Andrew Kaldenberg has been selected as Stuart 2024 Citizen of the Year, an honor bestowed on a community member each year at the Good Egg Days celebration in June. His reaction upon being informed of this honor was, “This is such an honor and very unexpected. Those who know me best know when I see something that needs to be done, I do it, or try to help if I can. It is my intention to always do what’s right.”
Area people know him as the Stuart Rose Acre Farms complex manager for many years. However, not many people know how long he has been identified with Rose Acre Farms, and the following is his first-person account.
When Andrew was in his mid-teens, he was contacted by Joe McIntosh, representing Rose Acre Farms in Winterset, who was looking for a crew to move young chickens from pullet buildings to larger buildings. Andrew recruited a couple of friends to assist, and thus, his introduction and longtime employment began in 1988.
During Andrew’s senior year in high school, while doing shipping at Rose Acres, a management position opened. He directed his educational plans away from immediate college attendance, and he became a full-time employee.
In the mid-1990s, a plant was started in Stuart, and the need for a complex manager was brought to Andrew’s attention. A cooler manager at this time at Winterset, and asked Victor Rigterink, vice-president of production, “What about me?” His response was “Go to Stuart for three months, and if you don’t like it, come right back to Winterset.” (At the time of his 20-year award, Andrew recalled saying, “I am still waiting for my three-month trial to be up.”)
Upon arrival as complex manager at Stuart Rose Acres, Andrew was invited to join the Chamber of Commerce. It was immediately evident that Rose Acre Farms being known as “The Good Egg People” had a definite connection with the City of Stuart’s identification as “Stuart, The Home of 1400 Good Eggs and A Few Stinkers.”
Andrew took that invitation seriously, realizing Rose Acre Farms needed to be active in the Chamber, and he stepped into community involvement. He was asked to be on the Good Egg Days committee, and that led him to promote the 5K Run in 1997.
Under his leadership, Rose Acre Farms joined SEED and volunteered to assist with any projects connected with improving the area. He recalled a huge undertaking of clearing an area where the Casey’s truck parking lot is now located, and used company equipment and personnel for that purpose. “When I see opportunities for service, I just do my job.”
Other outreaches opened including donating eggs for the West Central Valley teacher’s appreciation breakfast, to churches or organizations for their meals, and countless pancake breakfasts, etc. It seems he is called for every fundraiser, and tries to choose those that will benefit the community best and always strives to make this a better community.
Involvement with the annual Stuart Easter Egg hunt at Stuart Lawbaugh Park involves donation of approximately 3,500 eggs (which Andrew and Rose Acre Farms employees hard-cook, dye, and distribute to the three Rose Acre Farms locations — Stuart, Winterset, and Guthrie Center). Prizes and awards are also donated by Rose Acres. He notes that approximately 300 people, children and adults, attend the Stuart egg hunt, and hopefully support local businesses before they leave.
This is foremost in his mind as Rose Acres helps sponsor other community events, such as the Bonnie & Clyde Walk/Run which is under the leadership of the Revitalization Committee. With every event, he fosters “Shop At Home.” Goals for this event reinforce his goals. “I always to break even and bring people to Stuart. These have always been and still are my goals.”
When not managing the Stuart Egg Farm, Andrew serves as an industry and community leader. He was president of the Iowa Poultry Association Board of Directors for 10 years, and has been a member of the Iowa Egg Council Board of Directors for 16 years. He also coordinates Rose Acre Farms’ participation in the Cracking Hunger program, continues as a Stuart Chamber of Commerce member, and is a member of Lutheran Church of Hope in Des Moines.
His generosity and involvement have not gone unnoticed, and personal honors have come his way.
On May 25, 2022, he was awarded the Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award made possible by the Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers. This was presented in Stuart by Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig who noted Andrew’s continuous improvement of the farm, but also in his commitment to giving back to his local community. This was the first Good Farmer Business award ever presented.
At that time, Andrew had held the complex managership at the Stuart Rose Acres Farm which housed 1.3 million layers and 357,000 pullets for 26 years, and had worked with Rose Acre Farms for 36 years.
Kaldenberg joined the Iowa Egg Council and Iowa Association, and was the longest-serving president of that organization.
The North Central Poultry Association honored Kaldenberg as the 2023 Hall of Fame Award Recipient, and he said, “We are a team at Rose Acre Farms, and I value the strong connections we have, not only in Iowa’s egg industry, but with the communities we serve. I believe in making every egg count in helping feed the world one person at a time and being the best at taking care of chickens makes the best outcome for all. It is a domino effect; if chickens are not happy, they do not produce, and if they do not produce, we do not have the production needed.” Grassroots comments!
Andrew believes Rose Acre Farms is the silent community partner helping grow the communities together by working hand-in-hand to reach that goal.
The most recent outreach of Rose Acre Farms has been to the Greenfield community following the tragic tornado in that city on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. They donated a refrigerated semi-trailer, 3600 dozen eggs, fuel for other organizations’ units, furnished usage of dumpsters, and stood with their own employees whose homes had been damaged.
Andrew is the son of Bob and Phyllis Kaldenberg of Winterset. He has two brothers, Mike and Matt, and one sister, Amanda, all living in Iowa.
Andrew and Rebecca of rural Stuart, have six children, ranging in age from 20-35, Malorie, Broderick, Hannah, Tage, Lydia and Jensen, and grandchildren, Braxton, Winnie, twins Emerson and Easton, and are anticipating the birth of one more.
Thank you, Andrew Kaldenberg, for your generous heart and devotion to serving in any and every way as you recognize opportunities to assist and be a loyal friend. Congratulations to the 2024 Citizen of the Year, Andrew Kaldenberg.
