THE ISCOWP NEWS Volume 7 Issue 2

Vrajapura Farm Protects 20 Cows

The first phase of the Building Vrajapura Farm Campaign has come to a close. 20 cows and oxen are now sheltered and protected, and the foundation for expansion of Vrajapura Farm has been laid. Vraja and Gita (middle picture), ISCOWP's first team, are now quite blissful roaming the pasturing grounds accompanied by friends. We are eternally thankful to all of you for your help in achieving the campaign's goals.

New goals for the year 1997-1998 are in the making to begin the 2nd phase of building Vrajapura Farm. As you may know, the vision for establishing Vrajapura Farm is not only to give local shelter to cows and oxen, but to create a facility at which the educational process for establishing cow protection internationally can be presented. Seminars, hands-on instruction in living-classroom settings, and the distribution of educational literature and resources are some of the activities that have been on-going and are planned for expansion in the future. To offer these activities fully and on a long term basis, a secure and sufficient facility has been needed-and thus the development of Vrajapura Farm has begun.

Inside This Issue

Letters

India, Bangaladesh

Beginning ISCOWP's Straw-Bale House

Special Thanks to Vrajapura Farm Donors

Accomplishments of Vrajapura Farm Campaign

ISCOWP Outreach

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Letters

Dear Reader.
Last issue we printed a short letter from Labangalatika. Since then we received a detailed letter about her efforts at cow protection in India. We thought you would enjoy reading it.

India
Thank you very much for your letter and the advice about bulls, the beautiful map of Vrndavan Dham, and the handmade calendar. I appreciate very much.
We have 5 young bulls, the eldest of whom, Bhima is nearly 4 years old. Here they are not castrated till they are fully grown at four years or so, nor trained to work either till fully mature. The western breeds mature by 2 years of age. Similarly our Indian heifers at 3 years are not ready to breed, whereas our Jersey heifer produced her first calf at 2 years plus.

Labangalatika milking Laxmi.

I asked the vet here why they castrate bull calves so early at a few countries in the west and he said that is "for mutton purposes." meaning for the meat eaters. He doesn't even know the dreadful word "beef".
Our Bhima will be made into an ox this summer or September at the end of the rainy season when there is plenty of green grass for him and his health will be very good. A local farmer who has a young bull of the same age will train them both together to pull a cart and plough. In this he will be in experienced hands. So we have it really easy as far as training is concerned, but we'll also have to learn how to make him work though actually we have a man who will do this (this is India).
I really do admire your pioneering training program and making your own yokes and my humble obeisances to Ananga Manjari prabhu for training her own team. It is glorious. You are breaking new ground and showing the world a wonderful example. Here it's so easy to rely on the tradition. Fortunately in our area oxen are used 100% for plowing rice paddy and doing a lot of load hauling from one place to another. It is a hilly area and farmers are also poor. In Uttar Pradesh, also Vrndavana tractors are roaring down the road all day long.
Bhima is small, powerful, and very hot tempered. He'll have to work alone for a while as his younger brother Nakula badly broke a back leg falling on some rocks about a year ago. It has healed but he is slightly lame as he moved the splints getting up and down too much. He can run well but may not be strong enough for pulling a plough. The next brother Sahadeva is only 3 months old. Nakula baby-sits the 2 younger calves. He is smart enough to lift the latch on the gate and head for the vegetable garden.

Foundation for new cowshed. It gives a glimpse of our scenery.

Gaura is our Jersey bull, 2 years old, big and very good-natured. He will be our breeding bull. He is very used to being handled. I used to bathe his eyes daily when he had some infection on the lids and corneas. It cleared up very well with cow urine, which is a good antiseptic that doesn't harm the eyes.
All our bulls have ropes through their noses and around their heads behind the ears like a halter. They are not tied up by this or lead by this as it is sensitive. They are tied by chain around the neck to the ground. They are only tied by night. The rope is just to catch in case of any problem and they can be brought under control quickly. I prefer not to tie our animals in the daytime, as they need exercise and association. I can't be sure they'll be properly fed and watered if tied, whereas they have access to water drums while loose and hay is put down for them in the field.
We tie our Jersey cow Lalita as she is very restless and doesn't like hot weather, tends to get into thorn bushes and scratch her udders, is bossy with the oxen, and once got a snake bite on her leg which was very difficult to deal with. It wasn't a cobra bite, but it was swollen and she was quite ill. She is better tied with plenty to eat. We didn't plan to have Jersey cows and bulls at all. A friend gave us 6-month-old Lalita and we couldn't refuse her. She has had 2 bull calves.
Nitai is Gaura's younger brother, seven months old, another Jersey. He is very gentle. We have 2 older Indian cows, Haripriya and Laxmi, and 3 heifers: Jaya Radhe, Gopi and Madhari.
We are now building a new cowshed for them all. We are going to keep all of them and their progeny on our 36 acres. We are putting this land into a trust for cow protection.

Further progress of the cowshed showing stone room which will be living quarters. 
Cement and brick water trough in foreground. The cowshed should house about 25 animals.

We grow fruit trees: mango mostly, cashew, some chikoo, guava, sitaphal (custard apple) and coconut. The sale of fruits in the future should maintain the whole farm. We sell milk. We have a few good customers in Roha, the nearby town. Generally it is hard to sell cow's milk here, as people demand buffalo milk. A tribal neighbor, whose wife has TB is taking a liter a day for his baby daughter. It is nice to be able to supply local people in need. Last year we had 2 cases in neighboring villages where the mother had no milk for the infants. It seems to happen in the hot season.
In the monsoon, which lasts about 4 months from June to October with very heavy rains, there is plenty of green grass and creepers for our animals to eat, and they can graze freely. They are not interested in spoiling the trees so much as-grass is there. Just a cowherd is required to keep them from entering the rice paddies.
Now it is very dry, no rain from October to June. We cut a lot of grass for hay and purchased rice straw from local farmers. This is what they eat now. We are growing a field of green grass, specifically for the Jerseys, who need green fodder. It has to be watered, and once cut grows up again. We buy a grain mixture from a village cooperative about 45km away and transport here about 300 kilos a month. It is a very balanced mixture of sesame oil cake, rice bran, lentils, chickpeas, wheat husk, and a little gur or brown sugar. The cows are doing very well on it. Even the youngest get 1/2 kilo ration. This oil cake is made from a cold press. No solvents are used, whereas the stuff available from the mills is full of rubbish and solvents. Adulteration is something you really have to watch out for. That is why we are so dedicated in bringing this feed from so far.
The local cows of village farmers roam and graze on whatever they can get and drink from the river puddles. 3 cows belonging to one man I know fell down a well and died trying to get water one summer. They don't take much care. They only feed the working oxen. It is a poor area. Their cows maybe give ½ liter daily.
I also cut green papaya, fruit and leaves, banana trees, bamboo, whatever I can get to feed them. I grow garlic grass, dill, and give Lalita some spices in her feed, neem powder, ginger powder, fenugreek, fennel and coriander seeds.
Our fences are all thorns and brush, "kanvandah" is a thorn bush, which grows very fast and has very good berries to eat. The fences always need maintenance but I refuse to have any wire here. For one thing it would be stolen right away and it is also dangerous for animals who jump, as a cow in heat.

Jaya Radhe in her monsoon grass.

We have a "gobar" gas plant for cooking gas, and the slurry is a perfect fertilizer for our trees. I also make scouring powder for cleaning pots and plates from cow dung ash and a little washing soda.
I have 2 very good books, with which you may be familiar with, which are my mainstay for animal health, "Herbal Handbook for the Farm and Stable" by Isabelle Leary and "Homeopathic Medicines for Cattle" by George McLeod. I have a big stock of homeopathic medicines here at home now, and good results for cows, people, and dogs, so I feel some confidence in using although I am just learning. I'm trying to avoid vaccines and the vet and his injections of sulfur and penicillin. He's a good vet, and capable in an emergency, but homeopathic medicine is highly effective without side effects.

I give them homeopathic doses of calcium and phosphorous in clean drinking water every week to maintain health.
During this dry season ticks are sometimes a problem. We get some tobacco dust from Gujarat and make a brew. It is unpleasant for devotees to use but it is non-toxic and highly effective in keeping ticks away I also give crushed garlic for illnesses and deworming. It's also unpleasant for us, but good for the cows. I am keeping a journal of medical cases. Local knowledge is also here-how to put a plaster of a root and other ingredients for a broken leg and tie up in bamboo splints.
At present Laxmi, our local cow is milking 2-3 liters a day, and our Jersey Lalita about 8-9 liters plus what they keep for the calves. The Jersey calves go on drinking milk till they are more than a year old. There is no problem. They just milk her out. Laxmi starts kicking her calf at about nine months to inform no more milk, and will not allow us either.
I have enclosed some photos. I apologize for the quality. They never come out quite okay. I am looking forward to your newsletter. Please let me know how I can serve you.
Labangalatika dasi
Raigad, India

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Bangaladesh
Regarding land race rice seeds. We find it very difficult to locate them (even interrogating every withered old farmer or widow for the names is not always productive). Although Bangaladesh is such a small country, still different areas had their own land races (some of course the same, with only different local names). I just don't have the time and resources that I need to even record these, what to speak of trying to maintain and preserve them. We have in the country ISKCON farms in some other districts, but the local devotees (as the general population) are just not into this, and just grin and try to humor me. Do you know of any organizations in the USA that would be willing to sponsor or be able to offer advice/help/assistance or anything? Not only paddy of course, but hundreds of vegetable varieties have long been lost here. The market wants all these "foreign" hybrid cauliflower, cabbage, tomatoes, etc. Only the village people will eat the "jungle" vegetables. But there are still a few "old favorites" that everyone still eats. Many of them are from perennial tubers and not seed, so they sprout up regardless. I am more interested in this type as it takes less work. A kind of very lazy variety of Robert Hart's "Forest Gardening." There is a very interesting kind of 'potato' that is perfectly round and grows above the ground on a vine called a "butter potato" locally for its texture.
As far as threshing the rice paddy, we just take handfuls of stalks from the sheaves and either l) just beat it over a hard surface such as a bench, or 2) if there is a lot, we use a simple foot operated thresher. The first method is fine for small quantities of some varieties that separate easily, or for those like "Govinda Bhoga" that has shorter stalks. The foot-operated thresher is much faster and with two people peddling (up and down to make a small drum fitted with U-shaped iron pins go round) along with two helpers to supply fistfuls of stalks from the sheaves, things go very fast indeed. It only takes about a few minutes to do two sheaves.

A "dekhi" or foot beater is sometimes used for husking rice paddy.

To bring the sheaves from the field we make up the sheaves (say, about a yard in diameter) and one man carries two such sheaves balanced on his shoulders with a pointed bamboo slat that sticks into each one. They can be carried for some distance like this. We have some fields at quite a distance. We can't often use the oxen as the fields in-between are often not yet ready to harvest so there is no path large enough for the cart.
That "dekhi" or foot beater (that you printed in the article "Bangaladesh Paper Makers" of the Fall 95 ISCOWP News) showing the paper makers beating the pulp is what we sometimes use for husking. Set into the ground is a Idia stone with a hole about a 6" wide and deep. The paddy is put into the hole and the wooden beater breaks the husks. This beater is much faster and efficient if the paddy is slightly "par-boiled" first but par-boiled is not offerable to their Lordships.
I can't really explain how we winnow our grains as there is a specifically shaped (like a horse-shoe) bamboo tray, that the women can use very effectively. It can also separate the broken rice from the whole grains.
Nistula das
Paundarik Dham
Bangaladesh

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Beginning ISCOWP's Straw-bale Home
Building the cement basement with environmentally friendly Polysteel forms.

The back of the house is built into the hillside and the front faces south looking onto the surrounding hillsides. We hired a local excavator to excavate the basement site and dig the trench for the concrete footers. The excavation took a day and a half. After the excavation we proceeded to put reinforcing rods in the holes for the footers. The overall depth of the footers was 10 inches.

It was very auspicious for us that we poured the footers for the house on Lord Nrsingha's Appearance Day, which was a Tuesday. After we poured the footers, while the cement was still wet, we placed in the cement the first (course) row of polysteel forms. A good friend of ours, Mukunda Das, who lives in Prabhupada Village community located in North Carolina, is a contractor and representative of American Polysteel Forms.
We had wanted to have poured cement walls in the basement, but there was no one in this area that offers the service. We also wanted to have Mukunda help build the house, so when we called him and asked him to help in the construction of the house he told us about the Polysteel concrete forms. Needless to say we were quite excited.
The forms are extremely easy to use. After the first row of polysteel forms set up in the cement Tuesday night, Wednesday morning we started putting up the walls. By Friday noon the walls were up. The size of the basement is 30 by 39 feet. The south facing wall has two large windows and 2 doors. There are 5 other small windows in the basement. Our crew was totally inexperienced,
but by Lord Nrsingha's mercy, by Friday noon the doors and windows were cut out and framed, everything braced, and horizontal and vertical rebar was inserted into the forms.

Polysteel forms fit together like lego blocks.

At this point we were ready to pour the cement (Friday noon). The Polysteel forms are like "lego" blocks with steel mesh reinforcement. The cement is poured inside and the forms are left in place after the cement is poured giving insulation on both sides of your forms. It took us 5 hours to pour the cement and there was no mishap.
During the pouring of the cement there had to be a person on each side of the wall with a block and hammer tapping on the walls so that the cement did not "honeycomb". With these forms you can not use a vibrator so the tapping is essential to ensure that air pockets. "honey-combing," does not occur which weakens your walls. After the cement was poured and had set up for an hour we went around with a hose and rags and cleaned the forms where any cement had spilled over.

Cement is poured in the middle of the forms and drys to form cement walls.

The next step was to put in the French drain but before we could do this we had a heavy rain which caused the hillside behind the house to slip into the hole. It took us 2 days to dig it out. Then we proceeded to lay in 4 inch perforated drainpipes with a gravel base. Before we put the gravel in we laid a cloth material. After the gravel and drain pipe were in place and the drain pipe covered by more gravel, we folded the cloth over the top . This cloth and gravel prevents dirt from getting into the drainpipe and clogging it up. Three of us worked on it and the project took the better part of the day. After we folded the cloth, we laid dirt on top of the cloth to hold it in place.
In the Polysteel Forms User Manual the benefits of Polvsteel forms are explained. "A Polysteel form is an environmentally friendly building material. From the initial manufacturing process through decades of energy-saving performance in the field, Polysteel forms provide a variety of benefits to our environment.

A great view of the surrounding hills will be available even from the front of the 30" by 39" basement.

Our use of the forms was only to provide a cement basement that would be sturdy for our straw-bale home. And, as mentioned in earlier issues of the ISCOWP News, straw-bale, in our opinion, is the prime environmentally friendly building material. However, before we can build with straw bales we will complete the basement and move into it by November. Hopefully we will have enough money to do this timely. Gradually we will build the next two stories as the funds and time become available.

Baladeva tapping the wall as Mukunda pours cement.

A cathedral ceiling will encompass the front half of the house with nearly the entire front in glass. Not only will the view consist of the surrounding hills but also the cows and oxen in their pasturing grounds. By hosting guests in such an atmosphere we hope to impart the beauty and necessity of cow protection.

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Special Thanks to Vrajapura Farm Donors
$29,518 given of $30,422 pledged to wards the $30,000 campaign goal for 8/96 - 8/97

Special Thanks
We are so fortunate to have your support. All of you always fulfill your pledges when you can and it is because we can rely on you that ISCOWP is able to show progress. Thank you again and again.

Also, special thanks to the unsung heroes of the rodent and deer control team: Kumba & Mela (Kumbamela). They respect the cows and oxen, chase the deer, disperse the groundhogs and loyally protect Vrajapura Farm.

Kumba (right) and Mela (left) About 7 months old. 
Kumba is the boy and Mela is the girl. They are brother and sister.

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Accomplishments of Vrajapura Farm Campaign
Because you fulfilled the financial goals of the campaign, we were able to fulfill the practical goals.

Vrajapura Farm

Water System
60 cows and oxen are now receiving water from the new water system at Vrajapura Farm. During the winter, we will be able to give shelter and water to 20 cows and oxen. With funds from the Building Vrajapura Farm Campaign we have been able to employ devotee plumbers Tejo and Sevananda. They reactivated the original electrically pumped well which gives approximately 2 gallons per minute, laid new pipes to the two barns, and established 2 watering stations for the cows at the barn sites. An added feature of this system is that a 1000-gallon tank has been placed into the hilltop. The water flows from the pump to the rank and down to the barns and house. If the electricity fails, the tank will hold enough water for several days, which will feed the barns and house due to gravity flow. The long-term plan is to run the system with a windmill, not electricity. With the tank, the windmill does not have to be operated 24 hours a day. There is plenty of wind here especially at the top of the hill.

Balabhadra, Tejo, and Seva laying the water-pipe.

Refurbishing Barn
The barn is in a neglected condition. The opposite picture shows pine siding going up on the west side of the barn where there was no wall. At present the wall is completed. This wood was salvaged from a local 60-year-old barn that Balabhadra and crew took down. The lumber was free except for the labor involved in dismantling the old barn. Each of the 1' by 6' T & G siding would have cost approximately $11.50 each. With 90 pieces used to complete the wall, we have saved $1000.
The next steps to refurbishing the barn are to put siding on the east facing wall which is all rusted tin, replace some of the tin on the roof and tar it, and reinforce some of the roof with poplar beams that have also been salvaged. This barn and a smaller barn will enable us to shelter 20 cows and oxen this winter.

Balabhadra using siding from local barn he and crew tore down as siding for Vrajapura Farm 's barn

War of the Roses
Multiflora roses were imported around the turn of the century to create hedge rows (living fences). Unfortunately they have overrun many areas by birds eating the rose hips and then depositing the seeds with some manure. 95% of the multiflora rose bushes, which have been choking the pastures, have been cut by hand and are now being burned. In the 20 acres of pasturing grounds, about half of that acreage was covered with roses.
During the winter months Bhakta Kevin pushed the rose bushes over with a rake so Balabhadra could cut the bush at its roots with a chain saw. These bushes were full of thorns. The winter time was a good time to deal with the roses since the customary thick winter clothing was protection against the prickly thorns.
This spring and summer the dead rose bushes are being burned. This coming fall, what little growth there is left will be cut, leaving no reserve to survive the winter. Thus they will be destroyed. It will take about one day to cut them all since the growth will be minimal. It took approximately 2 months of 6-hour days, 3 days a week to initially cut the rose bushes.

Rose hushes cut with a chain saw during the winter months. 95% of the hushes have been cut.

After spending approximately 2 months cutting rose bushes, burning them was very satisfying.

Fencing
All the locust poles needed for fencing to protect vegetables, herbs and grains against groundhogs and deer have been purchased. We have been having difficulty acquiring the use of the proper machine to pound the posts into the ground. It has been actually several months we have been waiting. The tractor here at New Vrndavana that can work the pounding attachment is still in the repair shop and a local neighbor that also has the equipment has been too busy haying to lend us his machine. No one else in the area has the equipment. In the meantime, Balabhadra and Krsna Shakti dug by hand 4 1/2 feet deep holes for all the corner and gateposts. These poles are all in the ground now.

Krsna Shakti putting in fence post

We were considering putting all the poles in by hand but this is very time consuming when our labor is needed to complete so many other projects. Also we should get the use of one of the machines in the near future. When we do, it should take only a few days to put up all the fencing compared to a couple of weeks by hand.

Cleaning
Since no one has lived on this farm for 15 years, much trash has been left on the grounds. We have cleaned up the most obvious by removing 12 truckloads of garbage. The old house is now cleaned of all trash. Due to lack of space, instead of dismantling the house we decided to temporarily use it for storage.

Planting
15 apple trees of 12 different varieties were planted on the north side of Vrajapura Farm as the beginning of an apple orchard. A small vegetable garden was also planted. Both were attacked by the cows. The apple trees will survive, however the garden was devastated. We put up barbed wire fencing but it did not stop some of them. When we have the proper fencing we should not have this problem. Our dog patrol has been trained not to interfere with cows, therefore they were of no help in this.

Conclusion
All goals of this campaign are in their final stages and should be completed by the end of August. Funds for all goals have been used appropriately and preserved for the goals not yet completed. Because, you our members, fulfilled the financial goals of this campaign we were able to fulfill the practical goals.
In addition to achieving the campaign's goals we have attempted to build a straw-bale home (see page 5) for ISCOWP's family so we can live at Vrajapura Farm by the wintertime. Now we are traveling from our residence to Vrajapura Farm which is about a 15 minute drive. This may become impossible in the winter months because the road into the property is in poor condition. With all 20 of the cows and oxen at Vrajapura Farm we can't risk leaving them up there alone. Therefore it is imperative to the project's success to have a dwelling built by the cold winter months. Since this is our private living space we are not fund-raising for the construction. To provide the financing, Baladeva, our son, is driving truck and Balabhadra is working nights at the local devotee owned Altwin Bakery in addition to working days at Vrajapura Farm. At this point we are hoping to build the basement and make it livable by winter.
Together we have completed the 1st phase of Building Vrajapura Farm. The main goal of the campaign was to make the property inhabitable for 20 cows and oxen so that further development can begin. Further development means to build a training center for spreading the knowledge of cow protection, ox-power, and self-sufficiency based on Srila Prabhupada's instructions. We are indebted to you in helping us in this mission.

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ISCOWP Outreach

Vrajapura Farm:
This spring and summer ISCOWP has had the pleasure to host some of its members and guests. As Vrajapura Farm develops we hope to build guest cottages where our supporters can come and enjoy the agrarian atmosphere. Seminars and workshops will also be facilitated by such guest facilities.
Some of our members who have come to visit are: Dhanistha dasi (Prabhupada disciple who has been distributing Srila Prabhupada's books for many years and has her own center in Stonefort, Illinois), Gautamma das from the Goshala at Bhaktivedanta Manor (England), Henry Schoellkopf, Vanamali Pandit das and family (Dr. Mody), Vidyananda das and Kirtida dasi, and H.H. Hridayananda Goswami. Kanina das and H.H. Bhakti-tirtha Swami visited in the winter and Bhakti-tirtha Swami visited again in July. Also, Anuttama of ISKCON Communications visited Vrajapura Farm in July to see the progress.

Anthony Willett is working with the Humane Society of America to assist cow protection in India. 
He and his family came to visit Vrajapura Farm to discuss connecting with our network of members in India.

Bhakti Caru Swami, who is making the movie about Srila Prabhupada's life and teachings, visited along with Henry in June. After speaking with Balabhadra he is now considering having some footage on cow protection with the possibility of Balabhadra and the oxen involved.
Anthony Willett and family (top picture) visited Vrajapura Farm before traveling to India on behalf of the Humane Society of the United States. Because Anthony will be working to assist cow protection in India, we discussed the possibility of him connecting with our network of Indian members. Dhurga, Anthony's wife, grew up in Nepal. She described to us how every family there took care of cows very nicely.
On July 13, Vraja and Gita blissfully led the New Vrndavana Ratha-yatra amidst enthusiastic kirtana.

Gita-nagari Farm (Port Royal, Pennsylvania):

Vraja and Gita led New Vrndavana 's Ratha-yatra.

July 26 was the Gita-nagari Ratha-yatra at which Balabhadra led the parade with Buck pulling a cart carrying Their Lordships Radha Damodara. Gita-nagari Ratha-yatra has always been a very sweet example of Ratha-yatra country style with the procession proceeding along the creek and then over Govardhana Hill to view the beauty of the surrounding countryside and the pasturing cows and oxen.
On July 27-August 1, the Gita-nagari Conference on the Practical Application of Vedic Studies took place. Courses, discussion groups, workshops, and other activities on implementing the principles of self-sufficiency and daivi-varnasrama based on the teachings of Srila Prabhupada were offered. Some of the speakers were: Bhakti-tirtha Swami, Ravindra Svarupa das, Hare Krsna dasi, Suresvara das, and Balabhadra das. Of course, Balabhadra spoke about implementing cow protection and ox-power.
The overall conclusion of the well attended conference was that it is essentially important to the development of ISKCON society that efforts should be made to establish an agrarian based lifestyle where daivi-vamasrania (one's propensities determines one's work) can be implemented. Often in the ISKCON temples there is service opportunity only for brahminical (intellectually inclined) persons, thus leaving out vast numbers of persons interested in Krsna consciousness but unable to find their niche.

Balabhadra leads Buck at Gita Nagari 's Ratha-yatra.

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