Dan Miller Joins Latham Seeds as DSM in Minnesota
Ask children under the age of 10 what they want to be when they grow up and they will likely give you one of these answers: professional athlete, doctor, veterinarian, firefighter, police officer or teacher. It’s no surprise a kid’s answer is heavily influenced by the adults in his or her life.
Dan Miller of Mapleton, Minnesota, says he has wanted to be a seed seller from the time he was old enough to accompany his father, Ron, to plot days and on sales calls. In addition to operating a seed dealership, Ron has raised corn, soybeans and hogs since 1979. He and his wife, Cheryl, also have raised four children. Their oldest son, Lance, is a production agronomist. Their daughter, Amy, is a financial planner. Their son Alan farms with Ron and raises hogs. Alan also recently became a Latham® Seeds dealer. Dan, the youngest, also is following in his father’s footsteps.
“I’ve always wanted to work in agriculture, and seed is the area I enjoy most,” says Dan, who enjoys helping on the family farm. He graduated with a degree in Ag Business from the University of Wisconsin at River Falls. His first job after college was working for a cooperative in southeast Minnesota for five years. During that time, he earned his Certified Crop Advisor. Following that he worked another three years for a cooperative in South Central Minnesota. He also interned for a crop consultant for two years.
While living in southeast Minnesota, Dan met his wife, Clarissa, in Rochester where she was working as a registered nurse in the medical cardiac progressive care unit at St. Mary’s Hospital. They realized they had much in common. She also has three siblings and they both grew up with farming families in rural communities in Mapleton, Minnesota, and Odebolt, Iowa. Their parents were both married within a few weeks of one another, so they celebrated their families when he and Clarissa were married on November 30, 2019. Now Clarissa is a cardiac device nurse at Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato.
Both Dan’s and Clarissa’s families enjoy spending time at the lake. In fact, Dan proposed to Clarissa while cruising on a pontoon. When Dan was growing up, his family vacationed for a week every summer at the lake. They still enjoy fishing up north. In addition, Dan and Clarissa have started a tradition of spending a week at Lake Okoboji in Northwest Iowa with her family.
Dan and Clarissa enjoy spending time in the great outdoors, whether its golfing or walking their dog. The couple welcomed a German Shorthair Pointer in January 2020. Dan is training her to hunt pheasants.
As another new year approaches, Dan has welcomed another change. He joined the Latham Team on December 1, 2020, as a District Sales Manager. He serves the Minnesota counties of Blue Earth, Nicollet, Le Sueur, Waseca, Watonwan, Martin, Faribault and Freeborn.
“What drew me to Latham Hi-Tech Seeds is its family atmosphere. Some of my customers have had planted Latham® products, and I’ve seen the great performance. I see opportunities here for Latham, and it excites me to be a part of it. I look forward to just focusing on selling one brand of seed. I enjoy using technology to place hybrids. That’s how I differentiated myself from the competition in the retail setting, and I’m looking forward to putting my background and experience to work for Latham.”
With a focus on family, Dan is looking forward to enjoying holiday traditions. One of his family’s traditions is to enjoy soup and snacks on Christmas Eve. Today he is sharing a recipe for Chicken Wild Rice Soup.
Chicken Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 celery ribs, diced
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup flour
- 4 cups of chicken broth
- 2 cups of cooked wild rice
- 2 cups of half-and-half cream
- 2 cups of diced cooked chicken
- 1 tsp. dried parsley flakes
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. pepper
Instructions
In a Dutch oven or soup kettle over medium heat, sauté onion, carrots, and celery in butter until onion is transparent. Reduce heat. Blend in flour; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Gradually add broth, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil; cook for 1 minute then reduce heat. Add remaining ingredients; simmer for 20 minutes.
