It’s me, HI, I’m the problem, it’s me…

 

Let me start off by saying YES, I am a football fan, so YES, I’m up to date on all things Travis and Taylor- hence the title of this kick off blog 😉

But in actuality this is my way of saying HEY FRIEND, and welcome to the Basic Ranch Mom tribe! And I might be a problem for you if you get addicted to scrolling reels on Instagram…apologize to your husband for me.

My name is Kristin and I’m a ranch wife and mom of four on my family’s third generation seedstock operation. I met my husband, Jake, when we were both in college and working at the Buckle “slinging jeans,” as the cool kids like to say. He didn’t grow up in any sort of agriculture, but he took one look at the ranch and decided that’s where we were meant to be. And so 6.5 years ago we quit our jobs, sold our house, and took the leap - officially making me a ranch wife. The mom part came a little later, but here we are today.

My official job title is marketing manager on our ranch. I spend my days creating catalogs, scheduling and building ads, managing the website, generating social media content, and managing data. You’ll find me in the ranch office more often than not, but when I do get outside I’m usually opening gates, petting calves, standing in holes, being comedic relief, fan-girling for my husband, and showing up on the ranch in inappropriate footwear. I like to call myself a welcome distraction (even if I’m the only one to see it that way).

So this is the part where you’re probably asking yourself what this is all about. What is the Basic Ranch Mom and why should it matter to you?

The truth is, life in ag is hard. So often we find ourselves face to face with the worst.

Market fluctuations.
Catastrophic weather events.
Struggling family dynamics.
Anti-ag narratives.
Rising input costs.
Judgement from both inside and outside the industry.
Activist retaliation.
Government oversight.
Death.

Those parts, that we see so very often, are enough to make you want to quit. And I’ve thought about it, a lot. But thankfully, in all that thinking, I also realized it doesn’t have to be that way.

I created the Basic Ranch Mom as a place where we can laugh through the hard parts. A place where we can find humor and joy and companionship in our every day life as farmers or ranchers or wives or moms or friends. It’s a place for people to belong, a community built on inclusivity, acceptance, and the idea that we were all created differently and that’s ok. Hell, it’s better than ok, it’s AMAZING. You are AMAZING.

We can choose to face the hard parts sad and alone, or we can face them together. We can lift each other up, find ways we relate, and see the beauty in not fitting a mold. A lot of things about agriculture are out of our control, but our attitude and where we put our focus is not.

So with that I’ll say, welcome to the Basic Ranch Mom. There’s plenty of room at this table, so I hope you choose to pull up a seat.