatives, the board of the Minnesota Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, representing growers across the state of Minnesota on various issues, and he has worked tirelessly on agricultural legislative issues both at the state and federal levels.
It's hard to get Jerry away from the farm, but in his free time, he does enjoy spending time with his wife at their cabin. When time allows, hunting in the fall brings him great joy, especially when he can get out to shoot some pheasants with his dogs.
Paul Nelson
Head Grower, Jerry's Son-in-Law
Growing up on a family farm, Paul didn’t think farming was going to be his full-time job. With a career in drafting, Paul was happily employed when he met the oldest Untiedt daughter. His free weekends turned into weekends working at the Farmers’ Market and eventually he joined the Untiedt’s team in a full-time capacity. Paul is the Head Grower. This job is encompassing of flower and greenhouse production, high tunnel production, outdoor production, as well as the daily direction of employees in each of these areas. In his free time, Paul enjoys spending time with his family, fishing, and hunting.
Megan Dallmann
Office Manager, Jerry's Daughter
Although an Untiedt daughter who grew up in the business, Megan joined the Untiedt’s team in a full-time capacity in 2001 to help run the Untiedt’s stand at the Minneapolis Farmers Market. Following that role, she moved onto managing retail stands in Wright County, and today she finds herself in the Waverly office full time where her primary roles are wholesale order management, employee relations, and Jerry’s personal assistant. In her free time, Megan enjoys spending time with her family, watching her kids’ sporting events, reading, and traveling.
Jenna Untiedt
Marketing Manager, Jerry's Daughter
The youngest and most fun, or so she thinks, of the 4 Untiedt daughters, Jenna’s primary role at the farm is marketing and communications, with an emphasis on supporting the retail side of the business. In a family business though, you wear many hats, and no two days are alike, which is what keeps the job interesting. Prior to working full time for the farm, Jenna spent some time working in the nonprofit world before returning to school to pursue her MBA and eventually, returning to the farm full time. Outside of work, Jenna can often be found traveling on adventures near and far, attending concerts and sporting events, and spending time with family and friends.
Craig Gilb
Retail Operations Manager
Craig Gilb has been a part of the Untiedt’s operation for over 30 years. While the farm has grown and evolved during Craig’s time with the company, his primary role of working with the retail division of the farm has remained the same. Craig is an avid outdoorsman who loves to hunt and fish whenever time allows. He’s the definition of a true Minnesota sports fan, following the Vikings and Wild, no matter how good or bad the season may be going. Craig enjoys taking some time each winter to vacation with family and friends to warm and sunny destinations.
Pat Nelson
Grower
With an extensive background in greenhouse management, Pat Nelson joined the Untiedt’s team in March 2020. Growing up in a family greenhouse business, Pat not only has a vast experience with plants, but vegetables as well. He received his Bachelor’s of Science in Horticulture with and emphasis in Greenhouse Management from the University of Wisconsin River Falls. Following college, Pat took over the family greenhouse business until 2010. From 2011-2020, Pat was an integral part of the Minneapolis Farmers Market as the Assistant Market Manager and then the Market Manager until he joined the Untiedt’s team full time in 2020. When not working, Pat enjoys spending time with his 4 kids.
Trent Nelson
Maintenance and Operations, Jerry's Grandson
Trent is the third generation to join the Untiedt family operation. From a young age, he showed not only an interest in the growing side of agriculture, but Grandpa Jerry helped him get started with a cattle operation as well. Each day of work looks a little bit different on the farm, but Trent’s main role is equipment operation and maintenance. In addition, Trent plays an integral role in Untiedt’s sweet corn harvesting program throughout the growing season, helping to manage harvest crews, plan work schedules, and transport the corn. When time allows, he tries to spend as much time in the great outdoors hunting and fishing, while also getting in time with his wife, friends, family, his dogs and his cattle.
Brad J.
Manager, Maple Grove
Brad has been the manager at our Maple Grove Garden Center since 2020. Before that, he was employed seasonally for several years floating between a few different Garden Center locations. When he isn’t keeping his location in tip top shape, he enjoys finding adventures of all kinds with his wife. Whether that’s a day trip to go hiking or a weekend adventure to the Omaha zoo, he loves to get out and explore. Brad has a deep love and compassion for animals and nature conservancy.
Megan S.
Manager, Edina
Megan has been part of the Untiedt’s retail team for over 11 years. Joining the team back at our original St. Louis Park location, Megan has worked her way up and now manages our Edina location. She enjoys building relationships with her customers and has met some pretty great people over the years! In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her friends and family.
Katie S.
Manager, Buffalo
As the manager of our Buffalo Garden Center, Katie has been with Untiedt’s for more than 10 seasons. She has over 20 years of experience working with plants in a variety of capacities ranging from garden planning, plant maintenance, and perennial gardening. In her free time, she enjoys traveling and spending time with her family and grandchildren.
Mariana P.
Manager, Waconia & St Louis Park
Mariana has been part of the Untiedt’s team for 14 years. Throughout the years, she has had various roles that have allowed her to expand her agricultural knowledge, especially around flowers and fresh, locally grown produce. She is passionate about gardening and enjoys being outside as often as possible. It brings her great joy to spend time with customers and help them design their personal gardens each spring. In her free time she enjoys watching movies, exploring new foods and cuisines, puzzles, and traveling.
Mila R.
Manager, Eden Prairie
Originally from Ukraine, Mila has a diverse cultural background she continues to expand upon to this day. In Ukraine, she studied and received degrees in both art and education, becoming an art teacher for several years before moving to the United States. Mila adores flowers, animals, traveling, learning new things, and helping people. She believes all her experiences and knowledge have allowed her to offer customers and employees at the Untiedt’s stands a great experience as she sees the locations as an opportunity to express her artistic talent and share it with others.
Oksana D.
Manager, Montrose
Passionate about learning, Oksana enjoys her time at Untiedt’s as there is always something new to learn, whether that be about flowers or produce. She enjoys taking that new knowledge and sharing that with others as well. You’ll always find her ready to help accomplish any task whether that’s design a new flower bed, pick out the perfect hanging basket, or give the best about what’s in season for produce. In her free time, she enjoys the arts, especially painting, as well as spending time with family and friends.