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 is the rise of a new species here at the Jones Ranch, the toddler boy and I’ve got a whole lot to say about it today on Ranch Raised.
It is no secret that prior to our last spawn we were a family well versed in raising girls. Having a 4th child was a surprise blessing and that child being a boy was an even bigger surprise. Today we celebrate him turning 16 months old! Or maybe I should say today I celebrate 16 months of completely retraining myself as a mother, because this kid is like a species that I have never raised before.
From an early age it was clear that if it had wheels, it had this little boy’s interest. If he could hear an engine fire up outside, he would crawl over to a window to check it out. I’m worried his interest has turned into an obsession. There are more tractors and trucks in my house, being pushed around my kitchen floor that I ever imagined and oh the little sounds that accompany that play. All of us cohabiting with him know that if he reaches a place of being inconsolable, we just need to pull up a tractor video on the internet and he suddenly becomes still and deeply interested.
Now, that is if we can keep him inside. Most mornings start with a lot of whining and him dragging his boots and coat around until we head outside. When he is around our skid steer or tractor, he runs his little hands all over the machine like he is polishing a diamond. And oh man, the mud we have right now is his favorite place to be. If he can find a mud puddle to stomp in or lay down in, well he is as happy as a pig in mud. The good Lord has humbled me with this kid. I’m sure learning a lot about raising this thing called a toddler boy.
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 former 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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