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!
It is National Farmer’s Day, and I am here to tell you why everyone should be celebrating, today, on Ranch Raised!
Have you happened to eat anything today? How about drink anything? Are you wearing clothes….I mean, I hope you are! Well then, I tapped into the perfect audience to celebrate this audacious day! We all owe a great bit of gratitude to the American farmer and rancher.
In general, our society has become further and further removed from its agrarian roots. A short century ago almost everyone worked on the farm or homestead in order to provide the basic daily provisions their family needed. But as American agriculture became modernized and industrialized, efficiency increased, allowing more and more people to step away from the farm and find other jobs in town. This trend has never slowed down and today less than 2% of the American population provides the food and fiber for this country. And even that slim 2% it is shrinking at what we should all consider an alarming rate.
The American farmer and rancher could be considered an endangered species but should also be celebrated as a national treasure. This life is more than playing in the dirt and watching pretty sunsets. It actually requires extreme skill and let’s not forget work ethic! It is not like you can google, “How to be a farmer.”
So, we raise our glass of milk or barley and hops to toast the American farmer. We will eat, drink, and be clothed because of your hard work and skill!
Karina ranches with her husband, Marty, and 4 children 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, where she deep dives into cattle industry issues and 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 Jones 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
Follow Karina Jones on Facebook!
