ResponsibleAg certification is not just an investment—it’s an invaluable resource that significantly enhances safety and environmental compliance within an organization. This comprehensive program has proven to be a game-changer for the Buttonwillow Warehouse Company, which has retail fertilizer and crop protection locations across California.
Several years ago, the company signed on to ResponsibleAg and had an audit conducted at one of its largest facilities. “The experience was truly eye-opening,” says Tim Hayes, safety manager for Buttonwillow. The initial audit revealed areas in need of improvement that had previously gone unnoticed. The Buttonwillow team worked through the ResponsibleAg checklist with the help of the program’s resources, and it earned ResponsibleAg certification at that first warehouse.
“ResponsibleAg’s extensive resources led to a streamlined process for certifying our other locations — making subsequent audits faster and more efficient,” Hayes says. Buttonwillow now boasts 10 ResponsibleAg certified locations, with the 11th undergoing its first audit in the coming months.
One of the key benefits of ResponsibleAg is how it augments existing health and safety programs. While most companies already have safety protocols in place, Hayes says, ResponsibleAg helps “tighten everything up.” He adds that for companies operating in California, which is known for its stringent environmental, health, and safety regulations, ResponsibleAg is particularly valuable.
Getting Employees on Board
At Buttonwillow, employees were initially wary of what they perceived as the added workload related to ResponsibleAg certification. Now, Hayes says, employees welcome the program. With ResponsibleAg, employees can identify areas of improvement and get compliance support – before the audit. “At Buttonwillow Warehouse Company, ResponsibleAg has fostered a culture of readiness and pride,” Hayes says. To underscore that commitment to safety, the company has a minimum score expectation of 95% for its safety audits, and many locations consistently achieve perfect or near-perfect results.
Finally, ResponsibleAg provides peace of mind to Buttonwillow’s leaders. By removing doubts and confirming that best practices are being followed, the program enables them to focus on running their businesses with confidence.
“I would highly recommend ResponsibleAg to anyone who is on the fence,” Hayes says. “It is a worthwhile investment.”
Brian Miller has spent his entire career immersed in the world of agriculture, from working on his family’s farm to managing an ag retail location and eventually becoming a leader in environmental health and safety (EHS). Now retired as lead instructor for the ResponsibleAg Auditor Training Course and ResponsibleAg verification auditor, Brian reflects on his decades of experience with a deep sense of purpose — to prevent accidents and save lives.
While earning his degree from Purdue University, Miller worked summers at an agriculture retailer, gaining valuable hands-on experience that would shape his future. After graduating, Miller joined a retailer full-time, starting in sales and rising to manage a location. Eventually, he shifted into supporting retail facilities and their EHS programs.
“The greatest successes in EHS are the things that never happen,” Miller says.
His knack for identifying and mitigating risks soon had him supervising a team of seven field staff. In 2007, he moved to the wholesale side of the business, supporting distribution terminals on EHS. By 2012, Miller had become a full-time auditor, evaluating fertilizer manufacturing plants and distribution terminals.
It was during this time that Miller became involved with Responsible Ag, an industry-led initiative that helps participants ensure compliance with environmental, health, safety, and security regulations. When he began teaching courses in 2016, he retired from his company and started his own consulting business.
Miller’s proudest accomplishments stem not from the awards or accolades, but from the accidents avoided. “How many things did you do or tell people that may have prevented somebody from getting hurt seriously or even potentially killed?”
Through his work with Responsible Ag, Miller estimates the program has identified nearly 100,000 potential hazards that could have led to serious injuries or fatalities. “That’s what excited me to be involved from the very beginning,” he explains. “It’s about prevention.”
Developing a strong safety culture — from the CEO to the part-time seasonal worker — is crucial in Miller’s view. “If you can’t relate it to people, you’re not going to make a difference,” he tells his students.
Now in retirement, Miller continues to work on his family’s farm and pursue personal interests, such as running a marathon and learning to play the piano. But his passion for preventing accidents remains undiminished. “Experience is something they can never take away from you,” he says. “I have had the opportunity to see a lot of different places and deal with a lot of different people, and that has been very positive.”
As the agriculture industry continues to evolve, Miller’s legacy of safety and stewardship will undoubtedly live on through ResponsibleAg, the countless lives he has touched, and the accidents he has helped prevent.
ARLINGTON, VA (Nov. 7, 2024) — ResponsibleAg is proud to announce that its newly redesigned website, www.responsibleag.org, has won an Associations Standard of Excellence
2024 award. The award is presented by the Web Marketing Association.
“The redesigned ResponsibleAg website does an excellent job of highlighting this important industry initiative, which helps agribusinesses achieve and maintain compliance with existing federal laws and regulations” says Daren Coppock, president and CEO of the Agricultural Retailers Association.
Since 1997, the Web Marketing Association’s annual WebAward Competition has been setting the standard of excellence for website development. Independent expert judges from around the world review sites in 86 industries. Only the best sites are recognized with a WebAward.
“While we are proud the Web Marketing Association has acknowledged our achievement with the ResponsibleAg website, we ultimately succeeded in making the website better looking and easier to use for ResponsibleAg’s participants and potential participants,” said Corey Rosenbusch, president and CEO of The Fertilizer Institute.