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!
Franklin D Roosevelt once said, “We cannot build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future!” Boy, does that resonate with in me!
As I started the week telling you about the awesome experience, I had this weekend sitting on the Nebraska Jr Angus Association meeting, it has had me doing a lot of thinking. I didn’t know many of these kids personally, so I was truly in witness with fresh eyes and ears.
I left that meeting thinking about the skills I had just watched these young people sharpen. It was not a flawless meeting, but it was perfect, if you know what I mean. There were some minor stumbles and those young leaders had to look to their left and their right to their fellow youth board members to feel their way through that meeting, with around 40 young kids and parents watching them. No pressure, right?!?
We are in a time in our country, whether it be local or nationally, where we are needing Americans to step forward and lead at every level. There is always a need for volunteer leaders to committ to serving their rural fire boards and township boards. How about people from the ag community serving on the state school board?!? And of course more than ever, nationally, we need our way of life represented.
I truly believe that these junior associations, 4-H, and FFA are the launch pad for the next generation of leaders. I am cheering them on not to be necessarily flawless but to be willing to fail, to flub a little, in front of their peers in order to grow and be the authentic leaders for agriculture and the western way of life that I know they can be!
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
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