Jim Sheaffer representing the NC+ Hybrids (left) who sponsors the Outstanding Colorado Young Farmer Agri-Business Award, is pictured here with Bryson and Stephanie Miller of Brush.

Brush’s Bryson Miller wins Outstanding Colorado Young Farmer Agri-Business Award

Bryson Miller of Brush has spent his entire life on or running around flatbed trailers at country auctions. Following in his father’s footsteps, he is now a partner in Auctioneers  Miller and Associates.  

For this ambition and success, Miller was named recipient of the Outstanding Colorado Young Farmer Agri-Business Award for 2008. He received the recognition at the 39th Colorado Young Farmers Educational Association Institute.

This award is presented each year to recognize a CYF member who has demonstrated huge competencies in ownership of an agri-business operation from which he or she derives most of his or her income. Winners are selected based upon their overall business program, leadership activities and civic, church and community service work.

Miller, 23, now runs Auctioneers Miller and Associates onsite consignment sales while his father, Chuck, oversees the real estate, 1031 exchanges and the offsite sales. The two partner up as needed to keep all aspects of the business running.

Consignment sales for the auction house specialize in selling farm equipment, however, the company will do estate sales and other collaborations designed to bring buyers and sellers together.

Auctioneering is what this younger Miller knows best. At the age of nine, he took the microphone and made his first sale. As a freshman in high school, he was already a frequent back-up voice for his father, often chanting entire sales. After high school, Bryson attended Northeastern Junior College in Sterling where he earned an associate’s degree in agri-business in May of 2005. In September of that same year, through some creative financing, he was able to partner with his father with plans to eventually own his own company through a 10 year buy-out plan. The company employs five full time employees and one part-timer.

As partner, the younger Miller has been instrumental in getting online bidding in place for the company, which became available this past January. The work he has done on the company’s website that expanded its client base to California, North Carolina, Arkansas, Illinois Minnesota and Alaska and it continues to expand. “My biggest focus to improve the company is by making us more technologically efficient and to use the tools that are available to expand our marketplace,” Bryson said. He is working on an e-mail database in order to be able to send out promotional materials, advertising and sale reminders to thousands of potential customers at a time. “This will allow our company to reach many more people at a fraction of the cost.” According to Bryson, the advertising is the most strenuous portion of the auctioning process because “our company takes pride in having the best advertising package in the industry.”

A member of the Fort Morgan Young Farmers and the Colorado Young Farmers since 2005, Bryson Miller has held of the office of reporter, secretary and is currently his local chapter’s vice president. He has helped spearhead a number of events. Perhaps most noted would be committee chair for the July Fourth parade float which included a 48 foot trailer with a center pivot sprinkler that actually ran water over some real corn. The beautiful display conveyed a “agriculture needs water to keep America beautiful” message which was most fitting concerning water issues in his immediate area at this time.

Miller is also proud of some fundraising activities his chapter has done to benefit fellow member Bart Ginther’s family which has been struck with cancer more than once in recent years. Both Bart and son Joe have battled the disease and won. “Bart and his other son, John, decided to run a marathon in Dublin, Ireland to help raise money for cancer research and we hosted the dinner and poker tournament to help them raise the money they needed to be able to go and do this,” Miller said.

A fairly new member of Colorado Young Farmers, Miller served on the executive committee that hosted the 39^th National Young Farmer Institute held in Denver in 2007. He just recently finished serving on a committee that revised the CYFEA constitution.

Bryson is an avid volunteer. He donates his time to sell numerous benefit auctions for different organizations across the date, often donating items toward or sponsoring some of these same activities. His company purchases approximately ten animals at county fair sales throughout the state annually. Last summer, this guy even volunteered his time to be a pitching coach for the summer baseball programs in Brush. Last but not least, he’s adjusting to the role of husband to wife, Stephanie. The couple were married in 2007.