I’ve experienced many moving days, and so have a good idea of what a well-organised Southland farmer does to prepare for moving stock. There’s no special approach or magic bullet if you want to get organised for large-scale stock movements – it comes down to farmers using good practice to ensure cows arrive at their destination in good condition.
Southland farmers who are well organised:
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Have a plan.
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Know which cows are moving and where.
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Have a good understanding of the health of those cows.
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Start organising fitness for travel and diet requirements with time to spare.
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Book their transport operators well in advance and ensure the trucks have sufficient effluent holding tanks for the journey.
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Communicate with everyone involved, including their staff, the transport operators, and the farmers who are receiving their stock.
Cow fitness for transport is essential and a good place to start is with dietary requirements. A feed transition plan is needed for cows going onto a new feed, to help the cows adjust. Some farmers are now allocating one to two hours of crop each day, while grazing pasture or feeding silage.
Transporting stress also means blood magnesium levels in cows drop. Providing magnesium for at least three to four days either side of transport – 12-20 grams a cow a day for three days before and three days after moving – will help overcome this situation.
Farmers will already be checking cows for signs of ill health like dull coat, sunken eyes, or discharges, and there should be no visible wounds, bleeding, disease, deformity or infection. Don’t forget cows being transported should be able to bear weight on all four limbs.
If you have any concerns, check with your vet – now is the ideal time.
Before loading, cows should be stood off green feed for four to 12 hours, where they must have access to good quality hay and water. Plan now for a standoff area, preferably a grazed-out paddock or standoff pad rather than concrete.
A successful June 1 is where all cows walk off the truck at their destination without problems, and there’s no effluent on the road.
Check out www.dairynz.co.nz for useful factsheets and checklists.
Richard Kyte is DairyNZ’s regional leader, Southland/South Otago.
