Feature: A peep into New Zealand's massive stock migration and the economy behind it

Many have heard of the grandeur of the annual Great Wildebeest Migration in East Africa, while every year around early June, a similar massive migration of cows and dairy farmers takes place in New Zealand, in which thousands of households join the traffic with their herds, in trucks or on foot, to move to new properties.

As the hallmark of the Kiwi farming culture, the so-called "Gypsy Day" often falls on May 31 or June 1 as farms change hands and sharemilkers take up new contracts from the end of May.

The specific number of cattle moved this season is not available; however, it has triggered a traffic alert from the government, calling for calm and patience from motorists on the roads, as in the past few years.

Apart from lease changes, the cows generally are entering the dry-up period during which they commonly stop lactating for 60 days until delivery.

The Hamish and Mike Ryan farm, which is located around 120 km south of the tourist city Queenstown, is a partner and shareholder of New Zealand's largest meat processor Silver Fern Farms. Owners said their milking job was basically suspended after the Gypsy Day, and the farm will only become busy again in late August.

The dry-up period is a phenomenon of nature, but an almost unified milking period is a result of technical intervention. Through adjusting the breeding season of cows, farmers have managed to keep the increase of stock in line with steady grass supply, thus forming a relatively fixated lactation and dry-up period.

According to industry insiders, cows produce milk with different nutrient elements in different stages of lactation, and the fixated timeframe has guaranteed a stable quality, thus benefiting the ensuing industrial mass production.

The migration of cows manifests the spirit of sharemilking, the most common practice in New Zealand's farming culture and one of the cornerstones of the Kiwi farming system. In this partnership, the farm owner provides the pasture and the sharemilker offers stock as a way of shareholding, in which both can benefit from the sale of milk. It is estimated that one third of Kiwi farms employ sharemilkers.

Farming has been one of the economic pillars of New Zealand. The South Pacific island country with a population of some 4.5 million has kept about 40 million sheep and ten million cows.

A booming farming sector used to witness the grave impact of environmental degradation. After intensive restoration and innovation, the Kiwis are resorting to a sustainable farming culture, which in turn helps boost the country's tourism industry, making it the second-largest foreign currency earner with an evergreen landscape and herding.

The secret of Kiwi farming is all about keeping the balance of forage and livestock, which requires planning, executing, innovation and financial input. As a result, New Zealand can brand its dairy and meat products as safe and green, a winner in the global market.

The Kiwis ensure food safety in their own way. For example, during milk gathering, the very first step of the industrial process, each milk tanker is equipped with analyzing gadgets and a GPS and performs initial tests at the site.

When arriving at the milk plant, the milk is sampled again with detailed information gathered for further tests. The procedure itself guarantees the safety of the milk starting at the farm gate and eliminates any possibilities of human error. Endit