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 a brand new week right here on Ranch Raised.
I will admit that being immersed in production agriculture does create some bad life habits. One of them being we rarely leave the county. So, what my older girls and I did this weekend was completely out of our normal, and for me, even out of my comfort zone.
We drove down to Kansas City, to attending the annual American Hereford Association meetings. Because of poor planning and not knowing what the event was all about, we didn’t make it to all the seminars but what we did make it to had me impressed. And did I mention I am a person that is hard to impress?
The priority of our trip was to celebrate my oldest receiving an award for Reserve Champion Commercial Pen of 3 Hereford steers that she entered in the National Fed Steer Shootout feeding and carcass contest. What we got to witness was just spectacular! Hundreds of thousands of dollars were awarded to youth not only through this fed steer contest but also in the form of college scholarships.
I was surrounded by people who have invested in the next generation of the cattle industry and youth that have such passion in their bellies for this industry. I left inspired! You don’t have to have deep pockets to give back. Maybe your strength is showing up, supporting youth, and developing them in other ways. But, I know I will be looking for more ways to match the generosity in that room!
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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