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!
There are invisible threats to farmers and ranchers and I’m ready to dive in, right here on Ranch Raised.
National Farm Safety and Health Week is a perfect time to evaluate one’s own physical and mental health needs. Farmers and ranchers are stewards of the land, herdsman to their herds, and caretakers to their equipment, but when was the last time you said to yourself, “I think it is time for a good tune up for myself” and scheduled an annual physical check up with your doctor?
Conditions like diabetes, cancers, especially skin cancer, and other diseases can be detected early with good preventative care ensuring that you can continue your legacy of providing food, fiber, and fuel for many years to come!
Another invisible threat to our nation’s farmers and ranchers is mental health challenges. Farm and Ranch stress is real, and many things like, weather events, tragedies, market grief, diseases can tip stress out of our comfort zone. You are not alone. The pressure is great, and often times too great for one to bear. Reach out and find someone to talk to. Do not carry the burden alone. Whether you stop by a neighbor’s shop to talk, call up a family member, or talk to your doctor, there is no shame in getting it off your chest and having someone with fresh insight give you some uplifting words and advice.
Your safety and happiness are worth it! Thank you for riding along with me during National Farm Safety and Health week, right here on Ranch Raised.
Follow Karina Jones on Facebook!
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
