Comestar1
The new barn is 722 ft long by 142 ft wide. The barn is divided into two parts which mirror each other.
Photo: Carl Saucier
Comestar2
The co-owners of Ferme Comestar Holstein: Julien Turmel, Julie Comtois, France Lemieux, Marc Comtois, Kathleen Comtois and Steve Comtois. The cows are divided into four groups of two robots each. Feeding aisles are located along the outside walls.
Photo: Carl Saucier
Comestar3
Due to the size of the barn, the engineering firm Les Consultants Lemay & Choinière could not build it in a standard way. The National Building Code requires that any one-story farm building with an area greater than 4800 m2 be divided by vertical fire walls lasting at least one hour such that each compartment does not exceed 4800 m2. “The surface area and floor layout of Ferme Comestar did not allow us to comply with this article of the code,” explains engineer Christian Lemay. The interior cladding (insulated panels covered with metal cladding on both sides) and exterior, as well as the main structure and its all-steel components make it a building with a low rate of combustible materials, which allowed them to design a compliant building.
Photo: Carl Saucier
Comestar4
The 586 stalls are on sand with flexible separators between the stalls. “We built for the comfort of the cows,” explains Marc Comtois. The feed rails are also equipped with flexible separators, except in the back of the robot where there are yokes. At one end of the barn, a space allows the sand to be stored for a minimum of four months.
Photo: Carl Saucier
Comestar5
Cow traffic is controlled. In each group, a row of stalls is located on the side of the feed area. Two other rows are on the drinking trough side. The cows at the feeder pass through one of the two anti-return barriers to go and drink. To return to the manger, they must pass through the sorting barrier near the robots.
Photo: Carl Saucier
Comestar6
Three calving pens were set up on bedded packs.
Photo: Carl Saucier
Of all the dairy farms in Quebec, Comestar Holstein in Victoriaville is the most recognized throughout the world. Today, with a new generation taking up the farm, a new chapter is beginning. And what better than the construction of a new barn to mark this new stage?
May 20, 2003 marked a turning point in the future of Ferme Comestar. Marc Comtois decided to change the direction of his dairy business. Until then, he specialized in genetics. He continued on this path, but when the Canadian borders closed to the export of live animals due to the mad cow crisis, he felt too vulnerable. Since then, he has bought quota every month. Today, 95 per cent of the company’s income comes from milk. The rest comes from the sale of genetics. In 2003, it was the opposite.
Once again, Comtois had demonstrated his visionary flair. Today, insemination centres, thanks to genomics, own more of the females and hence the development of dairy genetics in the country.
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In January 2020, Comtois’ contribution to the improvement of Holstein genetics around the world was highlighted by Holstein International magazine. He received the title of the most influential breeder in the world from the last 25 years. But this is just one of many awards received over the years. In 2019, Marc Comtois was inducted into the Canadian Agriculture Hall of Fame and twice was named Master Breeder, in 1995 and 2009. Since its founding in 1976, Comestar Holsteins has exported 6,000 embryos to 33 countries. The company has produced four millionaire sires, including a supermillionaire with over 1.5 million doses sold.
The year 2020 marks a new step for the dairy farm with the construction of a new barn with a capacity of eight milking robots. The old barn is being renovated to accommodate the option to continue some milking with a parlou. After more than 44 years as a breeder and dairy producer, Marc Comtois knows that the new project is first and foremost for his three children and his son-in-law who work in the business: Julie and her spouse Julien, Steve and Kathleen.
Take a look at the photos in this gallery for a virtual tour of the new barn at Comestar Farm.
– This article was originally published at le Bulletin des Agriculteurs.
