Ranch Raised with Karina Jones – Roots and Wings

August 12, 2026 Karina Jones Featured, Ranch Raised 0

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Ranch Raised with Karina Jones - Roots and Wings
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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!

Roots and Wings! Thanks for joining me today on Ranch Raised.

I’m writing and recording this episode from a hotel room in El Reno, OK. I’m going to sheepishly admit there were a lot of tears involved in this episode. Over the last 2 days, my oldest daughter and I made the 700 mile trip from our north ranch, with a layover sleep at our south ranch and on to Oklahoma. Okay, so when my trip odometer read 700 miles on the dot, when I pulled into the Redlands Community College campus, I will say my heart fluttered a little. My baby bird isn’t just leaving the nest, she is letting the wind carry on a full fledged migration into her new life.

She is my first born. I have some natural maternal anxiety bubbling up. I also have a lot of excitement for this chapter. After homeschooling her for the last 4 years, I see and know things about her that have me confident that she is ready to launch. The strings of my sadness probably come from losing a student more than launching my child. But, to be honest, she wasn’t my student last year either as she took all college classes online. 

I will leave El Reno today and go my sister’s house, which is like an hour and a half away, so she tells me. I’m sure there will be lots of deep breathes involved, mostly by me. But, in my heart, I know that this is the natural evolution of child rearing. For the last 18 years have been spent strengthening their roots and preparing their wings. And now it is time for her to spread those wings and I just know that she is going to fly. 

karina@youragnetwork.com or visit facebook.com/ranchraisedwithkarinajones


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About Karina Jones 521 Articles
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.