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!
Welcome to June! The word of the season seems to be “transition.” In ranching it seems like we are always in a constant state of transition.
Some bulls were transitioned to their summer abode with their favorite heifer girlfriends. We are in the process of transitioning cows and calves to their summer vacation spots. And yesterday after a water line snafoo which required the well to be shut off, the cows drank down a tank that had some goldfish in it. So the girls decided to relocate some of the goldfish while the water level was low and they were easier to catch. So now there are 7 happy goldfish exploring a new stock tank that they have all to themselves.
Just as in life, there is an ebb and flow to ranching. We are constantly pivoting and probably trying to do too many tasks all at once. Spring is just a time with the floodgates of demands are fully open so our “pivoting” probably more closely resembles us spinning like a top in a million different directions. The cows will soon be to grass and the bulls tucked in with them. We have one foot ready to step into haying season and so another transition is just right around the corner.
Most have chosen to leave this constant workload and franatic pace behind and sometimes I can’t blame them. There are fewer and fewer farmers and ranchers every year. Maybe that is what makes our burden that much heavier, fewer shoulders to carry the load.
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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.
[email protected] or visit facebook.com/ranchraisedwithkarinajones
