Karina Jones is a real-life ranch wife in the Nebraska Sandhills and one of the most highly sought-after speakers in the cattle industry nationwide!
Welcome to a brand-new week right here on Ranch Raised!
The last few days I did something that rarely happens that I just have to share about it. I had to do a bit of traveling for R-CALF, so I packed up all 4 kids to take with me, so that they could go see our family in western Nebraska that they do not get to see often.
The average American consumer has no idea how hard it is for families that raise livestock, like mine, to travel. In the last 10 years, I can only think of maybe one time that my husband and I left the place together, for an overnight trip, and that was for a funeral.
People take it for granted when they do not grow their own food, the freedom and flexibility they have to just pack up and go. But cattle and livestock have to eat 365 days a year, even on holidays!
Even with my husband staying home to feed, it is still daunting for me to leave him behind and take all the kids, which coincidentally is also “the help.” I admit, there is some guilt that weighs heavy on me when I can’t be here to share in the day-to-day grind.
Like I said, I had to go for a work trip anyway, so it was an opportune time to take the kids with me to visit grandmas and other relation that they rarely get to see, even though we are just a few hours away. It was worth it. The kids and I had a lot of fun visiting. The weather was decent so that didn’t add any extra burden here at home.
But, boy oh boy, we were happy as clams to be back under the same roof last night.
Karina ranches with her husband, Marty, and 3 daughters near Broken Bow, NE. She grew up in western NE, with roots also in southwest SD. The cattle industry and raising kids is her passion.
Watching the cattle industry go the path that it has gone, she could no longer sit quietly at home checking cows, fixing fence, and doing all the everyday tasks wondering when some else was going to make it all better. As she became more active and outspoken on industry issues, she was asked to join the R-CALF USA staff in September 2020 as the Checkoff Petition Campaign manager. That position transcended into her current role as full time Field Director for R-CALF USA.
You can hear her almost every Friday on Your Ag Network’s Hot Barn Report that is broadcast on 60 radio stations with coverage in 9 states, where she deep dives into cattle industry issues and highlights R-CALF’s work on industry reforms. Listen to Ranch Raised on a Your Ag Network hometown station or www.youragnetwork.com where she talks about her daily life on the ranch.
Cattle producers are her people. She will meet you at the county fair, at the sale barn, or anywhere the dusty trail leads.
[email protected] or visit facebook.com/ranchraisedwithkarinajones
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