The One that Got Away

Ginger Mae Cavanaugh

 

Ginger Cavanaugh grew up in rural Nebraska where down home family roots run deep and taking over the family farm runs even deeper. As a young girl, Ginger enjoyed chasing the chickens, hogs, and cattle around with her older brother, Lane. She imagined herself growing old on one of her family’s numerous rental properties with her husband and their children, helping out with the family farm as Lane and his family needed. Unfortunately, fate had different plans for the eldest Cavanaugh son.

 

The Cavanaugh family farm had been a thriving operation for over a hundred plus years when her great grandfather took out a loan and began their legacy. His family had traditionally been bankers or accountants, but he had different dreams of raising livestock and putting down roots in the fields near Waverly Falls, a rural town in Northeast Nebraska. The farm didn’t take long to become prosperous and soon became one of the most well-known hog and cattle operations in the county. The eldest Cavanaugh son, traditionally, was groomed to take over the reins when his father passed away, but when Lane Cavanaugh was killed in a drunken driving accident, the Cavanaugh’s no longer had a son to take over the operations. Ginger, who had been content with playing house soon found herself learning the ropes to take over the homestead.

 

A few years after Lane had passed away, Ginger’s mother gave birth to twins, Emily and Court, but by the time Court would be old enough to take over, their father might not be of sound mind to teach him everything he would need to know. The pressure quickly fell on the shoulders of the young pre-teen girl and she rebelled. Ginger drank and partied hard in high school, but when her grandfather fell ill and passed away during her junior year of high school, Ginger had no choice but to step up to the plate. Her high school sweetheart, Wyatt Jamison, was quickly enlisted to help out the Cavanaugh’s and when Ginger decided she wanted to go to college, he graciously took over her place until she returned.

 

Ginger had always been a writer and when she decided she wanted to attend college for journalism, her parents almost didn’t agree. Being quick on her feet, as was needed on a farm, she agreed to double major in journalism and business. She would learn to do what she loved, but also would learn the ins and outs of basic business to help her family legacy live on. Her hopes were that her high school sweetheart would be the son they needed until Court could take over so her parents could have the best of both worlds.

 

During Ginger’s final year at University of Nebraska-Lincoln, her and her college room-mate, Katina Williams, a pre-law student, co-authored an article which first ran in the college paper, but was quickly picked up by many local newspapers nationwide. The article discussed how major corporations were strong-arming family run operations into selling off their land and their legacies, leaving big business in control of pricing and stocks. This article started a flood of internal investigations amongst the most powerful packing plants and slaughter houses across the Midwest, one of which had to pay a hefty settlement to a number of small farm operations they underpaid to purchase their businesses. Eventually it had to close its doors.

Columbia University’s journalism and law schools caught wind of the storm the pair created and offered them full-ride scholarships to complete their graduate degrees. Kat jumped at the chance, but Ginger was hesitant. She hadn’t intended on getting her master’s degree as she was content with her bachelor’s to take over her family’s operation. She also wasn’t sure Wyatt would want to continue to pretend to be the eldest Cavanaugh son. Ginger and Wyatt had drifted apart. They were no longer considered a couple, but remain close friends. Plus, Wyatt has been saving up to branch off on his own to begin a breeding operation. Fortunately for Ginger, her family and friends wouldn’t let her pass up this type of opportunity and sent her packing to New York City.

 

Although Ginger has been receiving offers from numerous and prestigious magazines and newspapers, both print and online, she hasn’t been accepting any positions. She still has an entire year left at Columbia, but after she’s seen the politics true journalism holds, she’s ready to head back home to take over as the head of the Cavanaugh homestead.

 

Ginger is a bright spirited and simple girl from the Midwest who’s thankful for the chance she’s had to get out and experience life before settling down on the family farm.