Prairie View Farm is owned by the Alan Miller Family of Gridley, IL and we are fortunate to work with them several times a year. The PVF prefix is highly regarded in the Angus show ring, both as a breeder of outstanding females and bulls that stamp their offspring with eye appeal and good structure.
Thanks to both Alan and his wife Theresa for working with us to feature this one-of-a-kind operation on our blog! PVF is one of Kyla’s favorite stops of the season. Be sure to check out their Facebook page too!
?? When did Prairie View Farm get its start??
PVF is what Alan has often called a 4-H project on steroids. He started showing cattle as a hobby project with his family as a kid. ?When he graduated high school there were about 20 cows mostly show heifers to take care of. ?Alan purchased the Davis Proven Queen cow while in college as a donor cow opportunity and his sister Cathy showed her first two progeny, PVF Proven Queen 601 and 602, and things took off from there. ?Alan went to graduate school and received a Ph.D. while growing his operation to a point where we could support our family off it ? but that took about 15 years after he graduated college to do so. ?He worked for University of Illinois Extension as a Beef Specialist during that time and slowly grew the cow herd which at its height was up to more than 300 cows.
?? Who?s all involved with PVF?
Right now PVF encompasses Alan and Theresa Miller and our kids, Amelia, Adam and William. ?We work in partnership with Alan?s sister Cathy Jones and her husband Brandon. ?And there are two full time herdsmen, Curtis Harsh and Kyle Chrislaw.
?? Why Angus?
Angus is the largest, most competitive breed that offers the most in terms of our customers beyond the show ring. ?The marketing opportunities for cows, the junior programs, and the value as bulls are what we see as the best opportunity for selling the show heifers, bred heifers, cows and embryos that we do. ?Alan?s grandpa, Adam Schlipf raised Angus Cattle and held annual sales in the 1950s, and Alan was comfortable with the breed as well.
? Who is your ideal customer? How are you meeting their demands?
I think PVF has a niche in creating unique customer service opportunities for our purchasers by utilizing our brand to showcase our ?kids? at various Angus shows around the country. ?We like to think that we can provide a service for all our customers no matter the price tag. ?We want all our customers to view their purchase as being a part of our family and we want to accommodate needs of customers by offering a variety of ways of marketing our cattle ? privately, through online sales, and through production sales. ?We led our breed in offering a unique marketing of fall born calves in a spring production sale for show purposes, offering customers an opportunity to show cattle over a two year cycle and have been successful in that. ?We enjoy getting to know these customers and helping them with their project even beyond the show ring.
? ?2019 was a big year for PVF, any highlights you?d like to share?
We were super excited to have reserve junior heifer in the 2019 NAILE Angus Show recently, but more importantly we were proud of how our customers fared at the National Junior Angus Show this year ? we had more class winners than any other breeder in 2019. ?During the past several years our customers have done really well at that show and more than 3/4 of the cattle we sell make it to that show to exhibit. ?It?s a great week. ?
Res. Champion Angus Female 2019 NAILE Jr. Show
?? Alan?+ Theresa both — What?s your favorite part of your job??
I think this piece by Certified Angus Beef (CAB) that they did encompasses a lot of our thoughts about our favorite part of our job ? working together as a family and raising our kids in this business is what we are most excited about right now. ?
?? You?re hosting 3 online sales this fall. What can buyers expect in this offering?
We have the strongest set of bred heifers we have ever put together and some unique offerings in our embryo sale Thursday night. ?There?s three nights to purchase genetics in whatever way you would like to! ?And we?re super excited to use this new platform, Show Cattle Connection. ?
Prairie View Angus Online Show Heifer Sale – Tuesday, 12/2
Prairie View Angus Online Bred Heifer Sale – Wednesday, 12/3
Prairie View Angus Online Embryo Sale – Thursday, 12/4
?? Any sire groups or specific females you?re really excited about?
We have some of the first calves for sale this week from PVF Blacklist and The Natural, our two newest young sires that we are really excited about. ?
PVF BLACKLIST 7077 
PVF THE NATURAL 7042
For more information about PVF and the Miller Family, check out this article featured in the November issue of The Stockman.