Don Herron and his wife, Ruth, and 7 children operated Maple Shade Farm, Leyden, Massachusetts, for many years. After a barn fire, they rebuilt and went from Guernseys to a Holstein and Brown Swiss herd. In addition, they sold blueberries and maple syrup.

His Brown Swiss herd started with 4 cows from Jim Britton's Hillwinds Farm in Leyden. The Herrons milked about 80 cows for many years. Their herd was about 2/3 Holsteins and 1/3 Brown Swiss.

Don was the breeder of both outstanding Brown Swiss and Holsteins. In 1973, Maple Shade Stretch Gilda, then owned by Elmer Johnson, was Reserve Grand Champion as a 3-year-old. Her grandam, dam and Gilda all classified multiple Excellent, with Gilda classifying 3E in all breakdowns. Eventually purchased by Gordon Demay and Richard Stevens, she had much success in the show ring for a number of years and was considered one of the great cows of the 1970's. Gilda's daughter, Pleasant Valley Beauty Gilda, bred by Elmer Johnson, was twice Grand Champion of The Big E Junior Show in the late 1970's.

Don also bred and owned outstanding purebred Holsteins, especially the "Flayvors" cow purchased by Gordon Cook in Hadley, Massachusetts. She later scored multiple EX 95 and had many superb offspring including nine Excellent daughters and 3 sons in A.I., along with many top milk production records. Approximately half of Cooks' deep-pedigreed Holstein herd traces back to the "Flayvors" cow.