Farm Family 2018 Eagle Bowl winners work as team
SAXONBURG — Farming is a family affair when it comes to the Millers.
“It's just what we do,” Brian Miller said as his wife, Stacy, laughed. “It's what has been passed down for generations.”
So it made a lot of sense when Brian and Stacy Miller, alongside their three sons, Tyler, now 21, Austin, now 16, and Garrett, now 13, were awarded the Eagle Bowl title at the 2018 Butler Farm Show.
On their property of more than 280 acres just off Saxonburg Boulevard, they grow grains, like corn and soybean. They raise beef cattle. The boys also raise lamb to show.
The family lives just over the hill from Brian Miller's mother.
He grew up on the same plot of land he now works with his family — land where previous generations of Millers had held the title of Eagle Bowl winner twice before.
“It's a family tradition,” he said. “We all work together.”
All five of the Millers emphasized the importance of family when it came to their farm and their livelihood.
“We're a close family,” Garrett said. “It's teamwork.”
On a regular day, they might be chopping hay to fill the silos, spraying and taking care of crops or feeding the cattle and lambs. Preparing for farm shows is a yearlong task.Stacy Miller looks forward to weeks like the Butler Farm Show.“For me, it's the change in pace, a little,” she said. “It's a different busy than we normally do.”On top of their responsibilities on the farm, the boys also stay busy with other activities.All three boys are involved in 4-H. Austin has been participating for nine years and Garrett has been participating for six.“You get to meet new people from all over the state,” Garrett said.At the farm show in August, they'll be showing the lambs that they've raised through the program.Tyler Miller, who was in 4-H until he was 18, now serves as a 4-H leader.“It's fun to teach the public about agriculture,” he said. “I've taught a lot of people how to show animals, helped people clip animals and shown people how to feed animals.”This year, he'll also be serving on the Junior Board of Directors for the farm show.“It'll be a different experience,” he said.
Austin and Garrett both play soccer for Knoch, too — Austin plays for the high school team, and Garrett plays for the middle school team. They also play club soccer for Arsenal Football Club.The family attends other farm shows throughout the year, including the Pennsylvania State Farm Show in Harrisburg, where they show their cattle. They also take some time to enjoy the famous milkshakes.“They're the best,” Stacy Miller said.During their free time, which is sparse, the Millers enjoy camping and square dancing as a family.In the fall, Tyler Miller is going to be starting his third year at Butler County Community College, where he is pursuing degrees in computer programming, engineering technology with CADD and robotics technology.Austin will be a junior at Knoch High School, and Garrett will start eighth grade at Knoch Middle School. Both are interested in going to college for agriculture at the moment. Austin said he really likes Penn State University.But for now, they're excited to show the culmination of a year's worth of work and to spend some quality time with their friends and family at the farm show.“After you work all year, you finally get to show what you've done,” Austin said.
