2020
April Newsletter
Member Highlights | Dairy News | Industry Events April Proof Run Highlights
April in Wisconsin has worn a few
Member Highlight
different hats over the years. Ide-
ally, April means spring is on the
horizon and it’s the official start to
Comfort & Thurler Holsteins the beloved season of mud. More of-
ten than not, there is still remnants
Mark Comfort and Nick Thurler came together in 2012 to establish Com-
of snow on the ground and snow-
fort and Thurler Holsteins in Eastern Ontario, Canada, with a common
storms still scattered throughout
goal to create the highest genomic offspring for GTPI, RZG and GLPI in
the forecast. This month has begun
black & white and red & white Holsteins. They also place a focus on devel-
with uncertainty. Our hearts are
oping the variant red gene (VRC) in order to accelerate genetic progress
filled with heavier worries than the
in red & white and polled animals. With two very different backgrounds,
weather.
Mark and Nick found common ground in these goals. They believe in gain-
ing access to transmitting cow families and building their own through
During these scary times, we want
future generations of donors featuring the genomics they love.
you to continue to be confident in
your breeding decisions. While our
Nick Thurler and Family milk 450 registered Holsteins, 3 times a day in a
office has been working different
modern free stall barn, while farming 3000 acres and operating their own
these days, we will continue to bring
milk transportation company in South Mountain, Ontario. Nick is current-
you accurate and timely informa-
ly serving as Vice Chairman of the Ontario Milk Marketing Board (OMMB)
tion from the proof run.
and is a representative for OMMB with the Canadian Dairy Commission.
Sons, Robert and Michael coordinate an OPU facility with five Comfort &
Holstein Plaza is proud to bring you
Thurler Holstein donors every two weeks, along with conventional flushes
information on top ranking males
for embryo export.
and top-ranking females by GTPI,
PTAT, NM$, GPA-LPI, Confirmation,
and Color.
View top 5 lists thorughout
this newsletter
and full top ranking lists
on our website at:
holsteinplaza.com/top-genetics
Pictured Left:
The Comfort & Thurler
Families, owners of
Comfort & Thurler Holsteins
Established 2012
1515 Livingstone Road, Suite B, Hudson, Wisconsin 54016, USA
info@holsteinplaza.com | holsteinplaza.com
Phone: +1 715-808-8653 | Fax: +1 715-808-8564
TOP 5 GTPI PROVEN BULLS
Member Highlight continued...
Mark Comfort is the owner of Udder Comfort, a manufacturer of lotions
1. AOT SILVER HELIX and sprays made with essential oils and distributed worldwide. Prior to
silver x supersire x man-o-man developing this company, he owned the marketing rights for Select Sires
+2997G // +813NM$ across Canada for twenty years.
2. PINE-TREE BURLEY In 2013, they took a major step forward in their polled program with the
boastful x altaoak x o-style purchase of Morsan Ladd After Fools P Red VR. She is the granddaughter
of Fools Gold Red VG-88 8* and is sired by Ladd P. Fools P completes seven
+2922G // +829NM$
generations of Very Good or Excellent females, several having earned Star
Brood Cow status. She is a proven producer of many successful genomic
3. S-S-I JOSUPER ROCKETFIRE offspring including:
josuper x sterling x robust
+2983G // +776NM$ - a VG red, polled Rubicon daughter who is a prepotent transmitter
and produced 40,801lbM (18,507kgM) milking 3x as a 3-year-old
4. WELCOME SILVER GRIFF - a polled variant red granddaughter by Hawai who is the No. 1 red
silver x supersire x man-o-man GTPI and GLPI female, and ranks in the top 3 for RZG at +161RZG
+2876G // +738NM$ - a variant red, polled Jedi daughter who produced 32,055lbsM
(14,554kgM) at 1-11
- a rare polled black & white Humblenkind daughter, Tara P, from
5. PEAK HOTLINE
the Jedi, who was the highest combined type and production female for
altahotrod x supersire x many years in the RZG system
man-o-man
+2840G // +575NM$ The high type aspect of the Fools Gold VG-88 9 star line is apparent after
the 2019 All-European Show, when the Intermediate Champion, M.E.Dal
Long P Dandy, from Italy was a 4-year-old black & white granddaughter of
TOP 5 GTPI YOUNG BULLS Gold Dancer Red VG-88 5 star, the Goldwyn full sister to Fools Gold, that
WITH NAAB CODE Comfort sold embryos from to 12 different countries. Dandy was devel-
oped by Ercole Ladina and is now with Rising Star Holsteins.
1. DENOVO 16429 HERCULES
heroic x frazzled x delta
+3101G // +993NM$
2. WINSTAR MENDEL-P
entity x windfall x powerball p
+3086G // 980NM$
3. DENOVO 16785 REMEDY
royal x medley x yoder
+3078G // +939 NM$
4. RMD-DOTTERER SSI
GAMEDAY
big al x blowtorch x yoder
+3076G // +917NM$
5. DENOVO 16478 ABUNDANT
royal x medley x yoder
+3068G // +986NM$
Islehaven Gold DancerRED
VG-88-4YR-CAN 5* 89-MS 92-DS
1515 Livingstone Road, Suite B, Hudson, Wisconsin 54016, USA
info@holsteinplaza.com | holsteinplaza.com
Phone: +1 715-808-8653 | Fax: +1 715-808-8564
TOP 5 LPI PROVEN BULLS
1. PEAK ALTAMARLON
altaspring x o-style x planet
+3547LPI // +12 CONF
2. EDG RUBICON
mogul x robust x planet
+3528LP // +9 CONF
3. S-S-I MILLINGTON TOTEM
millington x jacey x sudan
+3516LPI // +9 CONF
4. WESTCOAST RANDALL
lopitmum x numero uno x
robust
+3514LPI // +13 CONF
Mark Comfort pictured with Red P 5. S-S-I KINGPIN PHANTOM
Another highlight from their black & white polled program is Tara P, the kingpin x supersire x snowman
No. 1 RZG and RZE female for six months in 2019, scoring +156RZG and +3442LPI // +8 CONF
+139RZE. Tara P comes from a variant red breeding and has excelled
above her black & white counterparts. The extreme combination of RZG
and RZE scores caught the eye of many European AI Studs, farther prov- TOP 5 GPA-LPI YOUNG BULLS
ing the success of the variant red gene. WITH NAAB CODE
Marking their entrance into the black & white market, after developing
the red and variant red lines, is the purchase of Aija Supersire Makea at 1. SIEMERS RENEGADE
the 2013 Sale of Stars in Toronto, Canada. Nick had walked through the ROZLINE
barn of sale heifers and was very impressed by the 8-month-old heifer con-
renegade x frazzled x rubicon
signed by the Jaquement Family. The Jaquement’s immigrated from Swit-
+3832LPI // +7 CONF
zerland to run a dairy farm in Canada, just as the Thurler Family once
did. Mark found interest in her high GTPI and Net Merit scores. She was
the talk of Eastern Ontario before the sale. Comfort and Thurler Holsteins 2. PROGENESIS MANHATTAN
purchased Makea and later found she was also high in RZG, a huge bonus positive x guarantee x duke
to their breeding program. +3787LPI // +9 CONF
3.WELCOME-TEL HEART 85635
renegade x frazzled x montross
+3779LPI // +8 CONF
4. PROGENESIS MEZZOFORTE
Aija Supersire
positive x guarantee x duke
+3759LPI // +9 CONF
Makea
5. BLUMENFELD RENEGAD
VG-86-4YR-CAN
AHEAD
renegade x miles x yoder
+3754LPI // +7 CONF
1515 Livingstone Road, Suite B, Hudson, Wisconsin 54016, USA
info@holsteinplaza.com | holsteinplaza.com
Phone: +1 715-808-8653 | Fax: +1 715-808-8564
Member Highlight continued...
Claynook Faithful Duke Pictured Top:
After the sale, Makea was sent to Boviteq, a decision proving very valu-
Comfort Thruler Tara
able when looking at how well she produced and the impact she made on
the Holstein breed. Her daughter Chantal, the world’s No. 1 GLPI heifer Pictured Bottom:
with >+160RZG, sold for $150,000 to Westcoast Holsteins in 2015. Makea’s
son, Cover, is a popular proven sire in Europe with GGI and has a flawless Comfort Thurler Skybevy
linear. Over the years her sons have sold to ABS, Semex, and Select Sires, while daughters have been purchased
by influential breeders such as ABS, Sexing Technologies, Pine-Tree Dairy, T-Spruce Farms, Oakfield Corners
Dairy, Broeks, and Ever-Green-View.
In nearly four lactations, Makea has made 52,000kg of milk in 1,260 days, averaging 42kg (92lb) a day with
4.2% fat and 3.5% protein. She scored VG-86-3YR-CAN with 89 points for feet & legs and 92 points for dairy
strength. Makea’s Kingboy daughter, the granddam of Freemax, was scored GP-81-2YR-CAN (83-MS) with a
front leg injury at the time. As a heifer, she sold embryos to a German AI Stud, and showed tremendous transmit-
ting ability, leaving a VG-87 Jedi daughter, and the VG-85-2YR Modesty Freespirit dam of Freemax. Mark and
Nick were pleased to breed Freemax, the No. 2 RZG sire in 2019, scoring +164RZG.
Returning to the Sale of Stars in 2017, the partnership purchased Claynook Faithful Duke, the incredible Duke
daughter who was fresh at 2-years-old in 2019. She is from a VG Silver daughter, out of VG-88 10 star - View-
Home MCC Found, and back to the Rudy Missy’s. Faithful Duke has already produced a great record of 2-06 3x
357d 22,402kgM (49,387lbM) 646 (1,424)F 663(1,462)P. She is the dam of Comfort Thurler Skybevy who was
the No. 1 RZM female at +166RZM with +162RZG during the December 2019 proof run. During this run, Skybevy
also scored +93 lbs. of fat and +93 lbs. of protein, with +2728GTPI. Lately she has been busy in the donor pen,
filling AI embryo contracts, and is just getting started with sexed semen.
In 2019, the embryo program at Comfort and Thurler Holsteins was based on 80% high RZG numbers, with desir-
able GTPI scores, and some of the polled gene. In 2020 they plan to continue their focus in the direction of mak-
ing trouble free cows that can produce and reproduce, while also maintaining their high genomic standards.
To view a list of donors and follow along with their success, visit the Comfort and Thurler Breeder Page on
our website at holsteinplaza.com/comfort.
1515 Livingstone Road, Suite B, Hudson, Wisconsin 54016, USA
info@holsteinplaza.com | holsteinplaza.com
Phone: +1 715-808-8653 | Fax: +1 715-808-8564
Industry Events
With so many events being canceled due to the current global situation,
we want to keep you up to speed on what events are being canceled or
rescheduled and which are continuing on as normal. Events listed below
in Red have been canceled or rescheduled for a later date.
Apr. 7 Official Genetic Evaluation Release
Apr. 8-11 NY Spring Dairy Carousel
Apr. 8-9 Best of Blackfire Tag Sale
Apr. 9 Hall of Fame Collection Sale
Apr. 10 Oklahoma State Holstein Sale
Apr. 10-16 Holstein Plaza Online Embryo Auction
Apr. 11 Northeast Spring National Holstein Show
Apr. 11 MN Spring Special Sale
Apr. 15-18 Canadian National Holstein Convention
Apr. 18 Mid-Atlantic Calf Sale
Apr. 18 Hawkeye Holsteins Endless Opportunities Sale
Apr. 18 Stars At Stadview - Franchise Edition
Apr. 18 Born to Show Sale
Apr. 18 NY SUNY Cobleskill Dairy Fashions Sale
ADVERTISE WITH US! Apr. 22-23 Ontario Spring Show
Apr. 22-29 Wisconsin Dairy Showcase
Apr. 23-24 Quebec Spring Show
Apr. 24-30 Holstein Plaza Online Embryo Auction
Apr. 24 Calfornia Spring Jersey Show
CONTACT US TODAY TO Apr. 24-25 California State Holstein Show
ADVERTISE IN OUR May 5 Official Genetic Evaluation Release
NEWSLETTER AND ON OUR May 8-14 Holstein Plaza Online Embryo Auction
WEBSITE. May 9 Spring Celebrations IV Sale
May 15-22 Holstein Plaza Online Heifer Sale
Share your event details with thousands of industy members
across North America. Contact us today to have your event add-
715-441-0188 ed to our monthly newsletter and advertised on our website!
INFO@HOLSTEINPLAZA.COM
TOP 5 PTAT HEIFERS TOP 5 NM$ HEIFERS
1. SIEMERS SRG APPLE 30689 1. LEVEL-PLAIN DENOVO 1293
surge x jacoby x mogul heroic x achiever x delta
+4.02 PTAT +990NM$ // +3078GTPI
2. LIMA UNDENIED BEAUTY 2. BOMAZ LEGACY 9216
undenied x doorman x dempsey legacy x altatopshot x yoder
+4.00 PTAT +970NM$ // +3040GTPI
3. MS LACES CRUSHABULL LILLY 3. BOMAZ KENOBI 8852
crushabull x avalanche x atwood kenobi x altatopshot x yoder
+3.94 PTAT +965NM$ // +3062GTPI
4. MS LACES UPGRADE LACIE 4. PINE-TREE 7596 HERO 8571
upgrade x avalanche x atwood heroic x achiever x morgan
+3.84 PTAT +962NM$ // +3003GTPI
5. JIMTOWN KD NARCISA 5. WILRA SSI LEGACY 2013
doc x doorman x atwood legacy x spectre x rubicon
+3.84 PTAT +961NM // +3030GTPI
1515 Livingstone Road, Suite B, Hudson, Wisconsin 54016, USA
info@holsteinplaza.com | holsteinplaza.com
Phone: +1 715-808-8653 | Fax: +1 715-808-8564
