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 is a movie title that says, “All Dogs Go to Heaven,” and I am a believer of that! Thanks for joining me right here on Ranch Raised.
Diego has enjoyed the last few years mostly by my side. No matter how dirty she was she knew I would let her in the house to lay on the rug by the door. And if she seemingly disappeared in the house, everyone knew where they would find her. Laying on the carpet, right by my side of the bed. I will never know how she knew that is where I slept because she was always kenneled at night, so she never saw me sleeping there, but that was her spot when she came into the house.
While this new litter of Diego grandbabies on the ranch brought much excitement and joy, it was soon dampened with darkness. Just over a month ago my husband and girls came in from the barn for supper around 7 pm. It was a really nice evening, for February in Nebraska, so they didn’t kennel the dogs up because Marty & I knew we would be heading back to the barn around 10 pm to tend to a goat that was kidding. We got our business done in the barn and went to kennel the dogs, only we were short one, Diego. We figured she must have bed down in the hay while we were working in the barn and just couldn’t hear us calling for her. We were sure she would greet us in the morning.
Morning came and she was still nowhere to be found. For over a month we have searched everywhere. Between the hours of 7 and 10 that evening she just vanished. Probably lured out by the thick coyote population that bothers our ranch every night.
While my heart hurts to losing my best ranch friend, I choose to know that she is herding all the cattle up on greener pastures and maybe she now has all of her teeth back.
Rest in peace my girl, I will be back by your side someday!
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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