WISCONSIN - Honoring a lifetime of dedication to the industry, the Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association (WPVGA) recently inducted Paul Miller, President of Paul Miller Farms, into the Hall of Fame. He received the honor on February 9, 2022, at the association’s annual awards banquet held in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.

“It’s a major honor, obviously, to be named a WPVGA Hall of Fame member after all these years,” Miller said. “There have been times when being a potato and vegetable grower has been challenging. I had neighbors in the area when we started growing for American Potato, and nine of us went in together, forming sort of a co-op. It was like old-time farming when they thrashed grain. When it was time for potato harvest, five of us had trucks and there were two potato harvesters, and we’d go from farm to farm, neighbor to neighbor, harvesting potatoes. That’s where it started.”

The WPVGA Hall of Fame honors the achievements of those who have helped develop Wisconsin’s potato industry, according to a release. That is exactly what Miller has done, as he began working at Green Giant in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, in high school during the 1960s. The neighboring area of Hancock and its surrounding farmland were one of the largest bean production regions for the company at the time, drawing in high school and college students like Miller who returned to the company after graduaing from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville in 1965.

After starting with Green Giant, he moved to Fort Smith, Arkansas, where he worked as a field man in the production areas in the region and in the state of Oklahoma. After that, he moved back to Hancock, where he has been now for the past 70 years.

In 1967, he left Green Giant and became Farm Manager for Badger Growers and also grew potatoes for American Potato. In 1990, he and his two children bought all the assets of Badger Growers and formed Paul Miller Farms.

Miller is currently President of the farming operation for Paul Miller Farms, working alongside his family to raise 2,800 acres of vegetables—including potatoes, sweet corn, snap beans and peas—and growing 525 acres of carrots for Bird’s Eye Foods and Fresh Del Monte Produce.

“My kids and their kids have worked together since they were very small to help build this operation into the successful organization that it is today,” added Miller. “While sometimes challenging, there is nothing more rewarding and bonding for a family than knowing that everyone’s efforts have contributed significantly.”

He is the long-time Chairman of the Township of Hancock, a past President of the Hancock Lion’s Club, and Chairman of the Hancock Cemetery Association. Miller was named the Waushara County Citizen of the Year in 2010 as well as honored with the Beaver Dam High School Wall of Fame in 2007. He received an Honorary State FFA Degree in 2003.

Congratulations to Paul Miller on this wonderful achievement!

Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association