“It became an addiction and a passion to be involved in the family operation,” admits Kody Miller, part of the fifth generation to operate Miller Angus Farms.

A dirt road near the corner of 468th Avenue and 187th Street in Hamlin County, S.D., has been home to the farm since 1900. Although when the land was homesteaded by Gust Miller, Kody’s great-great-grandfather, Interstate 29 wasn’t a stone’s throw away and the farm’s address didn’t include an avenue. The value of the land has never been in the physical address, but rather in the character of the Miller family. 

“It built us a work ethic that is second to none; that we value in this life and hold dearly,” Kody says. “It was instilled into us by my parents — from my grandparents. Even at a young age, my great-grandparents.”

Gust and his son, Eldon, bought their first registered Angus cattle in 1923, transitioning what had been a horned cattle operation to what would become a purebred and commercial operation large enough to allow three generations to work the farm together. The family credits Eldon’s son and daughter-in-law, Donald and Georgia, with providing that opportunity through their dedication to performance selection.  

“[For] Grandpa, it was all numbers ... EPDs (expected progeny differences), based on numbers,” Kody explains. “Now that has been instilled in our cow herd for multiple generations, and it isn’t going anywhere.”

Today Donald still fixes fence and helps around the farm. The 83-year-old is fueled by a passion sparked much in the same way it is for many: through 4-H. Now decades removed and countless accomplishments since, the show ring still holds some of Donald’s best memories. 

“It was what I really enjoyed doing,” Donald says.

His county fair steer was considered his payment for doing what farm kids do best — working diligently without question.

“You didn’t work for salaries back in those days,” he explains. “It wasn’t paid by the hour, and I never even thought about asking.”

Instead, Donald asked to take over the family farm.

“I didn’t go to high school,” he adds. “All I wanted to do was farm, and I have farmed all my life.”

In 1961, not long after Donald made that decision, he met a woman who could hold her own when it came to the long hours and hard work required to make a living in agriculture.

“My name was supposed to have been George because I was supposed to have been a boy,” Georgia explains. “But my dad made me his hired hand, and I started working in the field when I was in grade school.”

Luck and land

Together, year after year, the couple expanded the family farm in a way many would call strategic. 
“It was just pure luck putting all this land together,” Donald says. 

He instead points out it was a long-standing relationship that allowed him to buy multiple parcels of farmland. 

As a kid, Donald would take the time to visit with his neighbor, Cleo Begalka, while the man was plowing the fields. Years later, Begalka offered Donald opportunities to buy sections of land. 

“My dad would say, ‘You could lose it, buying up all this land,’ and I’d say, ‘I can’t lose it until I get it bought.’ Well then, he didn’t know what to say,” Donald recalls with a chuckle.

The final piece of land was purchased after Begalka’s passing. Donald met with Begalka’s daughter, who told Donald, “This would make my dad happy. He always said, ‘I want my neighbor, the Millers, to have all this land.’”

It taught Donald and his family a valuable lesson: “Be good to your neighbors.” 

Built on relationships

For the Millers, building relationships isn’t limited to those who live nearby.  

“Sale day doesn’t end on sale day. We follow up with our customers,” Kody says. “We treat them like family, and they need to be confident in knowing they are dealing with family.”

Since the inaugural Miller Angus Farms production sale in 1995, that philosophy has helped the Millers grow their customer base, selling a combined 500 bulls and females each year. That is in addition to the feedlot, club lamb and crop farming operations the family manages. 

“It takes an army. We’ve got a lot of irons in the fire. But I wouldn’t have it any other way, getting to work side-by-side,” Kody says.

Kody and his brother, Brady, oversee breeding decisions and work to balance good data with phenotype. 

“You’ve got to be able to look at your cattle every day. If you love what you do, you better like what you see,” Kody says. “That is how we go about it now. We like easy-fleshing cattle. We like a good cow that milks, that has that fancy-female look — that is deep-bodied. The muscularity is good on both our females and our bulls. We like a solid product.”

Ensuring each calf crop lives up to that standard and still drives progress for their customers is a tall order Kody and Brady are constantly working to fill.

“The bull market can be saturated,” Kody says. “We want [our customers] to believe in our product and our genetics — our cattle — because they make [them] the most money on the bottom line.”

The next 100

“I think if Don’s dad and grandpa could see [this], they would just be thrilled,” Georgia says. 

Not just because the land hasn’t changed hands or that the fields continue to be worked, but that the farm remains a place that brings the Miller family together.

“My brothers, my cousins, we are fortunate enough to have the opportunity to come back,” Kody says. “Not everyone gets that opportunity anymore. There are more and more ranches going under or selling out.”

The demands of an ever-adapting industry may guide the next generation at Miller Angus Farms to travel new roads. But Kody is confident they will always lead back to a familiar place — the crossroads of passion and perseverance.

“We are going to work, day in and day out, to raise the best Angus cattle we can and praise God for letting us do it.”