Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea McCuan.
Andrea, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I have always loved being around animals. When I was a child, I would beg to go to my aunt and uncles’ small farms almost every weekend, so that I could ride horses, play with the farm animals, fish, and just be out in nature. During my teenage years, my parents got me involved in the Fort Worth Zoo’s volunteer program, which was a dream come true for a young girl who loved animals. I had always dreamed of working with animals in some way, but I didn’t want to be a veterinarian, I couldn’t handle seeing animals in pain. I couldn’t decide what field I wanted to go into, to be able to work with animals, so my dream then became to own my own farm someday.
Life went on, and I married a wonderful man, Chad, who also had a love for animals. Our dream together was to someday own a little farm with animals. Our first house together was in an overcrowded part of town, and soon we decided that we needed to move out to the country to start building our dream with our young son. We settled into our country home.
Soon, I found myself wanting to work with animals again but it was too far to go to volunteer at the zoo. A neighbor of ours came by to introduce herself and told me about the little farm around the corner that did birthday parties and field trips. We finally went to the farm to meet our neighbors, the farm owners… I immediately fell in love with the little farm. I began running parties there on the weekends and worked my office job during the week. After a few years of working there on the weekends, the owners of the farm, the Scotts, had decided that they were ready to retire from the farm life. They had decided to sell the farm or shut it down. I was devastated. I loved this little farm and couldn’t bear to see it sold off or shut down.
The Scotts asked me if we would be interested in buying the farm. I thought about it and knew that this was my dream, but with a family, it was a very scary move to make. Chad and I had many long discussions about buying the farm. We knew that it had great potential, but it was very risky to quit our jobs and buy a farm where there’s no guarantee that you will make money. We finally decided to go for it. It was our chance to follow our dreams. We sank every dime we had into buying the farm and even had to borrow money from my parents for the down payment. I now was the proud owner of Country Critters Farm. I was so excited and terrified!
I quit my full-time job to run the farm. At first, my husband had to keep his full-time job in construction to support us because it was winter, and therefore it was a slow season at the farm. It was hard work for me taking care of all of the animals, day to day maintenance of the farm, and running the office by myself on the weekdays. Finally, Spring was here, and Chad was able to join me in working full time at the farm.
As the new owner, I had to make a business plan and decide how we were going to grow this little farm. I set the plan into motion; doing more advertising and trying to get Country Critters’ name out there.
Looking at where Country Critters Farm is now; I would say that I have succeeded in building this farm from a small, seldom heard of a place, to a farm that families come out to every year. Due to demand, we opened up the farm to the public for seasonal family visits, When we bought the farm, the farm was only open for birthday parties and school field trips. We now have thousands of people visiting the farm every year in the Spring and the Fall. Our over the road business has more than doubled since taking over the farm.
It has not been an easy road by any means. It is very hard work to keep up a farm and all the animals, then on top of that, run a business! There were many struggles, and at times, I thought we were going to fail. We have been up against the same pitfalls that every other small business has to face, plus we also have to compete with Mother Nature. In spite of all the struggles, I look back and say “wow, I can’t believe this place is mine.” It seems like God lead me to my dream. Now, almost 15 years after I became the owner, life is good at Country Critters Farm.
Has it been a smooth road?
No, it was not a smooth road. The same year that we bought the farm, we were hit by a terrible drought. Our hay prices more than tripled on us! Again, in the first year, our well pump went out and that cost us over $1000 to replace. Within the first year, I thought that we may fail! Then, there was the economic downfall which meant that people were not willing to spend as much for a kid’s party. After that, came the gas hikes, when diesel prices went to $4 per gallon. Since we run diesel trucks, that hurts our bottom line tremendously. Due to gas prices, many schools could not afford to go on field trips. We lost over half of our field trips due to fuel prices and school budget cuts. We started with an old run down the truck and an antique tractor that we purchased with the company, and both were breaking down every few months. Both were expensive every time they broke down. Then, there was this illness called the “swine flu.” People lost their minds when that hit. They could not understand that it was not transmitted from pigs to humans, it was spread human to human. We had lots of cancellations just because we owned pigs! That cost us thousands. Then, there is Mother Nature. You can’t open a farm if it is storming, pouring rain, or extremely muddy. Some seasons, it rained out almost every weekend, which costs us many thousands of dollars! But what can you do? You can’t control mother nature!
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Country Critters Farm – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
Country Critters Farm is a petting zoo farm. We offer farm parties, field trips, and family visits at or farm. We also offer petting zoos and pony rides that can travel to events.
I am most proud of our reputation as being a great place for people to come and enjoy a family day together, and a place for today’s kids to learn about animals and farms. Our Pumpkin Patch has gotten to be our most popular event. We have put blood, sweat, and tears into building up our farm and it’s reputation.
Our farm is different from any other farm that I know of in the metroplex because we offer events at our farm, but we also offer petting zoos that can travel to your location. We also offer more activities at our farm for the price, than many other farms, Country Critters Farm has been in business for over 25 years, which most petting zoo companies do not make it that long.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I like the events and shopping in the city. I do not like dealing with the traffic in Dallas though!
Pricing:
- Fun on the Farm party for 2 hours starts at $259 for up to 15 kids
- $10 per person visits at the farm, beginning March 9th thru May.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.countrycrittersfarm.com
- Phone: 817-477-3060
- Email: countrycrittersfarm@msn.com
- Instagram: countrycrittersfarmtx
- Facebook: Country Critters Farm, Tx
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
