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!
As we walk this life in agriculture, the story holds true, “no 2 years are ever the same.” Right now, most of the western USA is gripped in a drought, but 3 years ago, on this very week, much of the Midwest was drowning, literally.
This week marks the 3 year anniversary of the historic Bomb Cyclone. I want to walk back in time, and talk about our experience, here on the Jones Ranch, during that event.
While ranchers are resourceful and resilient and so many wonderful adjectives, I remember thinking in the days leading up to what the media was hyping up as a historic weather event, “what is a “Bomb Cyclone”?” I mean really, who in our lifetime has ever lived through a Bomb Cyclone? Could you call up grandpa or Uncle Bob and ask, “what do we do with those pairs down south during a Bomb Cyclone?”
We were all preparing for what we thought in our minds would be an epic blizzard situation. We were giving ourselves the “pep talk”…..”we can do this!”….”get everything bedded down, fed up, and tucked in tight”….”this is what God made us for, to be herdsman of his livestock.”
I have no doubt that every one of my neighbors, both near and far, did all they could to prepare, because that is just who we are as livestock producers. But, what we would soon learn as the seams of those storm clouds busted open was we could not fully prepare for what we did not understand. There is not a “Bomb Cyclone Survival Guide” on the market and Google is of no help either.
Come back tomorrow and I will pick up right where I am leaving off.
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Karina ranches with her husband, Marty, and 3 daughters 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 that is broadcast on 60 radio stations with coverage in 9 states, where she deep dives into cattle industry issues and highlights R-CALF’s work on 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 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
