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!
So there I was heavy with child, now completely understanding how that 12 year old, heavy bred cow was feeling in her last few weeks of pregnancy. Thanks for coming back to Ranch Raised.
It’s not every day that I compare myself to a cow on the ranch, but the last few weeks of my geriatric pregnancy had my completely relating to old cows that had become some of our favorites. Rather than send them on down the road after 10 years old, there are just some of those girls who you grow fond of and say to yourself, “I will just run her one more year!” And most of the time, many of us live to regret that decision. If you know, you know!
I sailed through the first two trimesters of my pregnancy. I knew I had the grit, despite being just smidge over 40, I was going to show my doctor that I was the boss momma! But, ooofta, sometime around mid-August, this ole girl was starting to feel the effects of her maternal situation. Surely, it can’t be my age…no, no, not at all. I was trying to give myself grace. I had spent all summer running after kids and their activities, not to mention it was like the hottest summer on record since 1930’s here in Nebraska. I figured I just needed to rehydrate, put my feet up for a few days and I would be back up and running on all cylinders…..until I was not.
I had become anemic and then my blood pressure started creeping up. I was placed on bedrest and I’m pretty sure I was catching my husband looking at me thinking, “I knew I shouldn’t have ran her one more year!”
You know how this story ends, with a baby of course, but you have to come back tomorrow anyway, just for another laugh!
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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
