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!
It looks like it’s going to heat up across the Midwest, so naturally this momma is thinking, “what am I going to do with the kids?” Thanks for starting your week with me right here on Ranch Raised.
As a mom of 4, I am always evaluating how my kids are spending their time. They have plenty of chores and responsibilities outside, but we aren’t slave drivers. They do need to come inside and cool off and once in a while, even rest! This does not mean they need to be in front of a screen. We shut down the cable TV long ago, when we couldn’t afford it. The remote has been misplaced for months, so even popping some Netflix on the TV is not an option, currently. Not to say, they don’t grab a phone to play a game or watch a video, but I try to keep an eye on that.
During the summer my kitchen table is often covered in “projects.” Who am I kidding, make that year around my table is often the base camp for arts and crafts. It doesn’t bother me. Messes don’t bother me. There, I said it. I would rather have to move paintbrushes and art supplies to have supper than have kids at my feet telling me they are bored.
We have a small craft and sewing room that is in constant state of chaos. My kids know that they can use anything in there to create, play, and have fun. Yesterday, I went in there to help one daughter start another 4-H project to find that her 8-year-old sister had been busy making Barbie clothes. I loved everything about seeing the little skirt and top with arm holes cut out and a fabric heart randomly laid to the side. I believe that children naturally want to learn by doing, so who am I to get in the way of nature?
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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