Bison Producer Nolan Miller
Nolan Miller’s calling as a bison rancher began indirectly when his parents, Lorne and Louise Miller, bought six bison cows and a bull in 1988. What began as a curiosity for a family of cattle farmers has grown into a multigenerational bison ranch. With over 1400 animals in several breeding herds, a cropping operation and finishing, Silver Creek Bison has matured in size and respect, becoming an integral part of the bison industry in Canada.
What would you say has changed the most in the Canadian bison industry in the past 30 years?
We’ve certainly seen a lot of changes since I got into the business—many of them positive. When I look back at the early 90s, bison producers were a rare breed, almost like a freak of nature. Now, raising bison instead of cattle is much more of an accepted thing, by both livestock producers and consumers. Bison are a very resilient animal that require minimal interaction from us, which is one of the reasons we started raising them. With education from industry associations, individual producers and marketers like Noble, consumers too have come to realize that bison belong on the Canadian prairies, and are very good for the grassland.
I would say one of the biggest changes is on the meat marketing side of things. Every time I go to the grocery store, I check out the meat aisle for bison and am impressed with the product, packaging and displays. Noble has done a great job with consistency and availability, and in making the product look as good, if not better, than other proteins on the shelf.
When did you start providing animals to Noble Premium Bison and what makes them a good partner?
“We shipped bison to Noble from day one—we’ve always liked dealing with one another and have become good friends. Noble raises their own animals which makes them not just consumer-oriented, but producer-driven as well, and that’s important when you’re working with a marketer. They like our input on how things could work, and we place high value on their processing which is probably the best in the industry.”
Nolan Miller, Silver Creek Bison
What would you say is an important focus for the bison industry heading into the future?
I would say sustainability and accessibility. There are breeding components to what we do as bison producers, but this is an end product driven industry. Because of that, we need to focus on what consumers are asking for. Consumers want to eat product that is naturally raised, and we want to raise animals naturally. Bison were built by Mother Nature to take care of the land; it’s important for the bison industry to continue to be sustainable, for marketers to keep telling that story, and for consumers to have more and more access to the best quality Canadian bison meat.
Across Canada, we’re raising bison alongside producers who are invested in so much more than their land and animals. Folks like Nolan, Ivan, and Robert believe that with integrity and transparency, we can build a great industry in Canada. One that benefits producers, marketers and the communities we live in. Visit our ranch, try our premium products, and let us know how we’re doing at
