It all started back in 1941, when Barney Miller created a revolutionary way to provide water for his chickens. He created the Little Giant® Poultry Fountain, which he christened “the first truly automatic Poultry Drinking Fountain.” Instead of just setting out a pan of water for chickens, this Fountain allowed farmers and ranchers to connect it with a water source and it would fill as needed, giving their chickens constant access to fresh, clean water.

Founder Barney Miller and his wife at a tradeshow in the 1940s

This Poultry Fountain helped Barney Miller launch his Little Giant® brand under his St. Paul, Minnesota–based Miller Manufacturing Company. And now in 2021, Miller Manufacturing is going strong and proud to announce we’re celebrating our 80th anniversary! So what does Miller Manufacturing look like 80 years later? Today, we are still committed to making a large number of our products right here in Minnesota. If you were to stop by our Glencoe location, you could see our famous Little Giant® plastic buckets being made, or our famous Pet Lodge® Chow Hound dog feeder, or some of our API® heated products being assembled and prepared for shipment all across the country. Today, Miller Manufacturing is more than just the Little Giant® brand it was 80 years ago. In 2021, Miller Manufacturing is made up of 6 consumer brands, but still focused on the farm, ranch and pet markets. Little Giant® is our line of tough, rugged products for farm and ranch…buckets, tubs, poultry feeders and waterers, stall supplies and even beekeeping items. Double Tuf® is our brand of economic plastic buckets and tubs, and more. API® features heated products like stock tank de-icers and heated bird baths. Pet Lodge® specializes in a wide range of pet products to care for everything from a giant Great Dane to a rabbit. Springer Magrath® offers animal care for farmers, ranchers and veterinarians. And Hot-Shot® is our world-famous line of stock prods for farmers and ranchers.

As you can see, we’ve grown quite a bit these past 80 years. From a small family-run business to a large Minnesota-based operation and we’re continuing to grow. We’re excited for the future and thrilled to have been able to spend 2021 celebrating our 80th anniversary! We want to thank our wonderful customer base and everyone we work with, not to mention all of our associates…without you, we wouldn’t be where we are today!