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 back to Ranch Raised!
A few weeks ago, I took my girls out of school for 3 days to go Western Junior Livestock Show in Rapid City, SD. They got to compete in multiple contests like the livestock skillathon, the family & consumer science skillathon and the livestock judging, in addition to exhibiting cattle.
I can’t even remember what they won or didn’t win. What I do remember was the that Livestock Judging was outside. It was cool, like October in the Black Hills cool and there was a light, steady rain. The cattle classes were hunched up and nothing was really moving. The kids were bundled up and struggling to write on damp paper. But in that moment, I really didn’t care who won. I was so proud of that entire group of competitors. There was no whining and no quitting! Life isn’t always sunshine and rainbows but when you start something, you finish it!
Those kids don’t know it, but every one of them grew personally that day. They gutted it out and learned perseverance. That experience made them into better livestock judgers, competitors and better humans! Today my oldest daughter is with her FFA Chapter at their district FFA Livestock Judging contest in Ord, NE. Shout out to all of our KNLV listeners. Today she will be inside, dry and warm and she will be thankful for what those past livestock judging experiences have taught her!
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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
