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!
East bound & down, this momma is gonna be truckin’! What am I hauling? Well, kids, of course! I probably haven’t been more than 70 miles from home in, the last year! This momma is headed off the ranch today to escort my junior high daughter to Lincoln, NE to compete at the Nebraska State FFA Convention in the junior high Discovery Speaking division! She will be dazzling the judges with information about the meat goat industry and the nutritional facts of this underrated red meat protein.
My oldest daughter will be presenting to a different panel of judges at the Engler Shark Tank Competition touting the heterosis advantage of using the Hereford bulls she raises on black hided cattle to increase weaning weight performance and improve long-term herd fertility. And then tomorrow morning, bright and early, her team will have their boots in the dirt at the iconic RB Warren Arena on UNL’s East Campus for the state FFA livestock judging competition!
And you know what all this means to me, pride and passion! It is an honor to sit back and watch my kids forge their own paths, pursuing their passions that are not mainstream among their peers. It’s not easy to do life differently for today’s teens, it takes courage and extreme boldness.
But, I know where to find kids of this caliber and a representative population of them usually wear blue corduroy jackets!
10-4 this momma is over and out!
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.
[email protected] or visit facebook.com/ranchraisedwithkarinajones
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