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!
Failing to plan is planning to fail! Thanks for starting your week with me right here on Ranch Raised!
No where is my opening quote more obviously true than in the realm of estate planning!
Established in 2008 by the U.S. House of Representatives, National Estate Planning Awareness Month is observed every October to raise public awareness around the importance of proper estate planning. As of October 2025, an alarming 67% of American adults still don’t have a will or trust, according to Caring.com.
This national awareness campaign serves to highlight that estate planning isn’t just for the wealthy—it’s for anyone who wants to protect their family, maintain control over their health and finances, and reduce legal complications in the future.
I’m ready to rip the bandaid off of this subject that plagues the agriculture sector! In fact, I will testify that lack of estate planning is one of the top reasons that farming and ranching operations fold and legacies are lost.
One of the main reasons for the reluctance of older operators to engage in succession planning is a lack of understanding about the process. Many farmers and ranchers believe that succession planning is only necessary for larger, corporate farms. However, research has shown that family ag operations are just as likely to face estate planning challenges as larger operations and that a failure to plan can result in significant consequences for the future of the operation and the family.
Its time to start planning and having conversations with those involved in your ag operation.
Karina ranches with her husband, Marty, and 4 children near Merriman, 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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