When you are a rancher, you are married to this life, in sickness and in health. There are no “sick days” to call in. Just days where I may not move as swiftly as others.

Now that the cards are dealt and the new Fisher/Grassley bill has been put on the table, it is easy to see, we have been duped. This should be called the “compromised bill” because that is exactly what this bill does, it compromises our future in the cattle industry and sets a dangerous precedence to regionalize our country when regarding other future laws.

More trucks rolled in yesterday. The pairs that we had sent north for the summer returned to our home place. Maybe it’s just me but I swear as those trucks round the corner a mile from my yard, I can hear the ole girls belting out a little Ozzy, “Momma, Momma I’m coming home!”

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!

Speaking of new... We have had an extreme corral makeover project going on the last few weeks, replacing the rickety wood posts and rotting fence from our working facilities that are under the most pressure when processing calves. It was beyond time.

Do we have any Yellowstone fans listening? Before I go further, I will admit, I’m not like a super-hot fan girl. I have my own cowboy and live this life every day, in a way less romantic, more wind and dirt kind of way, but I do like analyzing the hype.

If you want to teach the virtues of humility, courage, and independent thinking to a child, have them compete in a dirt arena.

I can think of no better place to teach compassion, responsibility and joy than in a barn! It is no secret that our girls love to be in the barn! From goat kidding to calving season, they love experiencing the new life that is bursting at the seams!

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!

Let's just kick off the week with a full-on confession, a bearing of my soul, if you will. I am the parent who unapologetically allows, errrrr, scratch that, encourages my kids to miss school to take advantage of other learning opportunities outside of the classroom.