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!
I could go on and on about the gory aftermath of the Bomb Cyclone and the destruction, death, and weakness that it left. I can paint pictures with my words but unless you have lived it, you can only know what was felt.
I really don’t think that my husband and I have ever been pushed to that point of physical and emotional exhaustion like that. These aren’t just cows to us, we know them and their mothers and their siblings. And believe it or not we can look into their eyes and see into their souls. We felt their mourning as they stood over perished calves covered in mud and melting snowbanks. Those emotions compound and build and for so many they become too much!
Veterinarians, neighbors, you name it became counselors in those dark days. They just had to listen and remind those they were listening to that they did all they could and none of this was their fault.
Those of us that survived the Bomb Cyclone and what we endured probably all needed a healthy dose of counseling but we were too deep in to the work that we were called to do. And even if you were outside of the boundaries of this epic storm, the truth is we all face really, really dark days in production agriculture that I don’t think those on the outside realize. We are now back to being gripped in a drought, with tough decisions ahead. Market volatility and outrageous inflationary input costs are further compounding the mounting stress load.
I beg you not to carry the burden alone. There is always someone to talk to. You are WORTH more than the sum of your problems. You are worth it, my friends!
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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
