Zachary Miller

Cattle have always been at the heart of the Miller family. Zach grew up feeding alongside his dad and grandpa, both of whom still climb into the saddle and care for cattle daily. Their passion laid the foundation for the operation Zach and his brother now oversee.

In 2021, the brothers purchased the 270-acre farm near Logansport, Indiana, starting with around 60 cows and a little alfalfa. Since then, the business has evolved dramatically. Today, Rocking M Feedyard finishes feeders, runs cow-calf pairs and backgrounds high-risk calves. At capacity, they maintain roughly 600 head at a time and turn 1,200 to 1,500 head per year.

The Millers’ stock-handing style is unusual for feeders in their area.

“We do everything horseback with dogs,” Zach explains. “Once cattle are broke to dogs and horses, they’re calmer. They’ll practically eat out of your hands. It makes handling easier, safer and a lot less stressful on the animals.”

Working cattle with just himself, a horse and a couple of dogs keeps labor costs low and efficiency high ‒ critical factors for a young and growing operation.

Finding a better way to manage the paperwork

Before adopting cattle management software, Zach relied on pen and paper and Excel spreadsheets to track feed, treatments and inventory. The work was slow, repetitive and often stretched into family time.

“It felt like I was double-entering everything,” he says.“So much of my day was spent on bookwork instead of cattle.”

While listening to a podcast one day, he heard Performance Beef mentioned and decided to look into it, especially as they began custom feeding for others. What started as cautious interest quickly turned into one of the most impactful decisions for his operation.

Technology that keeps the operation moving

Today, Performance Beef manages nearly every aspect of Zach’s workflow. Feed and medicine inventories update automatically. Doctoring cattle can be logged straight from horseback. Every feeding is recorded without extra steps or manual entry.

“I can tag in a calf, note the treatment and it goes straight to the cloud,” Zach says. “I don’t worry about losing records or forgetting to write something down.”

For custom feeding, the system simplifies month-end work.

“It creates the invoices automatically,” he says. “There’s not a lot of behind-the-scenes work anymore. Performance Beef has taken so much off my plate.”

Real-time closeouts allow Zach to see exactly where any group stands—costs, gains and performance ‒ whenever he needs it. 

“It’s information I need at my fingertips,” he says. “It helps keep the entire place moving forward.”

More than once, Zach has joked with the support team: “You guys are making my life too easy.”

Building a brand for the next generation

For Zach, the biggest motivation behind efficiency and growth is simple: creating something sustainable for the future.

“I’m honored to be the fourth generation raising cattle here,” he says. “If my kids want to be part of it someday, I want this operation to be something they can step into and continue.”

By freeing up time, reducing paperwork and keeping his numbers organized, Performance Beef helps Zach focus on what matters most ‒ cattle, family and the legacy he hopes to pass on.