H. Lloyd Miller, our founder, was a successful businessman and pioneer of the Yakima Valley. To learn about his early years, his efforts to bring irrigation water to the valley, and his establishment of our farm, read the discussion below:
The Early Years
Born on July 7, 1883, Howard Lloyd Miller grew up in the small town of Milledgeville, Illinois. His mother was a homemaker and his father sold farm equipment and coal. After graduating from high school, Lloyd immediately began his own business career as a proprietor of a local dry goods store.
To pursue greater opportunities, Lloyd had his heart set on moving west. At the age of 23, he sold his interest in the store and traveled to Pendleton, Oregon where he managed a general mercantile store, which was owned by James Cash Penny. Later on, all of Penney’s stores became known as J.C. Penney’s.
After a short period of living in Pendleton, Lloyd and his new wife, Ruth Deets, relocated to Sunnyside, Washington. In 1909, Lloyd became a partner in the Sunnyside Land Investment Company, which was largely involved in buying and selling farm properties. The partnership also had commercial farms that they owned and managed themselves.
Father of the Roza
Lloyd truly believed that the Yakima Valley had the potential to become one of the nation’s leading agricultural producers. He had witnessed the desert bloom as the Sunnyside Valley Irrigation District was born, and he realized that by doubling the farmable irrigated land, the economic implications would be huge. Lloyd was steadfast and passionate about completing the vision of early pioneer, Walter Ganger. This vision was to build a second irrigation canal along the top of the Valley.
Lloyd became one of the biggest promoters of the irrigation project and eventually became chairman of its board. As an advocate, Lloyd was able to catch a ride on FDR’s Presidential Train, which was traveling through Washington State for the dedication of the new Grand Coulee Dam. Somehow, Lloyd was able to engineer an audience with the president, and the result of this meeting was a huge success. FDR acknowledged the irrigation project fit well with his New Deal agenda, and he enthusiastically supported its construction.
Establishment of the Family Farm
H. Lloyd had leased a portion of his property to Olympic Transport during World War II. After they departed in the mid 1940’s, Lloyd began clearing the land, installing water delivery systems, and shifting his assets from his older Sunnyside Valley farms to the new Roza farm, which he named Airport Ranch. Lloyd’s son, Don, soon returned home after serving in the war and became a partner in the new family business.
Initially, the prime focus was livestock. The earliest plantings consisted of alfalfa and grains. These crops helped add organic content to the soils and began to alter the soil structure. Over the next few decades, the focus of the business shifted to agronomic crops, such as sugar beets, corn, asparagus, beans, and mint.