McCoy's Farm & Ranch Family: The Beams

Congratulations to this month’s Farm and Ranch Family, the Beams! In order for L&JRanch to be the success it is, Amy works alongside her fourteen-year-old daughter MaryBeth and her parents, Louis and Jackie Cernoch.

The roots of the business go back to 1964, when Louis bought his first calf.“My dad started out with a third of a calf. He split it between his two sisters until he was able to buy them out. Since then, we have grown into a full-time working ranch,” Amy said.

The ranch spreads over thousands of acres with the headquarters located in Poetry, TX (Region 4). The business began as a purely feeder stocker operation, but they have grown since then to also run cow calf pairs. Amy shared that they have around 1800 head, including cattle in the feed lot. They also farm marshall ryegrass and hay to help fed the livestock.

Every day, the local calves have to be checked, fed and doctored. Once that is done, the pairs also have to be checked. “We are really spread out so we can’t get to everything in one day. So, we may check over in this area today and then another area tomorrow, but it is a constant situation of saddling horses and hooking up trailers,” Amy said. “We work hard every day. At the end of the day, we eat something good and go to bed.”

Every member of the family is vital to the ranch operation. Since she homeschools through an online academy, MaryBeth saddles every day to do whatever needs to be done. She is even considered the top hand around the ranch. “She is our number one roper. If we have a tough cow that won’t come in, she is the first one there to drag it in the trailer. Anything anyone else can do she will just get in there and do it too. She is not afraid,” Amy exclaimed. While Jackie makes sure that everyone is getting along, Louis works as the ranch’s foreman, making sure everything gets done when it needs to be.

“We spend a lot of time praying to make it successful. That’s always a big part of our day too. Praying that God is going to take care of us, our animals and what we are trying to accomplish,” Amy remarked. She used to work as a teacher but felt like God kept calling her to be back on the ranch. So, she traded her stacks of graded homework for cowboy boots.

“You have to love it. You have to love what you do to get up in the snow, rain and heat and do it again and again. We feel like God gave it to us and it’s our duty to God to take care of what he has given us. So, we do it every day,” Amy said.

Amy loves everything that ranching has taught her and hopes it teaches MaryBeth the same. Not only has Amy learned how to be a self-starter and independent in what she does, she has also learned how to be confident and brave. Although all of these are valuable lessons, Amy believes that the most important thing ranching has taught her is how to trust in God. “There are going to be days and times on the ranch that are going to be hard, but you just have to know that God is in control of it all. At the end of the day, He gets you where you need to be,” Amy said.

When they aren’t working cows on the ranch, the Beam family can be found at the rodeo, where they love watching MaryBeth compete. MaryBeth does it all when it comes to rodeo. She is a member of THSRA and competes in barrels, poles, breakaway, team roping, light rifle, reining cow horse and cutting. The family also enjoys spending time together hunting mule deer, whitetail and wild game.

The closest McCoys to the Beams is located in Terell. They usually shop there for maintenance and repair supplies. “It is a great honor,” Amy said when asked about how it feels to be selected. “We are thrilled to be given this title. I feel like it is also just another way that God is letting us know that we are doing a good job.”