Pahl’s Market owners, Brian and Gary Pahl, have paved the way for farming innovation, making sure nothing goes to waste with the help of PIRTEK Burnsville.

Brian and Gary, the fifth generation to operate the farm and market located in Apple Valley, Minn., recently contacted PIRTEK Burnsville to upgrade a piece of their farm equipment. A few years ago, Brian recognized the need for a conveyor belt on his farm and envisioned reusing the irrigation unit to make it happen.

In the fall, the Pahls reached out to the PIRTEK Burnsville Hose Service Center to bring Brian’s vision to life. Mobile Sales and Service Technician (MSST) Jeff Quast went out to his customer to discuss how to turn one of their old field-irrigation units into a conveyor belt to collect peppers grown on the Pahls’ farm.

“I have worked with Brian and Gary in the past, but this was the first machine we completely overhauled,” said Quast.

PIRTEK added hydraulic hoses, motors and return lines to the irrigation system, which created a 50-ft. (15 m) machine that stretches 16 rows long. The new conveyor belt allows the Pahls and their team to collect crops faster than previous methods.

“Within three days we had figured out the fittings and adapters, ordered the parts necessary and assembled the machine. It was a fun project and runs well.”

“The field irrigation unit still worked perfectly, however we needed a machine that could gather the crops quickly,” Gary Pahl said. “With the conveyor belt we are able to collect twice the amount of crops within half the time.”