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’s the end of an era here on the Jones Ranch! Thanks for joining me today on Ranch Raised.
Since my girls were little we have had goats around here. Our first introduction into the caprine species was 4 dairy goats, Nubians, Alpines and Lamanchas. I used to raise a lot of calves on those does hopping them on to the milk stand and letting the calves nurse. One summer I filled an entire freezer with gallon upon gallon of goat milk to use for baby calves the next year. The area veterinarians have been known to give out my number to people who need some goat milk to help along a litter of puppies or orphan foals.
Then my oldest got started in 4-H and she was starry eyed and full of ambition to try the meat goat project right out of the gate. My girls had a natural propensity to keep all of the females and before we knew it there were years we were kidding out 100 nannies! Ooofta! I remember many Christmas vacations with no sleep and non-stop birthing action. I am not easily overwhelmed, but there were days and nights when even I would walk into our barn and realize we were totally crazy!
A few more years passed and we widdled down to more manageable numbers. And then my girls found a love for showing sheep and suddenly nobody loved the goats quite like mom. More ripples in the tide pool of life have pushed us to make some hard decisions, or anyway they were hard for me and yesterday we said goodbye to our entire goat herd. I’m trying to focus on the positive and enjoying watching my kids pursue their passions, which no longer included goats. And selfishly dreaming of the day that I bring a dairy goat or two back into the barn.
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.
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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