Moving Day, traditionally on the first day of June, is a big day on the dairy farming calendar when sharemilkers and other farmers move their families and mobs of cows between farms.

It is a lot more complicated than moving a household as it includes a farm-load of equipment and animals.

Good planning and communication is the key to reducing the stress of Moving Day – which usually involves moving to a new job, on a new farm with a new home – and often even a new school for children.

Most farmers will need help from trucking companies and other contractors for the move. With hundreds of farms and thousands of cows on the move, it’s essential to arrange the help you will need well in advance and clarify what each contractor will do, when and where they will be needed, where they are going, and the costs involved.

A lot of farmers rely on family and friends to help out on Moving Day. Asking for help early and being clear on the help you need will take the stress out of the day.

It’s also important to communicate with the person leaving the farm you’re moving to and to ask to be kept up-to-date with any last-minute issues that might arise.

Preparing stock for moving usually starts several weeks in advance, including booking transport (if necessary) and a feed transition plan for cows moving on to new feed.

Supplementing feed with extra magnesium to combat the extra stress of the move is also recommended.

Ospri regional partner Fiona Caldwell said farmers needed to ensure the animals being moved were fit for either transport or walking from one farm to another.

All cows moving farms need to be tagged and registered and both the dairy farmer and the grazier had responsibilities under Nait, she said.

Ideally each animal should be scanned off a property and scanned in at the new property, with the movement sent through to Nait.

If the person in charge of the animals (PICA) changes, the person in charge needs to fill in an animal status declaration.

"It's important that the parties communicate and know who is going to do what, and who is responsible for replacing any lost tags."

Caldwell said farmers can contact Ospri if they had any queries.

Farmers using third-party software, such as Minda, to record stock movement should use the same process to record movement off one farm and on to the next - and check that the information is transferred to Nait.

Some farmers might need a new Nait location and farmers should complete a change of PICA, she said.

"If you're taking over an existing Nait it's a good idea to get it updated and make sure it is all correct. Don't be afraid to contact the Ospri support centre," Caldwell said.

• Sharon Davis