Moving Day is entrenched in dairy farming culture, but discussions have been held about whether there are less disruptive ways to move farms.
For many, June 1 means one thing — time to move. As the new season starts, thousands of sharemilkers pack cows into stock trucks and move equipment and families to new farms. It is a familiar sight, the traditional progression in New Zealand's dairy industry.
More awareness of the disruption the move can have on families, small rural communities and schools, has led to discussion in the industry about whether there is another way.
DairyNZ strategy and investment leader, people and business, Mark Paine says discussion stemmed from a workshop four years ago involving people from different sectors of the industry which focused on improving the reputation and experience of working in dairying. Getting away from the traditional Moving Day was one issue explored.
"When we dug into it, there was agreement that it is incredibly disruptive for rural communities and schools. Secondly it has a fairly negative impact in terms of stock movement for locals," says Mark.