Built From The Ground Up! MISTY MEADOW DAIRY
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t the 2018 Kash-In on Valentines Day Sale, the talk of the lineup was River Valley Excitation Flawless, the 2017 All-American Milking Yearling, who was coming off of an undefeated show season. She looked impressive in the ring and after the final bid, it was announced that she had been purchased by David Hogan of Misty Meadow Dairy in Tillamook, Oregon. More than a few people looked at each other in puzzlement - who was this new name on the scene? And not just new, but willing to bid big for the very best? Since that day, the name Misty Meadow Dairy has been affiliated with some of the finest Jersey show cattle in the nation. Though the name may not have been familiar to the crowd at that sale, it’s wellknown in the Tillamook area, as Misty Meadow Dairy milks almost 3,000 Jerseys and is a member of the world-famous, farmer-owned Tillamook County Creamery Association. The operation is owned by Dave & Rita Hogan. Their three children and their families are actively involved on the farm: Becky Heimerl, who works
on the farms’ finances and records; Matt, who manages the calves, genetic and IVF programs; and Kristin Killgore, who is head of HR, payroll and employee management. Becky and Kristin’s husbands work in the areas of manure, field and equipment management. The roots of Misty Meadow Dairy began in Orland, California where Dave Hogan grew up. His family Kristin Killgore, Becky Heimerl, Rita Hogan, Dave Hogan, farmed, but Dave cultivated a love Joe Heimerl and Ryan Killgore. Photo supplied. for dairy cattle, and from a young age he was determined to make dairy In the midst of all that, Dave met Rita farming his career. He gained experience when he was assisting with the silage relief milking for a number of farms in the harvest at a nearby farm belonging to area, and soon was highly-sought after Rita’s sister and her husband. While Rita and trusted - owners would schedule describes herself as a ‘city girl’ from the their vacations around when he could coastal town of McKinleyville, CA, she dove right in with Dave’s dairy dream and come milk and caretake their farms. they were married in 1978. A couple of A hard-working, earnest young man can years later, the California natives took a make a great impression, and when Dave trip to Tillamook, OR, where they loved the applied for his first bank loan - for $5000 climate for dairy cows, and also saw the - the banker himself co-signed the loan. stability and potential of becoming a part He rented his first dairy as a junior in of the Tillamook Cheese co-op. In 1982, high school, graduated in 1975, and then they relocated to the area, and started purchased his first dairy in 1977. building their herd to 100 Holsteins. The herd numbers continedu to grow to about 600 Holsteins, but the transition to Jerseys began when Tillamook Cheese restructured their pricing, and the highercomponent brown cows became the obvious choice for the future. The farm and herd has gone through several transitions: converting to Jerseys from 1990-1994, and growing in size when they purchased two other dairies in the area. The farm is home to a million-gallon anaerobic digester, which fuels a 750-kilowatt cogeneration engine that produces enough electricity to power more than 500 homes. The newest transition in the works is the construction of an 84-stall rotary parlor to be completed in the fall of 2021.
Misty Meadow purchased River Valley Excitation Flawless in 2017, and she has continued to develop and perform, earning National Reserve Grand Champion honors in 2019. 36 « COWSMOPOLITAN Fall 2021
Though River Valley Excitation Flawless was the first show cow purchased recently by Misty Meadow Dairy, Dave
