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!
Welcome to this midweek check in right here on Ranch Raised!
Amid all of the issues swirling in Washington DC right now, America’s heartland is focused on the issue that affects them the most, The Farm Bill! And for good reason because the current stats surrounding farming and ranching are pretty bleak.
According to the High Plains Journal, “The most recent Farm Income Forecasts by the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimate a 15.9% drop in farm income for 2023, which translates to a “real” drop of 18% when inflation is factored in. At the same time, expenses for farm and ranch production are expected to increase by $18 billion—on top of a record increase of $70 billion in 2022.
The value of livestock production is expected to decrease nearly 6%, or $14.7 billion, in 2023. Cash receipts for chicken eggs are projected to decrease by $4.9 billion or 24%. Milk receipts are expected to decline $8.4 billion, or 14.6%.
Beef prices were up, but the cattle herd was substantially reduced during the drought as historical rates of cows and heifers were slaughtered. Cash receipts for cattle and calves are estimated to increase by $2.1 billion or 2.4%; but this is because drought conditions in the West and southern Plains have damaged pastures and led to higher costs for feed such as hay.” Our nation’s cowherd is the smallest it has been in over 60 years and to be honest, I do not see the hope of cattle country rebuilding any time soon.
It is time for Washington DC to make a major pivot to support American agriculture, not with subsidies, but with sound trade negotiations and policy that puts the American farmer and rancher first!
Karina ranches with her husband, Marty, and 4 children 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, where she deep dives into cattle industry issues and 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 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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