Janell Slattery

It all started back in the 1970s, when Larry Slattery began feeding cattle near Maquoketa, Iowa. Over the decades, the farm steadily grew – first with the addition of a house and shop. then more cattle sheds, a machine shed and a bunker. Along with the farm's expansion, Larry started a family who now helps operate the business. Daughter Janell plays a crucial role in keeping the family tradition alive. 

Today, Larry and wife, Mary Lou, their daughter, Janell, and sons, Joe and James, run Johnson Family Farms. The operation finishes more than 4,500 head of cattle per year and maintains a 450-head cow herd. The family also farms about 2,500 acres of corn, soybeans, hay and pasture.

"Between my brothers and I, we have seven kids. At any given time, they’re helping with chores,” Janell says. “It's fun to have them here and see the future of our farm grow."

Saving time with technology

For Janell, each day starts early with chores before tackling tasks like bedding, processing new cattle and managing herd health. Janell then heads to the office where she manages the family’s Performance Beef account and custom feeders’ accounts. Janell is starting to take on more bookkeeping responsibilities with the hope that her mom can soon retire.

Janell is finding her stride in the office with ease, thanks for Performance Beef. 

“My bookkeeping part of it has been so much easier. I don't have to collect feed sheets from the guys every month,” she says.

The digital tools have streamlined her workflow, giving her more time to focus on cattle and numbers as well as her day job.

Off of the farm, Janell is a seedsman for Channel Seed and works at the local sale barn, the Maquoketa Livestock Exchange, during cattle/cow sales. Juggling all of her responsibilities can be challenging as busy times on the farm are also busy times in seed sales.

Tracking intake for smarter inventory control

For Janell, Performance Beef has taken the assumptions out of both feeding and planning. With clearer information about inventory and cattle performance, she’s able to stay ahead of daily demands and long-term decisions. 

“It's a lot easier to keep track of how much feed we've used of our own feedstuff so we know how much to make.” says Janell. “We also like the aspect of knowing our feed inventories.”

Performance Beef also simplifies the closeout process, which once required time-consuming calculations and manual tracking. Now, Janell can log in and instantly see which cattle are tracking to target and ready for market. 

“We love the closeout part of Performance Beef. When it comes to selling cattle, we can log in and see right there which cattle should be ready to go. It saves a lot of headaches of trying to run the numbers ourselves” Janell says. 

With Performance Beef, Janell and her family have the tools they need to manage smarter, plan ahead and make quick informed decisions without the stress.

Data from anywhere

Janell tries to work ahead as much as possible but can be found working from the field, the farm or the seat of a tractor depending on the time of year.  

During calving season, “I help take care of the cows that are calving by assisting them if needed and processing the calves as they are born. In the spring, I keep the planters full of seed and in the fall, I run the grain cart,” Janell explains.  

Using Performance Beef on the farm has made the family’s cattle operations more efficient and given Janell more flexibility and time in her day for other responsibilities. She can access information from anywhere, which means she’s not tied to the office.

"We started using Performance Beef shortly after they came out with the program and have loved it since day one."