The Pioneer Woman’s Kids on Ranch Life: ‘Having the Kids Back Is What It’s All About’
From feeding animals to running cattle, here's how Ree's five kids help on the family ranch today
Key Takeaways
- Ree and Ladd Drummond have five children, and all of them haved lived on the ranch.
- Paige was the only child working on the ranch full time before moving to Dallas in 2025.
- Todd has expressed plans to return to the ranch full time if football does not work out.
Anyone who’s ever been to a ranch knows that it’s a family business. Parents, kids, aunts, uncles, cousins and even grandparents all do something to help the animals and the crop grow. And, as it turns out, Ree Drummond’s—a.k.a The Pioneer Woman—ranch is no exception. Over the years, several of her children have worked on the ranch alongside Ree and husband Ladd. Below, we share everything we know about the family’s involvement in the business.
Who are Ree Drummond’s kids?
Ree and Ladd have five kids—Alex, Paige, Bryce, Todd and Jamar. They also have two son-in-laws: Mauricio Scott, who is married to Alex, and David Andersen, who is married to Paige.
“It’s great being a mother,” Ree wrote in a 2007 essay published on her website. “It is. And it’s astounding to watch myself type those very words, considering I always envisioned myself with one child, tops. Maybe, MAYBE two if my diaphragm or tubal ligation, which I planned to get by age 27, failed. And three children? No way; that would be way too radical. You can’t have three children and wear black pumps. And here I am, the mother of four. How did I get here? I have no idea.”
Do Ree Drummond’s kids work on the ranch?
Growing up, all of Ree’s kids helped her and Ladd manage the ranch. They fed animals, cleaned, picked up supplies and more. As they got older, though, many of them went on to do other things. The only exception to that was Paige, who worked on the ranch full time for years, but in September 2025 Ree revealed that that was no longer the case.
“Paige was torn. She loves the ranch and loves working on the ranch. But I think they both feel [that because] David’s job is in Dallas and they both have friends down there, this is the time in their life where they wanted to stick close to friends,” Ree told People magazine. “If they’re going to live on a rural cattle ranch, it needs to be something that they want to do and not something they feel that they’re stuck doing.”
Despite that, Paige and her husband David have come back to the ranch and helped out. So have Ree’s other children. This includes Todd, who even said in 2018 that he does plan to work there full time at some point.
“Yes, that is what I plan on. If football is not the move for me, I most certainly will come back to the ranch,” Todd said, per the Pioneer Woman’s blog. “We’ll see how it goes.”
In that same post, it was revealed that Alex, who now has one child and another on the way, has no intent to return.
“It’s not in the plans now for me, but we’ll see,” Alex said. “I’m never gonna say never. But I’m currently living in Dallas and I like it there, so I’m gonna be there for a while.”
“My dad once was giving a speech at my high school graduation and he said this quote that everyone always says now. He said, ‘You’d be the top hand on anyone’s ranch,'” Alex explained. “So now that’s, like, our quote. Everyone says ‘top hand on anyone’s ranch.'”
At the end of the day, Ree and Ladd don’t care if their kids work at the ranch full time or not, as long as they come and help out every once in a while.
“Having the kids back is, to me, what it’s all about. If the kids weren’t going to come back and be a part of the ranch, I would seriously reconsider doing as much as we do,” Ladd said in an episode of Drummond Ranch.
Ree added to that, saying, “The idea that, you know, one of [Ladd’s] kids is getting to live that life too is such a blessing to him.”
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