Country Woman Anita Hoger is dairy farmer, teacher, community leader

Dairy producer Anita Hoger, nominated for the Country Woman of the Year Award, would not have it any other way.

“I just knew – after living in the city – that was really not, not the way I wanted to spend the rest of my life,” she said. “I lived in the Fargo-Moorhead area for seven years and just really missed being on the farm.”

She attended Moorhead State University and earned a degree in elementary education. After a few years living in the area, she took a job teaching in her home town of Gackle. It was there she was introduced to her future husband, Scott, by his sister.

She moved to New Salem to farm with Scott and raise Registered Holsteins.

“My husband and I are the fourth generation on his family farm, named Hogerville Dairy. It’s a farm that started back in 1902,” she said. “Right now, in the milking string, we have 230 cows, about 85 dry cows and then we raise all our own replacement heifers. We have about 550 head total on the farm.”

They also raise wheat, corn, soybeans, canola and alfalfa.

About four years ago, they began a new project, renting irrigated land.

“We have just recently taken this over, so we are still kind of in the learning stages,” she said. “Somebody has to be out here. You have to watch when the water gets to the end of one border, then you open the gates on the next one and start watering that one.”

The irrigated land is mostly being used to raise alfalfa for the dairy herd. They also grow corn or soybeans to keep up with a crop rotation.

Anita’s day starts very early with the first milking.

“My alarm clock will go off, Mondays and Wednesdays, a little before 3 a.m., rest of the days of the week, it is going to go off at 3:30 and we’re milking by 4 a.m.,” she said.

It takes about 3-4 hours to milk all the cows through a parallel parlor with seven milking on each side. This does not include clean up or feeding time. Anita estimates about 30-man hours a day are spent just on milking.

Anita and Scott also have three daughters, Brenna, Fayth and Kendyl.

“My kids appreciate farm life, they really do. They love having the animals and they love helping in the field,” she said. “I’ve tried to instill that in them, just say little things like, ‘You couldn’t do this if you lived in the city’ or ‘You’re not living if you’re not chasing cows in your nightgown and barn boots.’”

Anita’s daughters are all active in 4-H and FFA, and Anita helps however she can.

At the Morton County Fair, she has been the Dairy Barn Boss 10 years and the 4-H Dairy Barn Boss for 3 years.

“We are going to start tying up show cattle and then we go to the state fair, to the Morton County Fair and to the Oliver County Fair. We will usually take a pretty big show string, about 20 head and so that’s a lot of work, but we enjoy it,” she said.

Anita also helps in her community. She has been a Sunday School teacher for 12 years and a leader with Vacation Bible School. She assists with town events, such as the New Salem Hoedown, running games like calf bottle races and cow pie throwing.

When Anita’s niece told her that she was nominating her for the Country Woman award, Anita was very surprised.

“I read about these ladies every year and I’m just amazed. I feel like they all should get the award. I just don’t feel like I’m worthy,” said Anita. “I’m flabbergasted.”