8 minute read
Finding Their Niche
FINDING THEIR NICHE
by Hilary Rossow & Katie Johnson
photos courtesy Prairie View Farms
Finding Their Niche
Prairie View Farms uses location to their advantage in central Illinois.
Although Gridley, Ill, is known for its fertile farm ground, this area is also home to Prairie View Farm (PVF), a purebred Angus ranch owned by Alan and Theresa Miller in partnership with Alan’s sister, Cathy Jones, and her husband, Brandon Jones. A third-generation operation, the crew at PVF prides itself on being a top producer of donor-quality Angus females as well as a destination for herd sire prospects for purebred and commercial cattlemen.
Alan’s grandfather and great-uncle started a successful Angus operation holding numerous production sales during the 1960’s. As the Gridley area is ideal for row-crop agriculture, the primary focus of the operation remained in the fields when the next generation took over. Alan’s dad, Orlan, valued the cattle as a source of 4-H projects for Alan, Cathy, and their siblings; while the crops earned their living. When he was 16, Alan started making breeding decisions for the cow herd. At that point, there were 25-30 purebred cows, and it was a pivotal time for Alan. “It was a unique opportunity; I learned a lot from it, I grew a lot, and I made a lot of mistakes,” said Alan. His dad was open to letting Alan make decisions and take ownership of those decisions early on setting Alan up for success in his own operation.
Over the last 20 years, the Millers have worked to grow Prairie View Farm into a successful Angus brand. Shortly after they were married, they were fortunate enough to purchase the farm across the road from the PVF home place and started working on growing the herd. Today, the cow herd consists of 200 cows. Cathy and Brandon Jones manage the grain partnership with the Millers and also sell high-profile show steers.
The Miller Family of Prairie View Farms l-r Will, Adam, Alan, Theresa, and Amelia
The Miller kids flex their muscles in the show ring not only with Angus, but Sim-influence and high profile show steers as well. You may recognize the young man on the wash rack, as his photo was featured on our cover of the August issue of The Stockman.
The Miller kids flex their muscles in the show ring not only with Angus, but Sim-influence and high profile show steers as well. You may recognize the young man on the wash rack, as his photo was featured on our cover of the August issue of The Stockman.
The Miller kids flex their muscles in the show ring not only with Angus, but Sim-influence and high profile show steers as well. You may recognize the young man on the wash rack, as his photo was featured on our cover of the August issue of The Stockman.
As pasture ground is nearly non-existent in the fertile, flat lands of central Illinois, the Millers utilize cooperative herds to raise calves. The donor cows and ET recipients reside at the main ranch near Gridley, but calving is done spring and fall off-site. Some creativity and resourcefulness is essential in feeding cows with their limited grass acres, so alternate feed sources are used. Alan says, “Most everything is gobbled up for new homes, corn, or beans pretty quickly, so we utilize a lot of tillable ground and run an intensive rotational grazing program. We do a lot of double cover crops for grazing and harvesting and try to get the most out of the ground for our cattle.” Corn stalks and byproducts of the ethanol industry are also used. Alan adds, “It’s not your common western cow scenario.”
Over the past two decades, PVF’s focus has been raising elite heifers. As roughage costs are higher in central Illinois, the Millers were forced to find a lucrative niche for their cattle operation. Commercial cattlemen are few and far between in Illinois, but the show heifer competition is fierce. The proximity to large airports in Chicago means relatively easy access to customers from all over the country. “If we were going to stay here, we needed to focus on what we were going to sell here. It is not the cheapest place to run cows, so the heifer market was the most logical choice,” says Alan.
Alan and Theresa have three children, Amelia (16), Adam (14), and William (10). All three are involved in showing their own heifers. Rather than compete directly with their customers in the show ring, the Miller kids all show a lot of Sim-influence cattle, but their son, Adam, as excelled showing steers. PVF’s customer have had some outstanding success including the Grand Champion heifer at the 2015 National Junior Angus Show and many champions and reserves at NWSS, regional Angus Junior shows, NAILE, World Beef Expo, and several state fairs. PVF-bred heifers have captured many divisional banners at the NJAS since hanging the top honor in 2015 as well. In each of the past two years, over 50 heifers bred by PVF have shown in the NJAS. “Most people measure success with purple banners,” says Alan, “but once you have built a program capable of winning those banners, it gets really hard to manage the expectations and pressures of staying there. Human nature is to put that pressure on yourself to stay on top, and hopefully that pressure doesn’t pass on to your family and employees too much. Managing the expectations that come with success is a challenge.”
The typical PVF Angus string, consistently hanging banners for young stockmen around the country.
In 2016, Alan was elected to the American Angus Association’s Board of Directors. He is the first person to be elected to the board after also serving on the National Junior Angus Association Board of Directors from 1993-1995.
In addition to the Miller family, Prairie View Farms employs two full-time herdsmen as well as part-time help from local college students. below a beautiful summer sight at Prairie View Farms.
“The Angus breed has a lot of really qualified people; it’s very competitive and a great honor to be a part of both the National Junior Angus Board as well as the American Angus Association Board of Directors. If my kids are interested in becoming a part of these associations in the future, I’d encourage them when the time comes.” His AAA Board seat in addition to his purebred operation has his plate full, but he loves the Angus business and is excited to help guide its future.
Alan and Theresa both work full time on the farm along with two other full-time employees. As with any owner, one of the biggest challenges for the Millers is finding the right people to help manage the operation while maintaining a good work-life balance for everyone involved. The partnership with Brandon and Cathy helps everything run at Prairie View Farm. Brandon and Cathy also have two daughters, Charlee and Chandler, that keep them busy!
The embryo transfer calves are brought back to PVF from the cooperative farms to market in two waves. Their Annual Production Sale held in the Spring (April) features the Fall-born heifer calves, along with some cows and bulls. The Spring-born heifers are sold via private treaty and in several online sales throughout the Fall, along with some select semen and embryos.
PVF Insight 0129 has had a major impact on PVF’s breeding program and reputation as a producer of premier Angus cattle. He has been well-received through the Angus breed and was ROV Sire of the Year three consecutive years. As a member of the Millers’ pen in Denver, 2011, he was sold to Express Ranches in The Yards and has created a successful partnership between the two operations. Alan says, “To raise a bull that produces champions and still works for the more performance-oriented herds is a neat deal for us.”
Through their tireless efforts to produce champion heifers and Alan’s work with the AAA, Prairie View Farm has a clear vision for a bright future in the Angus industry. The Miller and Jones families love the great way of life agriculture supplies, but they recognize the opportunities and potential pitfalls of being at the top of their game. Alan states, “For me it is the purebred aspect that adds another level of challenges and complexities. There are so many different directions you can take your program and so many ways you can challenge yourself. It is just so intriguing to me.”
learn more pvfangus.com
Prairie View Farms will hold its Fall Open House November 29-30, 2019 followed by their Fall Online Sale series on December 3, 4, & 5. Selling Heifer calves, bred heifers, and embryos. Contact Alan for details and at 217.840.6935.
PVF Insight 0129
Feeding time for sale features at PVF.
- Alan Miller, Prairie View Farms
