Is Von Miller a potential poultry industry MVP?

Most people who even marginally follow professional football in the United States already know that the Denver Broncos’ Von Miller was named the most valuable player (MVP) during Super Bowl 50. But there is one thing that many people may not know: The guy knows a thing or two about poultry.

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Professional football star Von Miller, a former poultry science student at Texas A&M, has ambitions of a second career in the poultry industry. | Nikki Johnson, Freeimages.com
Professional football star Von Miller, a former poultry science student at Texas A&M, has ambitions of a second career in the poultry industry. | Nikki Johnson, Freeimages.com

Most people who even marginally follow professional football in the United States know that the Denver Broncos’ Von Miller was named the most valuable player (MVP) during Super Bowl 50. But there is one thing that many people may not know: The guy knows a thing or two about poultry.

I first learned about Miller’s interest in poultry in 2013, when he made it known that he had purchased 38 chickens to raise on his eight-acre property near Dallas. A former poultry science student at Texas A&M University, Miller named the venture Miller Farms (not to be confused with Miller Poultry, one of the larger broiler companies in the United States). He said then he hoped his small farm would one day turn into a major poultry operation.

At the time, it was easy to just shrug this off. After all, 38 chickens is hardly a major enterprise. But here it is, nearly three years later, and his interest hasn’t waned. While I’m unsure if his focus is more in broiler chickens or egg layers, you have to give him credit: Miller Farms is still in existence. The linebacker knows his farm still isn’t much, but he isn’t giving up on his dream.

“Miller Farms is where I’m starting out, but it’s all raw right now,” Miller told SB Nation. “This is just a small investment where I can see where I go from here. Hopefully it will snowball into something bigger.”

Will Miller Farms grow and flourish?

In a world of professional athletes who all too often squander salaries that most of us can’t even fathom to the point that they have nothing, it is nice to see one who has a plan to do something productive with his money, and something that is related to the education he received while also a collegiate athlete.

It’s hard to tell what the future holds for Miller in terms of putting his poultry passion to use, but he deserves to be taken with some degree of seriousness. He has a few things going for him, including connections to a knowledgeable poultry science faculty at the university he attended, financial resources to help him expand his operation, and a tenacity to succeed, as evidenced by his successful NFL career.

But even if Miller Farms goes nowhere, he could still have a future in the industry. There is no denying the star power of present and past NFL athletes, and others in the poultry sector, might be wise to tap into that star power to help promote the industry that Miller loves.

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