Brian Miller has spent his entire career immersed in the world of agriculture, from working on his family’s farm to managing an ag retail location and eventually becoming a leader in environmental health and safety (EHS). Now retired as lead instructor for the ResponsibleAg Auditor Training Course and ResponsibleAg verification auditor, Brian reflects on his decades of experience with a deep sense of purpose — to prevent accidents and save lives.
While earning his degree from Purdue University, Miller worked summers at an agriculture retailer, gaining valuable hands-on experience that would shape his future. After graduating, Miller joined a retailer full-time, starting in sales and rising to manage a location. Eventually, he shifted into supporting retail facilities and their EHS programs.
“The greatest successes in EHS are the things that never happen,” Miller says.
His knack for identifying and mitigating risks soon had him supervising a team of seven field staff. In 2007, he moved to the wholesale side of the business, supporting distribution terminals on EHS. By 2012, Miller had become a full-time auditor, evaluating fertilizer manufacturing plants and distribution terminals.
It was during this time that Miller became involved with Responsible Ag, an industry-led initiative that helps participants ensure compliance with environmental, health, safety, and security regulations. When he began teaching courses in 2016, he retired from his company and started his own consulting business.
Miller’s proudest accomplishments stem not from the awards or accolades, but from the accidents avoided. “How many things did you do or tell people that may have prevented somebody from getting hurt seriously or even potentially killed?”
Through his work with Responsible Ag, Miller estimates the program has identified nearly 100,000 potential hazards that could have led to serious injuries or fatalities. “That’s what excited me to be involved from the very beginning,” he explains. “It’s about prevention.”
Developing a strong safety culture — from the CEO to the part-time seasonal worker — is crucial in Miller’s view. “If you can’t relate it to people, you’re not going to make a difference,” he tells his students.
Now in retirement, Miller continues to work on his family’s farm and pursue personal interests, such as running a marathon and learning to play the piano. But his passion for preventing accidents remains undiminished. “Experience is something they can never take away from you,” he says. “I have had the opportunity to see a lot of different places and deal with a lot of different people, and that has been very positive.”
As the agriculture industry continues to evolve, Miller’s legacy of safety and stewardship will undoubtedly live on through ResponsibleAg, the countless lives he has touched, and the accidents he has helped prevent.
