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!
Starting off the week keeping it real, right here on Ranch Raised.
For the most part I know that I try to be super upbeat and positive about showing the details of my ranch life, except when I talk about the condition of my mudroom, laundry room, and never-ending saga of matching socks.
But I would be remised if I didn’t let you know about some of the heavier parts of this life because I found when we talk about the tough stuff, we find out that others are going through the tough stuff, too.
There has been an overarching headline in ag media lately telling the story of the latest USDA cattle inventory report which basically said that the number of cows in the US has shrunk another 2% from the previous year. Infact, the 2023 calf crop was the smallest on record, but I anticipate that unfortunate record to be broken again in 2024.
So what does this mean for me, as a rancher and you as a consumer of beef. Well, I’m going to talk about these harder things this week. Because although you may not walk in my boots raising cattle and I may not walk in your shoes buying beef in a grocery store, believe it or not, we are both affected by the shrinking US cattle inventory in more ways than maybe you’ve ever considered.
But, I hope that we can both come together to fight for American agriculture so that families like mine who have deep roots raising the food you eat can stay on the land. And you can have a safe food supply always available to feed your family.
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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