Welcome from PHA President

In The Details

The Hoover Family’s Focus on “The Little Things” Makes a Big Difference

-By Rose Morian

Brook-Corner Holsteins is all about family, whether that be in the barn or out. When Reid and Diane Hoover took over the farm in 1995, it was definitely with a vision for the future, as well as a connection to where they came from. At that time, they milked 120 registered Holsteins in a tie-stall barn with a small freestall. Reid had developed a love of registered Holsteins and enjoyed being active in the industry. Reid passed this passion on to their son, Brad, who grew up spending his days in the barn with his parents. As he got older, Brad became more involved, and together the family pursued their passion for breeding a sound herd of cows. The family strategically selects sires to improve their herd and achieve three main objectives: breed cows that hold market value, be a profitable operation and compete at shows. Over time, as Brad became more involved, the transition process began to expand the ownership of the farm. Brad met his wife, Amy, at the National Holstein Convention where their similar interests and love of Holsteins brought them together. The Brook-Corner partnership is now made up of Reid, Diane, Brad, Amy, and their son Brock. It has always been a goal and hope that in the future the farm remains in the family, passing from one generation to the next as in the past, including down to Brock, if he so wishes when that time comes. The herd has also expanded to 400 milking cows, with 29 of them scored Excellent and 172 Very Good. Most of those being homebred and many going back to impressive brood cows. The importance of good, strong maternal lines on the farm is not lost at Brook-Corner. Brook-Corner Atwood Woozy (EX-94) is the matriarch of one of their best-known families, and is prominent in many pedigrees. Her granddam was purchased by Reid as an embryo out of Charles Ardel (EX-94) from the Willard Maust, Elk“ Lick herd and the family has flourished since. “Woozy has been a fun foundation cow, allowing us to use numerous modern sires while maintaining and improving type without sacrificing strength and production. We have numerous offspring in the herd and look forward to seeing more ente the milking herd in the future.” While Woozy lives on and continues to have a strong influence in the herd through her progeny, there are other impressive cows making their impact on as well. These cows include Luck-E Powerball Addict-ET (EX-94) (a Polled Powerball x Asia) purchased in partnership with Amy’s dad, Boyd Schaufelberger, at the National Convention in Michigan, and World Dairy Expo Champion, Rosiers Blexy Goldwyn (EX-97). The Hoover family purchased Blexy as a calf with their partners, Bryant Hlavaty and Nate Heim, and after working with Blexy and developing her into a special young cow and then they sold her when the time was right. “We were certainly excited to sell her to Tim and Sharon Abbott and watch as she developed into the world-famous cow she is today.” Her presence remains at Brook-Corner through her Windbrook daughter and many granddaughters. The Hoover family agrees that while breeding from

homebred stock is always their motivation, they don’t shy away from adding new genetics to their herd when the opportunity arises. “When purchasing animals, we humbly strive to follow Horace Backus’ famous line, ‘Buy the best, and breed them better’.” When Brad’s wife Amy moved to PA and joined Brook-Corner, she brought with her a nice group of cows from her family’s Schaufine herd. Influential cows such as Schaufine GW Atwood Bravo (EX-92) “ and Schaufine Atwd Mystique (EX-93) are making their own mark on the Brook-Corner herd. The Hoover family has enjoyed working with the Schaufine cows, and has grown the group through IVF. They are looking forward to seeing the descendants of the Schaufine herd continue to shine in the Brook-Corner herd. When asked how their breeding program has changed over time, the Hoovers said they’ve seen noticeable genetic advancement in their herd over the years. “It used to be all about milk and then the focus switched to type. We then decided we needed to return some focus to producWe want to be sure to tion and health traits, in search of breeding a more balanced cow.” The always strive for Hoovers added that as their facilities changed, their breeding program improvement through did as well- both improving over time, as cow comfort is another main breeding cattle and their day-to-day care.” focus at Brook-Corner. A decade ago, construction on a new freestall and parlor was completed, which led to the expansion of cow numbers, mostly within the herd. They were also able to modernize in order to raise their young stock in a more efficient way. When asked about goals, the Hoover family said they have been very fortunate to market many cattle on local and national levels. “We feel we have accomplished some of our original goals we set out to achieve when we began the expansion process, while maintaining our place in the dairy industry, but we want to be sure to always strive for improvement through breeding cattle and their day-to-day care.” When one looks at the Brook-Corner herd, you can see that the Hoover family is tightly woven, dedicated, and passionate about the industry and their cows. They always have an eye on the future and that is what sets them apart. “We work hard to take the best care of our farmland and facilities in hope that we can leave it better than we found it. Being involved as a family and breeding the best cows we can has been a driving force in our continued involvement in the Holstein business. We are excited to welcome breeders from across the nation to Brook-Corner during the 2021 National Holstein Convention.”

Photo provided by the Hoover Family

Being involved as a family and breeding the best cows we can has been a driving force in our continued ” involvement in the Holstein business.