Cody Johnson is building a legacy beyond his music. The “Dear Rodeo” singer is truly a multifaceted cowboy. Of course, country fans know Johnson as an entertainer who stomps his boots across the stage each night, delivering electric performances and speeches of unity. But Johnson is not just a cowboy who talks the talk; he walks the walk.
Cody Johnson grew up riding bulls and competing on the rodeo circuit, and still enjoys team roping when he has downtime in his touring schedule. And while the Texas native is solidifying his legacy in country music, he’s also solidifying it in land by building a substantial ranch in Texas that he can pass down to his children.
Johnson, who recently welcomed his first son, has previously said he is excited to raise a child in this ranching environment and can prepare his son to one day operate the ranch.
“I didn’t get to live the cowboy life for a long time. I had to kind of earn my way to the point where I could afford to say, ‘We’re gonna go buy a ranch, and we’re doing this.’ So the fact that he’s gonna be born on, you know, into a cattle ranch, that’s gonna be cool, man.
He’s gonna be the little, I promise you, the little buckaroo riding around with six shooters on.”
The ranch means so much to Cody Johnson that he even named his son after the ranch. Jaycee Johnson is a play on words for folks who don’t know how to read a brand, but it shows how meaningful this ranch project is to the “That’s Texas” singer and how he hopes to build an empire from it.
@madisonscountryq106 @Cody Johnson finally got his baby boy 🥹 #cmaawards #nashville #travelinsolider #codyjohnson #cma #babyboy #rodeo ♬ Travelin’ Soldier – Cody Johnson
During a recent conversation with Katie Neal for an episode of Katie & Company, Johnson revealed how he is putting his plans to build an empire into motion. During the conversation, Neal asked Johnson for an update on what was happening at the ranch. Johnson shared that he’s learning a lot from a new breed of cattle he’s raising, but he’s not raising your run-of-the-mill Angus. These cows are top-dollar for meat production.
“Well, we just, I mean, as you know, we had this freeze. So, I mean, the ranch has been a five-year process. Building hay barns, purchasing more land, purchasing more cattle, and selling more cattle, and raising baby horses, little colts and fillies, and sending them off to get the proper training before we start entering them up in the roping futurity world.
But this freeze, this was the first year I’ve ever had fall calves. I’ve always had spring calves, and I sold my Brahman cows last year and bought Charolais. Friend of mine, Chef Austin Simmons, you guys can look him up, he’s got a company Chef & Rancher. He’s opening up a restaurant called Charolais in Houston, I believe, next month. Anyway, but these are French Charolais cows bred to Wagyu bulls so that we can raise them for his beef product for his restaurant. They’re not as hearty as my Brahman cows were, so we’ve lost a few calves this year.”
Neal, like many, noted how heartbreaking it is to learn that a few of the calves did not survive the winter storms. However, Johnson is a true rancher based on his response:
“It is what it is. It’s part of ranching.”
It’s one of the sad truths of being a cattle rancher.
But on a more positive note, Johnson wasn’t kidding about this restaurant. A quick search confirms that Charolais by Chef Austin Simmons is slated to open in April this year. I am sure country music fans (myself included) will be making the trek to Houston to enjoy some beef raised by the one and only Cody Johnson.
Check out the entire interview while you’re here:
