Anna Faltermeier/The Smithville Herald photos
Erin Miller, left, and her father, Bub, get ready to feed cattle June 25 on their farm outside of Smithville. Miller is a high school senior. She attends diesel mechanic school and works daily on the farm.
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Breaking down barriers — one truck and cow at a time
By Ashley Vasquez
Seventeen-year-old Erin Miller doesn’t get excited about shopping and she never enjoyed playing with Barbie dolls.
She likes getting down and dirty on the farm and under the hood of a big rig — showing she can keep up with the biggest and strongest men and show women that they can do anything they dream.
“I can do anything physically my body will let me,” Miller said. “I can do it because I want to do it and I love doing it.”
Miller, who will be a senior at Smithville High School this fall, works with her father on their nearly 2,500 acres of farmland around Smithville throughout the year and is a student in the diesel mechanics program at the Northland Career Center in Platte City.
“Most girls want to go shopping and that is fine for them, but I love being on the farm and working on trucks,” she said. “It is my passion and what I want to do with my life.”
Miller, who is the daughter of Bub and Belinda Miller of Smithville, has been working with her family on their farms as long as she can remember.
“I think they put me to work as soon as I could walk,” she said. “It is all I have ever known. I helped in whatever way I could and the older I get, the more I learn and do here.”
In addition to her farm duties, which include planting crops and raising cattle, Miller is pursuing her dream of a being a diesel mechanic. She currently has scholarship offers with Peterbilt, her first choice, as well as other well-renowned truck industry schools.
“When I started the diesel program I got a lot of crud from the boys there,” she said. “But I showed them and got good grades and have kept at it. I can’t think of anything better than learning about engines.”
Miller said being female had never stopped her from pursuing a career in agriculture and trucking.
“I don’t really think about it that I am a girl,” she said. “I just do what I want and help my family. If people don’t like it, that is their problem.”
Johnny Viebrock, Smithville High School agriculture teacher, said Miller had an aptitude for agriculture and the trucking industry and wouldn’t let anything get in her way.
“If you tell her she can’t do it, she will prove you wrong,” he said. “She is an excellent example of what any woman can do if they choose to. She is a leader.”
Her father, Bub, said her help on the farm had been essential for taking the family business into the future.
“She does really well,” he said. “She works hard and has learned a lot. I like the fact that she breaks down barriers and does what a lot of girls won’t. It makes her a better person in the long run.
“It’s funny but she can even teach us some things. Women can sometimes do things in a better way because they see it through different eyes.”
Miller said that even though the farming industry could be a gamble, she was willing to continue the four-generation family business in the future.
“I have learned that sometimes you have harder years than others, and you have to know what to do when it isn’t a good year,” she said. “I couldn’t have learned everything I have without my dad and my brother.”
The future is bright for Miller, who said once she finishes her diesel mechanic certification and more education she plans to work on the family farm and as a diesel mechanic.
“I want to stay close to home,” she said. “This is what our family has done for generations, and I want to be a part of that. Hopefully, I can do both of those things right here.”
Smithville Editor Ashley Vasquez can be reached at 532-4444 or ashleyvasquez@npgco.com.
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She likes getting down and dirty on the farm and under the hood of a big rig — showing she can keep up with the biggest and strongest men and show women that they can do anything they dream.
“I can do anything physically my body will let me,” Miller said. “I can do it because I want to do it and I love doing it.”
Miller, who will be a senior at Smithville High School this fall, works with her father on their nearly 2,500 acres of farmland around Smithville throughout the year and is a student in the diesel mechanics program at the Northland Career Center in Platte City.
“Most girls want to go shopping and that is fine for them, but I love being on the farm and working on trucks,” she said. “It is my passion and what I want to do with my life.”
Miller, who is the daughter of Bub and Belinda Miller of Smithville, has been working with her family on their farms as long as she can remember.
“I think they put me to work as soon as I could walk,” she said. “It is all I have ever known. I helped in whatever way I could and the older I get, the more I learn and do here.”
In addition to her farm duties, which include planting crops and raising cattle, Miller is pursuing her dream of a being a diesel mechanic. She currently has scholarship offers with Peterbilt, her first choice, as well as other well-renowned truck industry schools.
“When I started the diesel program I got a lot of crud from the boys there,” she said. “But I showed them and got good grades and have kept at it. I can’t think of anything better than learning about engines.”
Miller said being female had never stopped her from pursuing a career in agriculture and trucking.
“I don’t really think about it that I am a girl,” she said. “I just do what I want and help my family. If people don’t like it, that is their problem.”
Johnny Viebrock, Smithville High School agriculture teacher, said Miller had an aptitude for agriculture and the trucking industry and wouldn’t let anything get in her way.
“If you tell her she can’t do it, she will prove you wrong,” he said. “She is an excellent example of what any woman can do if they choose to. She is a leader.”
Her father, Bub, said her help on the farm had been essential for taking the family business into the future.
“She does really well,” he said. “She works hard and has learned a lot. I like the fact that she breaks down barriers and does what a lot of girls won’t. It makes her a better person in the long run.
“It’s funny but she can even teach us some things. Women can sometimes do things in a better way because they see it through different eyes.”
Miller said that even though the farming industry could be a gamble, she was willing to continue the four-generation family business in the future.
“I have learned that sometimes you have harder years than others, and you have to know what to do when it isn’t a good year,” she said. “I couldn’t have learned everything I have without my dad and my brother.”
The future is bright for Miller, who said once she finishes her diesel mechanic certification and more education she plans to work on the family farm and as a diesel mechanic.
“I want to stay close to home,” she said. “This is what our family has done for generations, and I want to be a part of that. Hopefully, I can do both of those things right here.”
Smithville Editor Ashley Vasquez can be reached at 532-4444 or ashleyvasquez@npgco.com.