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!
Some may call me a wet blanket, but I’m here to share an environmentally conscious message right here today on Ranch Raised.
Today is a national holiday called “Balloons to Heaven Day.” At first glance, I’m sure most see the endearment of a day like this. I want everyone to be able to remember their loved ones, but I’m asking that you please do so in an environmentally conscious way. After that balloon is released from your hand and theoretically “disappears into thin” air, in reality it becomes someone else’s problem. Because that balloon never goes away. It lands in a stream or body of water where it is ingested by fish or waterfowl, or sinks to the bottom of that body of water to add to the pile of pollutants. That balloon lands in a field where a farmer must deal with it. Or in the case of what we see on our ranch, it lands in a pasture, where a curious baby calf starts chewing on it, ingests it and becomes very sick or worse, it dies because baby calves are not made to eat such foreign things.
So, on a day like today, I encourage you to remember your loved ones with other alternatives, plant a tree or a perennial plant that you can enjoy for years to come. Go have lunch or coffee with others who will share in conversation and memory sharing. Go to an art class and be inspired to create something in memory of the one you lost. There are so many beautiful ways to remember loved ones without releasing balloons that will cause harm to the environment and animals.
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 former role as full time Field Director for R-CALF USA.
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.
karina@youragnetwork.com or visit facebook.com/ranchraisedwithkarinajones
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