On The Farm

Visitors are always welcome to the Institute. Come on in!

To think this all began as a humble and simple farmhouse; the Miner Institute of Chazy, New York, has evolved into one of the most revered agricultural centers, not only in the North Country, but of the nation as well. It aims to educate students, business owners, farmers, and other community members who have an avid interest in agriculture.

Got Milk?

If it’s one thing that Miner is known for, it’s their thriving diary farm operations. The Institute prides itself on caring for its cows, which you can probably find lined up in the barn, mooing in all their black and white spotted glory. With rubber mattresses under their hooves, their environment is kept comfortable and sanitary by the staff. And if you think that cows are only good for their milk, think again. Even their manure, after going through a process of agitation and aeration, is used to benefit the extensive croplands that Miner spans.

The Institute makes their own feed, and conduct research to improve their formula, with factors such as the efficiency of digestion being integral to the process. The cows are fed two times a day, each cow producing between 75-85 pounds of milk on a daily basis! We’re talking about one bog bowl of cereal, here.

Now does this look like your typical farm?

Horsin’ Around

While the cows spend their days grazing and being milked, the horses are getting paid just as much attention through numerous equine programs taking place at the Institute.

During the year, there are several opportunities for the community to get involved and learn more about these fascinating animals. EquiDay takes place annually during March, where featured guest speakers are invited to talk about various equine topics to the benefit of other farmers and horse-enthusiasts alike. There is also a Youth EquiDay held during November, where the younger set can participate in workshops for free, which is great for young and aspiring riders. Miner Institute also raises their own Morgan Horses, and takes in donated stallions that have been home bred. Horse owners can receive assistance from the staff in the breeding and training process, working closely with veterinarians, stable managers, and trainers.

One of the most noted aspects of the Institute it it’s 13-week Equine Management program offered during the summer. College students who are pursuing careers involved in the equine industry can get hands-on training and a well-rounded feel of the business. The participants immerse themselves in the training, with participation in clinics, workshops, seminars, and research. One would definitely leave knowing whether this is the career for them, or not. The students board at the Institute, complete with daily meals, in a clean and cozy environment. Enrollment is limited, to insure intense hands-on experience, and only students at the junior and senior levels of standing may register for credit.

To find out more about the Summer Experience internship, visit their web site.

Interested in the farming industry? You could be interning here!

The Man With a Plan

It’s not surprising that William H. Miner Jr. established an institution that celebrates farming, one of the most hard-working industries in the nation. “Hard work” seemed to not only be part of his everyday vocabulary, but it makes a fitting description for most of his life up until his death in 1930.

Miner began life as a native of Juneau, Wisconsin, during the 1860s. With his parents passing, he was left orphaned at the young age of 10, leaving him under the care of his older sister who was married and had made a life for herself in Lafayette, Indiana. After six months in the cornfields, young Miner was sent to live in Chazy, NY with his aunt and uncle, Huldah and John Miner. The Miner legacy had already been rooted in the town with Miner’s grandfather, Clement Stebbins Miner, settling there in 1818.

After years of being bounced around, Miner was able to settle into a life at Uncle John’s old farmhouse. Up until the pivotal age of 18, he was strictly disciplined to attend school and complete chores on the farm everyday. It was this work ethic, instilled in Miner at a young age, which set the course for Miner to become one of the most successful and wealthiest philanthropists of his time.

After his 18th birthday, Miner decided that it was time for him to figure out what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. Leaving his uncle’s farm behind, for the time being, Miner traveled back to Indiana where he got a job as a machine shop apprentice with the Wabash Railway. For the next two decades, young Miner would work his way up the ladder of success, eventually leading back to his farming roots in the North Country.

While serving as another apprentice with the Prey Manufacturing Company, Miner pursued a degree in engineering from the University of Minnesota, and managed to fill up his nightly schedule with business school classes. After holding several positions with different companies, it was his work as a mechanical superintendent at the Hutchins Refrigerator Car Company that would prove to be a turning point in his life. Several of the refrigerated cars were having difficulty keeping their cargo from spoiling during their many cross-country routes, so Miner invented a device called a spring draft rigging which helped eliminate the problem. His invention was patented in 1891.

On February 2, 1897, W.H. Miner, Inc. was officially established. What started out as a small firm in a tiny room in Chicago, Illinois expanded into something much greater with the development of more products to promote efficiency and damage resistance in locomotives and railroad cars. And as the company grew, so did Miner’s pockets.

The place where the man executes the plan

Miner, with his wife Alice, made his way back to the place where he was inspired to work hard and achieve his goals; back the town of Chazy in 1903. Uncle John had since passed, but his old farmhouse still flourished under the care of his now very-much-accomplished nephew. Miner transformed the 144-acre family farm into what is now a 12,000-acre farming giant.

In addition to Institute, Miner’s philanthropic interests expanded to other institutions in the general area. He oversaw the building of several dams and powerhouses around Chazy, as well as the building of Chazy Central Rural School in 1916. Plattsburgh, NY has also benefited from Miner’s touch with the Kent-Delord House, and Physician’s Hospital, built in 1926, where, in a twist of irony, Miner died from complications of a tonsillectomy.

After his death in 1930, Miner’s interests still flourished thanks to the William H. Miner Foundation, founded seven years prior. The land, which he tilled and worked as a young man, has now been benefiting newer generations of farmers to this day.

Uncle John would have been proud.

Think you know more about cows than the staff at Miner Institute? Let us know!