By: Katie Henson for the Spring 2017 Milking Shorthorn Journal
Nestled in Roaring Spring, Pennsylvania, lies Hard Core
Farm, the home of 80 Milking Shorthorns, Jerseys and Guernseys. Hard Core is
owned and operated by Keith and Donnette Fisher. Together, they have been
breeding high-caliber Milking Shorthorns for 20 years.
Keith was raised in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, while
Donnette hails from the state of Washington. The two met at World Dairy Expo in
1999 and were married in 2001. When Donnette made the move across the country,
she brought along her Guernseys, some Jerseys as well as her “Sunshine”
prefixed “F” family that has produced Fireball and Firemaid and the “D” family
with offspring Dottie and Dorothy. Keith’s brother, Mark, and niece, Chriselle,
are always on hand to help with the show string and operations at the farm if
needed.
The tie stall barn holds 46 cows; 42 tie stalls and four
boxstalls that house older cows. Cows and bred heifers are fed hay, grain and
silage and have access to pasture each day. Calves are raised on whole milk and
in hutches until three months old and then transferred to a super hutch and fed
dry hay and grain.
“Being in a tie-stall barn, we can work with the cows
individually. Our operation is labor intensive, but our cows live longer,” says
Keith. Currently, the average age of the cows is 8 years and 4 months!
The Hard Core breeding philosophy is simple and easy: “breed
for type, manage for production.” Keith does all the mating decisions and is
looking for solid pedigreed bulls with type. All of the breeding is done by AI
with bulls such as Lad, Premium, Ironman and Perfection.
Breeding or implanting embryos is done every three months, since
their primary focus is making show-aged calves. The conception rate on first
service is 82%! Hard Core IVFs at least 15 cows per year with great success.
Last summer, they exported embryos to Japan.
No outside genetics have been purchased recently, although
some of the purchases from many years ago have proven to be great investments. Viking
Valley Megg ‘4E94’ is the dam of well-known Horizon-Tudor Margarita ‘4E95.’
Margarita was Nominated All-American five times and still has many offspring in
the herd today. Hard Core MRB (Margarita’s Rebel Bull) has been a popular sire
for many Milking Shorthorns.
Innisfail BDF Stella 905 ‘4E96,’ the two-time World Dairy
Expo Grand Champion, has over 238,000M in her lifetime. When Stella was Grand
Champion in 2006, Keith and Donnette earned both the Premier Breeder & Exhibitor
banners.
The Milking Shorthorn breed has had four 96-point cows. Two
of those four are currently in the Fisher’s barn: Stella and Tudor Hall Rubens
Roxy ‘2E96.’ Roxy is the dam of Hard Core Ace Roxy ‘4E95,’ a 10-time
All-American nominee.
Sunshine Dittos Dottie ‘4E93,’ with over 200,000M lifetime, is
a prolific cow for Donnette and Keith.
Dottie topped the Production Class at the Eastern National and then came
in second two years later. Her daughter, Sunshine Frolic Dorothy ‘3E95 97MS,’
is a two-time Reserve All-American and Total Performance Winner at the Eastern
National and International Show.
Another farm favorite, Hard Core O’ Royce ‘4E95,’ is an
All-American, two-time Reserve All-American and Honorable Mention. Her full
sister, Hard Core O’Raely ‘EX-92’ was named HM All-American Four-Year-Old this
past year after placing first at Harrisburg and Louisville.
In 2010, Hard Core held the “Hard Core Select Sale.” One of
the high sellers that day was Hard Core Rebel Rockette ‘2E94.’ Rockette sold to
the Cor Bloo Syndicate of Indiana. She went on be tapped Grand Champion at
World Dairy Expo in 2014.
The show ring is almost like a second home for Hard Core.
Since 1993, the farm has bred and owned 85 All-American Nominations. Sixteen
have been voted All-American, 14 Reserve and 22 Honorable Mention. Keith and
Donnette recognize the importance of picturing cows so that they can be used
for advertising to other Milking Shorthorn breeders and promoting to others
outside of the breed.
An impressive classification breakdown on the 29 scored
Milking Shorthorns currently on the farm include 21 above 90 points and eight
cows scored 86-88 points.
April 21 and 22, 2017 will mark their fourth annual Tag
Sale. Hard Core offers every heifer on the farm and have offered a select few
cows. Last year, a handful of consignments were taken, but each animal had to
be a daughter of Hard Core breeding. This year, only females under two years of
age will have a tag sale price. Five of the animals that sold in 2016 were Nominated
All-American! The tag sale has been a great chance to expand the breed into
non-Milking Shorthorn herds.
Keith and Donnette hold nothing back for the tag sale. Alumnus
of the 2014 sale, Hard Core Premium Fire Maid ‘VG88,’ has put the spotlight on
the Milking Shorthorn breed after being named Supreme Champion Heifer at the
All-American Dairy Show for her owners, Vail, Hillpoint and Borba. She’s
continued to dominate each year in the show ring, including Junior and
Intermediate Champion at World Dairy Expo.
It’s not all just breeding and milking cows for Keith and
Donnette. Keith is involved with the Milking Shorthorn Sale Committee while
Donnette is active on the Credential Committee and her off-the-farm job. Keith
has two daughters and three grandchildren and says his most memorable moments have
been getting to walk his daughters down the aisle at their weddings.
Type, longevity and deep-pedigrees are the kind
of cattle that have put Hard Core in the fore front of the Milking Shorthorn
breed. The Fishers’ passion and hard work are shown in each calf, heifer and
cow that steps foot off the farm, whether it is to a new owner, a sale
consignment or gracing the colored shavings.
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