CALF'S FEATURED LADY
By Patti Wilson | Contributing Editor
A strong young leader in our beef industry is emerging in Oklahoma. JanLee Rowlett is honing her skills at the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry. Born and raised in Tennessee, Rowlett’s family farm was 70 miles west of Nashville. The fourth generation there to raise registered Angus, her family is deeply embedded in the breed. Her partic- ipation in Junior Angus activities nationally has had a profound and positive influence on her life and success. She explains that, as an exhibitor at the Junior National Angus Show in Tulsa, she had opportunity to visit Oklahoma State University (OSU) at Stillwa- ter. She was sufficiently impressed with the school, the state and the livestock culture to return to OSU and pursue her college degree in agriculture. She graduated in 2009. Rowlette says she’s always had an interest in law, though not in courtroom drama. She wanted to study ag policy to help farmers and ranchers, and was accepted into the Washburn University School of Law in Kansas, where she earned her law degree. Rowlett cut her teeth at the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association, learning the process of working within an organization. In 2019, an opportuni- ty gave her a chance to move back to her beloved Oklahoma. She grabbed it. Rowlett is currently working for the Oklahoma Secretary of Ag- riculture as deputy commissioner. She is the legislative liaison for ag, helping producers deal with issues that we all know arise within our industry. Spending February through May working at the State
JanLee Rowlett
Capital in Oklahoma City, she is the point person for legislative issues. June through January is spent statewide as a responsive sounding board for ag groups and determining their needs. She loves the outreach her job provides, saying her goal is to make sure agriculture remains stable for the next generation. Rowlett’s parents and siblings have uprooted from Tennessee and settled close by, giving them family time together. Still craving farm life, weekends are spent helping her family care for their Angus herd. Her twin sister and brother-in-law, Hannah and Adam McCall, show registered cattle. Rowlett travels with them whenev- er possible, getting her “show fix.” Three nieces provide additional entertainment. JanLee Rowlett is a name to remember in the future of the beef business.
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December 2025 | January 2026
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