Five of the top pedigree breeders from across Canada and multiple breeds share their thoughts on genetics, embryo transfer, marketing and Immunity+. Sponsored by Shur-Gain this event was held on Wednesday February 4th at the Canadian Dairy Xpo.
The speakers are:
- Marc Comtois – Comestar Holsteins, Victoriaville, QC
Comestar Holstein’s is a family farm located at Victoriaville, Quebec. Known around the world for developing high quality genetics, they have established a strong international market. The herd is approximately 700 head and the base of the herd stems from the GREAT Comestar Laurie Sheik VG-88 23* Family. Marc is bilingual and is well known and respected around the world. The Comestar herd is known for their show winning ladies, but the herd is built on more than just show winners! - Glenn Barkey – Altona Lea Holsteins, Blackstock, ON
Glenn is part of the Leading Livestock Genetics group that was formed to help farmers market animals and embryos. Leading Livestock Genetics (LLG), an alliance of dairy cow and dairy goat breeders are located in the East-Central region of Ontario, Canada. Altona Lea Farms is a two-time Master Breeder herd, multigenerational, family owned and run farm. - Jen Vander Meulen – Avonlea Genetics, Brighton, ON
Jen and her husband Andrew have a deep history in the Jersey breed and are noted as one of the top of the breed in marketing. Avonlea Genetics Inc. is a third generation purebred Jersey farm with many accolades, including: 2 National Grand Champions and Lifetime Production Awards. In recent years an emphasis has been placed on their embryo program. - John Crowley – Crovalley Holsteins, Hastings, ON
John Crowley and wife Cynthia have four children, Christina, Justin, Ryan and Vanessa. They farm Crovalley Holsteins, consisting of 1400 acres with their sons, Justin and Ryan. The herd consists of 80 milking cows, with a total of 250 head. Herd Classification is 42Excellent, 62 Very Good, 5 Good Plus. Crovalley has been named numerous All-Canadian and All-American nominations from a showtype herd. - Curtis McNeil – Heather Holme Holsteins, Goderich, ON
Curtis McNeil is a shareholder with his parents Glen and Vanda McNeil in Heather Holme Holsteins. Heather Holme Holsteins is a 3x Master Breeder, entirely homebred and the 1st CHAH Leucosis free herd in Canada. With the slogan “Breeding the kind dairyman like to milk worldwide” they focus on producing high quality milk as well as breeding and marketing elite Holstein genetics. The current herd classification of 18 EX (2 @ 94) 33 VG, 3 GP, 94% VG or EX. The Herd average is 12,250 Kgs (2x/day) 4.4% fat, 3.4% protein, BCA 260 298 273 . They have bred numerous All-Canadian & All-Canadian nominations over the years and merchandize 60-80 embryos annually, domestically.
