Today, three generations of Millers live and work on the farm as Chris Miller operates the farm with the assistance of his dad, Max, and his sons, Max and Isaac. His sons, Max and Isaac, are joining the operation as the next generation of Miller brothers. Chris took over the Angus cattle operation and the grain farm, and has been farming for more than 35 years. He planned to become a teacher, but following a life-changing talk with his grandpa, Chris decided to move home and farm after he graduated. Meanwhile, Max’s son, Chris, had moved away to attend college. Max continued to work for ADM as a salesman until November of 2000. In 1988, Fred passed away suddenly from a heart attack. Tabor Grain sold out to ADM, which made Max and Fred employees of ADM until 1984 when Fred moved to Dallas, Texas to become President of Azteca Milling. In 1973, Max and Fred sold the grain elevators to Tabor Grain of Decatur, Illinois, and stayed on as employees. As the demand for food corn continued to grow, the Miller brothers built a second grain elevator ten miles away in Newman, Illinois. At the grain elevator, they could clean, grade and ship corn to Frito-Lay facilities across the south and eastern United States. Max and Fred rapidly ran out of room to store the corn, which led them to building a new grain elevator in Oakland. The business grew rapidly as corn chips and tortillas became popular. The Miller brothers began selling food corn to Frito-Lay in the mid-1960's. Max and Fred left MDM Supply Company and focused on the sale and distribution of Sitr-ators nationally. In the 1960’s, the Miller brothers helped develop the Stir-ator, a piece of equipment that helped dry corn inside of bins. That need birthed their next business, MDM Supply Company, a grain bin dealership. Max and Fred also assisted their dad with his Angus cattle and grain farm.Ī few years later, the Miller brothers noticed that with the advent of shelling corn in the field, there was a need for grain bins to dry and store corn on local farms. They had 10 pens which held 50 pigs each. One side of the business was a feed mill for area livestock producers, and the other side was a place where producers or investors could raise a pen of feeder pigs. Their first business, a pig motel, opened in 1959. The brothers were a great team- Max typically was the innovator, and Fred’s expertise was bringing the idea to fruition. Max and Fred Miller decided to carry on the farming tradition through agribusiness. Howard continued farming throughout his life. In 1946, they split up their farming partnership, and Howard moved to Oakland, Illinois with his wife, Lois, and children Marilyn, Max, and Fred. Howard and his brother got their first herd of Angus cattle in 1939. Howard always said that he and his brother had the Presidents to be grateful to: Herbert Hoover gave them the opportunity to buy some land, and Franklin Roosevelt gave them the opportunity to pay for it. Howard Miller (1900-1969) and his brother started farming together in 1923 in Filson, Illinois. When you buy from Miller Brothers Farm, you can be confident that the beef Will allow us to produce pure, nutritious food for many generations to come. We make it our goal to be both economically and ecologically sustainable.Īt Miller Brothers Farm, we believe that environmentally sound practices Crop rotation is an effective tool to manage financial risks as well as insects, weeds, and diseases. We rotate the planting of corn, soybeans, oats, wheat and hay in our fields to improve the physical, chemical, and biological composition of the soil. In addition, we also plant cover crops to supress weeds, help control pests and diseases, grow orgainic matter, and put nutrients back into the soil. We have been no-till farming since 1998, which reduces wind eroison, water erosion and topsoil run-off in our fields. Our cattle spend their days roaming through ample pastures and grazing on grass. We take pride in providing our customers with beef that is free of antibiotics, steroids, artificial hormones, dyes and preservatives. We strive to implement sustainable farming methods throughout our operation. About Us Miller Brothers Farm is a family owned and operated farm located in central Illinois.įor four generations, we have been raising corn, soybeans, oats, wheat, hay and Angus cattle.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |