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!
You know me, I gotta call a good thing out when I see it! Thanks for starting your week with me right here on Ranch Raised!
This weekend I took a couple of my girls and their one Angus heifer to the Nebraska Angus Winter Show. The quality in cattle was extremely deep, but what I really gotta brag on is the quality of kids!
I witnessed something that I personally had not seen in a very long time. I watched as the Nebraska Junior Angus board carried out a meeting to an audience of around 40 youth members and parents. They provided an agenda, past meeting minutes, and a treasurer’s report to all in attendance. To the best of their ability these young people carried out a meeting sticking to that agenda and conducting business with their members who ranged in age from 8 to 21 years old. They then ended the meeting with some fun! Some good old fashioned ice breaker games that the kids loved. So today I just want to give a shout out to the Nebraska Junior Angus board and all the volunteers who made this weekend such a great experience!
Nobody is born gifted with the skills and knowledge of correct parliamentary procedure. It is truly a skill you must learn and continue to refine. What I witnessed this weekend reminded me that for one, kids are very capable of doing very mature things, so believe in them and let them have their wings! Secondly, it affirmed for me that these junior boards, FFA, 4-H and what have you, are providing an incredible opportunity with in agriculture to help young people build their confidence and grow into our industry’s future leaders!
The youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow!
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.
karina@youragnetwork.com or visit facebook.com/ranchraisedwithkarinajones
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