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!
School’s out for summer! Welcome back to Ranch Raised! I will admit, I am one of those weird moms that loves having her kids at home. I love the conversations. I love working alongside of them. I love that my older girls are into cooking and baking so they take initiative in the kitchen.
I am proud that our kids came home with a pile of academic awards and ribbons from their track meet. But, honestly, what I am most excited about was that within an hour of being home, our 6-year-old was in the barn nursing a baby bird back to life that had fallen from its nest in the rafters. Our oldest had her show calves tied to the wash rack and spent the rest of the day washing and working hair. Our middle daughter was off to spend a play day at the neighbors.
THIS. THIS is what life and education are about. Being so hungry to learn by doing simply cannot be replicated in a school seat. I have always believed that my kids’ real education starts at home. Summer is our time! Infact, maybe my kids will be doing more home educating in the future.
There are no report cards, standardized tests, or benchmarks to hit in the summer, just total unbridled learning for whatever your kids are interested in. You don’t have to live on a ranch or farm to make that happen. Your backyard or local park can become the outdoor classroom that your kids can explore.
I’m with you moms and dads! Let’s make this our best summer ever!
Come back tomorrow for Fun, Fact Friday with more facts about BEEF during May Beef Month!
Follow Karina Jones on Facebook!
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
