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!
So many, like us, are in the thick of country fair season, so you are going to have to stick with me while I do a lot of reflecting on what I am seeing going in the 4-H and FFA worlds.
Last week our girls entered their clothing entries. This day always brings about a lot of emotions for me. I learned to sew from grandma and mom. I sewed for 4-H and the Make It With Wool contest. There was something about the whole process that kept me hooked as a little girl, so I sewed my entire 4-H tenure, which you rarely see happen.
Now that I am an adult and get to experience this through my kid’s eyes, I see my curiosity and passion even clearer.
Sewing, in a lot of ways is just like our kids building their cattle herds. They have to plan their project, pick out their supplies and tools, much like they pick out their semen and genetic matings. Then they have to execute the plan. Sewing is a life skill and one of the greatest skills it developed within me and that I hope my girls catch on to, is problem-solving skills! Not everything will go smoothly. You will have to figure some things out and map out a Plan B…..or X…but you can’t give up.
So the next time you are at the county fair and you are walking by the exhibits of pillow cases, dresses, and quilts, please stop and appreciate the skills that are on display. In a time when working with our hands to create something is becoming a lost art, let’s cheer on those young people that are still embracing the dying skill of sewing!
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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
