McCoy's Farm and Ranch Family: Region IV Andrews Family

Congratulations to this month’s McCoys Farm and Ranch Family, the Andrews! Their family business, Andrews Rodeo Company, is such a success that it has been in business for three generations of Andrews’. James and Pepper have three children: Summer (20), Kelon (16) and Alee (13). In order for the business to be a success, the entire family helps out where they can!

The ranch spreads out over 2,200 acres in Addielou, Texas (Region IV). It functions as the headquarters for the family’s rodeo company and a cattle ranch. Pepper shared that they have 200 bucking horses, 100 bucking bulls and 450 cattle on the ranch. The rodeo company is also famous for one of its bucking bulls, Bodacious. “Bodacious has been round for a long time,” Pepper said. “He is buried on the ranch and a lot of our bloodlines go back to him.”

Every day, the animals have to be fed and cared for, which is an all-day affair. The ranch is unique in the fact that it is laid out in a circle. This is so that everything comes up to one central set of feed pens. James and his father Sammy feed the bulls in the morning and then start haying. They usually get to the cattle and commercial cows towards the end of the day.

Since Summer is away at school, Kelon and Alee help out their dad and grandfather on the ranch or with rodeos when they aren’t in school. They usually help with the day to day work of taking care of the livestock. Additionally, the kids each have a few cows and help raise calves. Pepper said that the kids favorite thing to do is bucking the calves.

Pepper and James are really proud of their children, not just for their work ethic around the ranch and in rodeo, but also at school. In fact, Summer is on a full academic scholarship at UT Tyler and Kelon and Alee are straight A students. “Not only do they work hard at rodeo, they also work really hard at school,” Pepper said.

While Pepper does actually work a 9 to 5 job as a nurse, the family chose the ranching lifestyle because of the freedom and independence that it provides. Both Pepper and James have also grown up in the ranching and rodeo environment and wanted that for their kids. “This ranch has been in the family for three generations and we hope to leave it to our kids someday,” Pepper said. “It is a calm escape from a commercial world.”

When they are not on the ranch, the family can usually be found at a rodeo! While Alee is a member of TJHRA and competes in barrels, poles, goats, breakaway and ribbon roping, Kelon competes in team roping for THSRA. Since their business also centers around rodeos, Pepper and James are thankful that THSRA and TJHRA have allowed their kids to be part of the competing side of rodeo. They also love the friends and relationships they have made through THSRA. “In THSRA, everybody is just like family,” Pepper said. “We have gained a whole lot of friends and met tons of families that are similar to us.” The family also loves working cows together and family meals.

Luckily, the Andrews have a McCoys close to them in Paris, Texas and they shop there occasionally. They usually shop there for materials that would be needed to build and mend fences and barns or tools to do other repair work. The family is honored to be named this month’s McCoys Farm and Ranch Family!