THE ISCOWP NEWS Volume 7 Issue 3

Bhakta Dave and his team Padma and Ganda practicing logging

This issue is the first issue to give a serious format to the knowledge and experience shared by ISCOWP and its members through e-mail as well as the written form. A cow protection manual concerned with lifetime protection is being compiled mostly from ISCOWP's cow conference on the ISKCON COM bulletin board. Within this conference information is networked amongst 80 members from approximately 20 countries. Since the cow and bull are the basis of the Vedic culture, often discussions of related topics such as agriculture ensue. A small part of that practical information, along with written and other e-mail correspondence, is printed in this issue's letter section. The information is organized in deference to practical topic headings. Future issues will contain more information from these sources adding to topics already under discussion and additional topics. Your participation is welcomed and needed to encourage and inform those seeking knowledge of an alternative lifestyle.

This issue has been sponsored by:

ONE WORLD FAMILY (TULASI DAS)

Rd 1 Box 310, Moundsville, West Virginia, 26041

Inside This Issue

Letters From Around the World

Flies on Cows, Castrating Bulls, Cow Manure and Urine, Do Animals Have Feelings?, Planning a Self-Sufficient Farm

Energy Autonomous and Environmentally Clean Farm (EAECF)

ISCOWP's Basement Home "Dried In"

ISCOWP Outreach

Minimum Cow Protection Standards - Click here for the full version

ISCOWP Update

Back to Back Issues Page

Letters

Dear Reader, This issue contains correspondence, mostly from the cow and related issues conference on the COM bulletin board. The format is mostly that of questions and answers pertaining to the practical care of the cow and bull separated into practical topic headings. In several cases the discussion is not concluded allowing for further discussion on the cow conference, cow@com.bbt.se, to be printed in the next issue. Also you can send in your comments by letter.

Vraja and Gita were saved from the slaughterhouse at age 3 months.

Flies on Cows

From: Subala (das) HKS (S)
Date: 10-Aug-97 12:18 SST
To: Cow (Protection and related issues) [848]
Subject: oils against flies.
Dear Balabadra Prabhu! I just wonder what is actually PENNYROYAL oil? What is it made of? I have been searching for it but not been able to find it so now I'm surrendering unto you again. The other oils you recommended I have got some idea where to find but generally I only find them in the essence form which I understand to be the pure stuff without any mixture. Now my question is, is this the ingredient you referred to when you gave this recipe for oil mixture to get red of flies from cows AND oxen.
1/3 OUNCE PENNYROYAL
1 OUNCE EUCALYPTUS
2 OUNCE CITRONELLA OIL

ISCOWP REPLIES
Dear Subal Prabhu
I have your e-mail of Aug. 10, 1997 Regarding the herb called PENNYROYAL. Even in America it is a little hard to find. The following is from a book by the name of PETERSON'S FIELD GUIDES EASTERN/CENTRAL MEDICINAL PLANTS by Steven Foster & James A. Duke.
"American Pennyroyal Hedeoma pulegioides (L.) Pers. Mint family Aromatic, soft-hairy annual; 6-18 in. Leaves small, lance-shaped; toothed or entire. Bluish flowers in leaf axils; July-Oct. Calyx 2-lipped, with 3 short and 2 longer teeth.
WHERE FOUND: Dry woods.
USES: Leaf tea traditionally used for colds, fevers, coughs, indigestion, kidney and liver ailments, headaches; to promote sweating, induce menstruation, expectorant; insect repellent.
WARNING: Ingesting essential oil can be LETHAL; contact with essential oil (a popular insect repellent) can cause dermatitis. [skin irritation]."
I had a little trouble finding it but the devotees have a little store here and they have catalogs from several herb companies. Its not a cheap oil and I think I paid $50 U.S. for 16 ounces. I can buy Mineral oil at the local drug store in 64 ounce bottles. I pour off several ounces of mineral oil and add the essential oils to the mineral oil bottle and SHAKE. The mineral oil becomes the vehicle for the application of the essential oils. I wipe it on the whole body of the cows. Be careful around the eyes and nose as it will irritate them. It is also useful for the devotees to use. I rub it on my arms and neck and it greatly reduces the problems with the flies and mosquitoes but it is not 100% foolproof as in material nature there is always going to be miseries caused by other living entities. but it does help a lot.
The proportions that I use you should also try to use especially the PENNYROYAL and EUCALYPTUS as they are quite strong. 1 ounce of PENNYROYAL to 100 ounces of oil ; 2 ounces of Eucalyptus oil to 100 ounces of mineral oil; the citronella is not so strong so use 2 or 3 ounces per 100 ounces of mineral oil.
If the devotees are purchasing essential oils locally try and find out if Pennyroyal is available through their sources. Good luck and let me know how you make out with finding what you need.
Balabhadra das.

From: WWW: Tulasi-priya (Devi
Date: 18-Aug-97 15:04 AST
To: Cow (Protection and related issues) [855]
Subject: oils against flies: A warning
Pregnant women (and pregnant cows, perhaps?) should stay far away from Pennyroyal oil as it has long been used to induce abortion.
Ys, Tulasi-priya dasi

From: WWW: Tulasi-priya (Devi
Date: 18-Aug-97 21:12 AST
To: Cow (Protection and related issues)
Subject: Re: oils against flies: A warning
On 18 Aug 1997, Noma T. Petroff (Hare Krsna Dasi) wrote:
> > Is this only when it is taken internally, or when it is used externally, > also?
Either internally or externally, I've read. Mostly it's recommended to make tea from the dried or fresh herbs. But since the essential oil is much more concentrated than the herb, even just inhaling it can be dangerous. No herb is considered foolproof as an abortifacient (unless it's very poisonous to the mother as well), but pennyroyal oil is considered potentially fatal to the mother as well as the fetus. I don't know if this applies to cows also.
Ys,Tulasi-priya dasi

ISCOWP REPLIES
Dear Prabhus, In regards to the use of Pennyroyal-I have used it on oxen (as one of the ingredients in an oil to rid the cows of flies) with no problems developing. I have not used it on pregnant cows. So for now it would be safest to not use it on these cows. I will ask some herbalists if they know anything about the herb Pennyroyal having any negative affect on a pregnant cow if used as an oil, smell also.
Balabhadra das

ISCOWP REPLIES 21-Sep-97 12:31 AST
We have done some research and can find no conclusive information that pennyroyal (topically applied) can cause abortion on a big animal like a cow especially applied in the proportions that we have described. However, there is much evidence that the oil is very potent taken INTERNALLY in humans and also in some animals. We think it was Tulasi-priya who mentioned that the oil could cause abortion. If she or any other members of this conference can find evidence that is different please submit it to this conference. Please state references and resources. We would definitely advise that pregnant women should stay away from it. Here is some facts we received by submitting a question to the Folklore Herbs conference on the Internet.

ISCOWP wrote:
>I have been using pennyroyal in a herbal mixture to rid my oxen (steers) of flies. Recently it was mentioned to me that pennyroyal will cause abortion in humans. So, it was questioned whether it was dangerous to use this oil, which is rubbed on the oxen, on pregnant cows. I was told that even the smell of the pennyroyal oil can cause abortion in humans. Can pennyroyal cause abortion in cows, especially if rubbed on their bodies in a mixture of other herbal oils?>

The short answer is No.
The detailed answer is:
When used topically the essential oil of pennyroyal is not likely to cause an abortion.... especially not in a steer :) It is also safe FOR EXTERNAL use by humans but it has limited effect as an insect repellant in my personal experience. I tried it with salt marsh mosquitoes one night and had to fall back to the Deep Woods Off and flame-thrower.

Here is something that will be of use.

PENNYROYAL: Family Labiatae: Mentha pulegium (European Pennyroyal), Hedeoma pulegioides (American Pennyroyal) PARTS USED: Leaves and flowers
Properties and uses: The herb is carminative, diaphoretic, emmenagogue, sedative, abortifacient, expectorant and an insect repellent. The essential oil is an abortifacient and insect repellent. Pulegone is considered to be the major active principal in this herb. Recommended for colds, flu, digestive disturbances, suppressed menstruation, menstrual cramps and PMS (herb ONLY!!) The essential oil is recommended as an insect repellent and EXTERNALLY ONLY as a rub to relieve cramping. HISTORY: Pennyroyal has been recommended since the first century Roman naturalist Pliny advocated its use as a flea repellent cough medication and digestive aid. Dioscorides added the recommendation that this plant be used to stimulate menstruation and help expel the afterbirth. Gerard and Culpepper also advocated the use of this herb and it was included in the U.S. Pharmacopoeia from 1831 to 1931.
In the early 1900's chemists began distilling the oil from these plants and it is this essential oil that has given this otherwise innocuous plant a bad reputation.
In 1897 the British medical journal Lancet reported a case of death due to the attempted use of pennyroyal oil as an abortifacient, and since then at least a dozen similar cases have appeared in the medical literature.
WARNING: Pennyroyal OIL should never be taken internally. The dose necessary to induce abortion is quite close to the lethal dose. As little as 1/2 teaspoon of pennyroyal oil may induce convulsions, and, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association an 18 year old pregnant woman died, despite emergency medical treatment, two hours after taking two tablespoons of the essential oil in an apparent attempt to induce an abortion.
When using pennyroyal oil externally it is important to avoid contact with the mucous membranes as the oil may prove irritating.
University of Illinois pharmacognosist Norman Farnsworth, PHD, has estimated that it would take 75 GALLONS of pennyroyal herb infusion to approach a potentially toxic dose of pennyroyal oil, so standard infusions can be considered reasonably non-toxic, assuming that no special sensitivity to the herb exists. As even pennyroyal tea may stimulate uterine contractions ALL pennyroyal should probably be avoided by pregnant women.
In non-pregnant, non-nursing, otherwise healthy adults, a standard infusion of two teaspoons of the herb steeped in a cup of boiling water and drunk in quantities of up to two cups per day, or 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of tincture of pennyroyal (NOT THE OIL) up to twice a day, is generally considered to be a safe and effective remedy. This herb should probably not be used continuously in these dosages for more than two weeks.
AGAIN: THE ESSENTIAL OIL OF PENNYROYAL SHOULD NEVER BE TAKEN INTERNALLY!!!
Cultivation: European pennyroyal is a perennial herb that is probably best propagated from cuttings. It needs room to spread out and likes moist semi-shady conditions. This plant can become quite invasive in the garden! American pennyroyal is an annual and should be grown from spring or fall sown seed. This plant also prefers moist semi-shady conditions.
References: Allen, W. T. 1987. Lancet II:1022. Buechel, D. W. et al. 1983. Journal of the American Osteopathic Association 82:793. Early, E. F. 1961. Lancet II:580 Sullivan, B. et al. 1979. Journal of the American Medical Association 242:2873

This text is copyright (C) 1994 by Gail Farquhar. It may be distributed freely as long as no fees are solicited or required other than the cost of the disk or hard copy reproduction and no modifications are made to the text." Balabhadra das & Chayadevi dasi

ISCOWP REPLIES October 1, 1997
Someone by the name of Rose gave me information about how to rid the cows of flies after viewing my question about pennyroyal oil in the Folklore Herb conference.
"I have heard of farmers feeding diatomaceous earth (DE) to their cattle & horses, in their regular food, for fleas and ticks, and ended up realizing that the fly problem had disappeared." Rose PS I don't know the amount you should use but you could e-mail the following for the answer. hgarrett@wbap.com
I e-mailed the above address and got the following answer:
NATURAL DE (DIATOMACEOUS EARTH) WOULD BE BETTER ANY WAY. FEED IT FREE-CHOICE OR UP TO 2% OF THE FEED RATIONS. GREAT FOR DIGESTION, INTERNAL PARASITES, AND ACIDOSIS.
On his WEB page, Mr. Garrett recommends the same proportions for pets also to rid them of fleas. Apparently Mr. Howard Garrett is on radio and has written several books, all pertaining to organic gardening. He also recommends that this DE is not the same found in swimming pools and should be bought from your local organic retailer. It is also recommended by our local Southern States (where we get our feed).

What is diatomaceous earth?
The Webster Dictionary definition is, "containing or consisting of diatoms or their fossils." What are diatoms? Again the dictionary definition is, "Any plant of the diatomaceae." And the definition of diatomaceae is: "in botany a family of algae, consisting of microscopic plants found in fresh and salt water."
Balabhadra feels we should definitely try this and see how and if it works. Right now we are entering the cold season where there are no flies. So, the best time for the experimentation would be during the hot weather.
In my research I found that the dairy farms, which have a real problem with flies, have several different methods, involving chemicals and traps. One method which comes under "biological control" is to release wasps that kill the flies. It takes 200 wasps per dairy cow to solve the problem. Further complications of this approach seem to be logical.

Anyone familiar with this diatomaceous earth? 
Yrs, Chayadevi dasi

Subj: Re: Mosquito and black fly remedy 
Date: Saturday, October 18, 1997
In the "Letters" section of Organic Gardening magazine (December, 1996) I found this remedy, used on horses. Will it work for cows? One-quarter to one-half cup of apple cider vinegar to five gallons water per day.
OR
One tablespoon apple cider vinegar per one hundred pounds body weight. Will it change the flavor of the milk? Curdle it? :It doesn't seem like enough vinegar to do so, and who knows, it might even improve the flavor. Has anyone tried this on cows. The writer says it will not deter face flies.
Seems cheaper than pennyroyal. (Tulasi-priya)
On a small scale, you can grow the pennyroyal yourself and just rub the plant itself directly on the animal - not cats though, as it makes them sick. Are we talking about in drinking water or spraying externally? (Madhava Gosh)
I'm just a city girl, but I would be hard-pressed to believe that such a small quantity of vinegar sprayed on the outside of a cow would affect the flavor of the milk on the inside. It's for drinking. (Tulasi-priya)

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Castrating Bulls

> Why are bulls castrated? I have been told that it is to keep them peaceful, but I am not satisfied with this answer since I have heard that even oxen fight among themselves sometimes, and quite violently at that. I do not recall reading in any sastra about oxen, only bullocks, as in "bullock-carts", etc. If the bull is to be considered our father and the symbol of religion, isn't it an offense to castrate them? Certainly we do not advocate such a practice for human males, and they have been known to cause much more serious problems than randy bulls.>
Yrs, Tulasi-priya dd

From: WWW: Krsna Kirtana (Dasa) 
Date: 03-Aug-97 21:12 AST 
To: Cow (Protection and related issues) 
Subject: Is Castrating Bulls Vedic?
Dear Mata, That is a great point. I grew up in Gurukula in a farm and I always wondered why they were castrating the oxen since we were being told that they were our father. Since we learn to see cows and oxen in a respectful way, we, as children, many times felt "humanly" very sorry for bad incidents that would occur to a cow or ox. Like you were putting yourself in their shoes. I would really like to have an answer to the castration issue. It's a good point. I wonder if in India this is also done. 
Krsna Kirtan

Comments: WWW: Mangal Artika (Dasa) HDG (New Talavana MS - USA) 
Date: 05-Aug-97 09:20 AST 
To: Cow (Protection and related issues) [846] 
Subject: Is Castrating Bulls Vedic?
I can't tell you the vedic reason but I lived at New Talavan for many years and worked with the cows for some of that time. We had to castrate the bull because the fences were in need of repair and the bull were able to mix with the cows. So for years we had breeding problems and the heard got so large that they were hard to manage and feed. So if we didn't do it we would lose them to starvation in the winters and we would have too many calves and too much milk. 
Your servant Mangal Artika Dasa

ISCOWP REPLIES 
Dear Mother Tulasi priya , Mangal Artika , Krsna Kirtan Prabhus, 
Regarding the question of castration of the Bulls . Unfortunately we are living in Kali Yuga with all of its sinful activities in full bloom. The only saving grace for living in this age is Lord Caitanyas Harinama Sankirtan Movement which His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada has so kindly involved us in as menial servants. By no stretch of the imagination are we living in Vedic Times, Vedic Culture. We are living in Kali Yuga which was ushered in by a sudra dressed and posing as king but he was beating the legs of a cow and bull. 
For the most part the bulls upon reach-ing maturity become unmangeable because of the sex drive and are next to im possible to control if they catch the scent of a cow "in-heat". Many years ago, I saw the bull at Gita Nagari go through a fence and engage in a huge fight with several oxen who were in the same pasture with a cow who was "in-heat."Need-less to say the fence line was destroyed as the fight went on . The oxen were weighing 1800 to 2000 pounds each and still they were not able to keep the bull from performing his prescribed durty with Go-mata after a huge fight and much property damage. 
The saying goes among the farming community that one should never trust a bull NO MATTER WHAT. When I lived in North Carolina there was an article in the newspaper one day how this old man had been killed by a Bull. It turned out that this man had raised this bull from birth and had been kind and thoughtful to him his entire life. The bull was quite old and had been put out to pasture to live out his life in retirement instead of being sent to the slaughterhouse. The old man, as was his habit, visited the bull in the pasture on a regular basis. However, on this one day after his visit he turned to walk out of the pasture and the bull attacked him from behind and killed him right there in the pasture [karma?] 
Sex drive, being the main drive and binding force of the material world, is very difficult to manage in BIG ANIMALS who are acting instinctively on the biological pushings of the body. So, what to do? 
I agree with you all that if it were not needed then why castrate. But in my experience working with animals for a long time now I have come across only 1 or 2 bulls who could work and be trusted [relatively], and they were in Vrindavan [not an ordinary place]. All the bull calves that I have trained and worked with became unmanageable between 6 months and 1 year of age. Usually at 1 year they are weighing 1000 pounds. This is a signal for me to call the vet . 
The method of castration which we used at Gita Nagari and which I still use Exclusively is called "BLOODLESS CASTRATION". There is no cutting and removing of the testicle. There is no placing of a rubber band around the testicle until it withers and falls off after several days or a week. I prefer to use a sedative called Rompam which acts very quickly, usually within 2 or 3 minutes the animal is ready. At this point the vet uses a instrument called a BURDEZIO which is a clamp to pinch the spermatic cord which carries the semen and blood to the testicles-. The clamp is left on each spermatic cord for about 2 minutes which means that the whole operation takes about 6 minutes for each animal. After the sedative wears off they are sore but usually within 2 hours they are back on their feet grazing in the pasture. 
The Christians will argue that castration has taken away part of the animal and in essence he is no longer whole. But in the BLOODLESS CASTRATION method there is no removal of the testicle and at a glance it appears as though the animal is still a bull because the testicle sack is still very much obvious between the rear legs of the animal. I am coming across more and more vets who are using this form of castration exclusively . 
A devotee by the name of Pitavas over in France once told me of an area in the south of France where the people are working their Bulls and have been doing so for many generations. At the end of their working lives they are retired to the pasture until they die according to the laws of nature. I am thinking because they have done this for generations that this Love and Trust has become a built in part of that herds mentality and that the bulls are manageable. It is definitely worth someone getting in touch with Pitavas and getting some more information on these people and their operation. 
Maybe in several generations we can become capable of working bulls but Srila Prabhupada has told us that PURITY IS THE FORCE and to be HONEST [the last leg of the Bull standing in Kali Yuga] with you, WE HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO!!!!! 
Begging to remain your servant, 
Balabhadra das

From: Vyapaka (das) ACBSP (Canada) 
Date: 18-Aug-97 19:08 AST 
To: Cow (Protection and related issues) [856] 
Subject: castration
In the Dominican Republic and also in Cuba I have seen bulls being work-ed. I don't think it is a question of tradition but rather of technique which of course also is part of tradition . I agree though that one should never trust a bull. I have heard this also many times.

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Cow Manure and Urine 

From: WWW: Tulasi-priya (Devi Dasi) SDG (?) tulasi-priya@com.org 
Date: 17-Aug-97 11:18 AST 
To: Cow (Protection and related issues) [851] 
Subject: Manure for purification, etc.
I would like to use cow manure to purify my home and, as I've heard it is used, to repel insects (I have an ant problem). Can someone tell me (perhaps Hare Krsna Mataji?) exactly how to do this? Does the manure have to be fresh from the cow, i.e., you collect it directly from the cow before it hits the ground? Do you apply it and let it remain, or rinse it off? Also, if it's supposed to repel insects, why does it attract flies? Thanking you in advance, 
Ys, Tulasi-priya dasi

From: Hare Krsna (dd) PDA (Brunswick, Maine - USA) 
Date: 17-Aug-97 12:01 AST 
To: Cow (Protection and related issues) [852] 
Subject: Re: Manure for purification,
I hope someone else will respond on this. I have never been to India and don't know how it's done. My impression is that it is a very simple process. I don't think it would be practical if you had to catch all the manure before it hit the ground. They pack it right on to a dirt floor. Dried manure is probably different from wet manure as far as attracting flies. Probably more like adobe or something like that I once heard a story from an Indian-born woman from Canada whose husband was a dentist. She told about a period in their lives when they lived in the Caribbean. In their early and less prosperous days, they made a cow-manure floor just as they had known in India. When they became more prosperous they moved into a fancy home with a wooden floor. In their new home, they had a problem with snakes coming in from time to time. But snakes had never come in across the cow-manure floor, even though it would have been easier for them to enter, since it was closer to the ground. Anyway, there must be plenty of devotees who can provide the details about cow-manure floors. I hope they will send their reply to your questions. 
Your servant, Hare Krsna dasi

ISCOWP REPLIES 
Dear Mother Tulasi-priya Prabhu, 
Regarding the use of cow manure for cleaning (purifying) your home. Where do you live? What type of house do you have? When we lived in Hawaii and I worked at a dairy milking cows, I used to bring home cow urine and Mother Chaya would dilute it and use it for cleaning. She used a 50/50 mix and wiped in on and left it on. One big room in our house had terrible mildew which was the case with a lot of the neighbors' houses. We lived on a side of the active volcano and the clouds would come about 3 or 4 o'clock in the afternoon and cover everything. None of the neighbors had a solution and would use the modern recommendations. The mildew would go away and then return. However, after Chaya scrubbed the room, not only did the mildew go away but it did not return the next year.For a short time there was a fragrance in the room but it was short lived and really not unpleasant. Cow urine is basically ammonia. When I lived in Sri Lanka the village ladies would come every other day with their buckets of cow manure paste. They would take several good size double handfuls of cow manure and add about 2 to 3 gallons of water to it and mix it up with their hands. They would then take a rag and apply a thin film of this cow manure paste to the floor and so clean. In Sri Lanka, we made our altar out of sticks as a frame and cow manure as the surface of the sides and top. It was such a wonderful altar. For bathing of the Deities the urine and manure of the cow should not touch the ground but should be collected as the cow is passing. Laxmi Narain Modi, who is in charge of the Bharatiya Cattle Resource Development Foundation and the Ahimsa Research Foundation in Delhi has done some research on the merits of cow manure. I will try to find it and enter it in the conference very soon. Maybe for the ants you could use a stronger mix than 50/50. Can you get fresh cow urine and manure? For the ants the fresher the better. Also, if you put some sugar outside the house, close to their path of travel this sometimes keeps them outside as they are satisfied with the offering of sugar. 
Balabhadra das

From: WWW: Svayambhuva Manu (Dasa) SDG (Vancouver BC - CAN) 
Date: 22-Aug-97 23:54 AST 
To: Cow (Protection and related sues) [860], 
Subject: Manure for purification, etc. 
Haribol prabhu, 
It is normally used on the floors which are made of dirt most often in hut-like homes. The mud floors are permanent therefore the cow dung is applied directly with bare hands. It is spread all over the floor about half inch thick and left to dry and stays permanent. The manure is wet, therefore easy to apply, and can be gotten from the ground. also as the young girls and women go collecting. This is what I had noticed when I had lived in India for two year. 
ys Gandhari dasi.

ISCOWP REPLIES August 30, 1997 
On August 23, Tulasi-priya dd wrote the following in response to the information submitted in this conference in regards to her question about cow manure. >PAMHO AGTSP Thank you for all that interesting info. Was the manure paste left on or rinsed off? Also, is it difficult to remove dried manure, or does it become "waterproof" once it has "cured"? I prefer to have shiny floors in my house (it's a concrete block structure in southern Florida with terrazzo floors-marble chips embedded in concrete). The floors in my house are meant to be highly polished, and since I'd rather show them off, I don't think I'll be using manure inside the house unless I can take it off after applying it, or else apply it where it's not visible. But if I can get enough manure, I may coat the porch and the outside windowsills with it.
Ys, Tulasi-priya dasi>

ISCOWP REPLIES 
The following will answer these questions and more. It appears from the gathered information that the cow manure, when dried, will not be easy to remove.

In his presentation for the Livestock Policy Perspective 2020, July 5-7, 1995, to be held in India, Dr. Laxmi Narain Modi states: 
1) Dung and urine from cows and bulls (cattle) are essential for organic manure (OM) which is used in the construction of new houses, frequent coating of floors and walls of mud houses to protect from insects and as a base for biogas programs. There are innumerable other uses for traditional medicines. 
2) Bio-gas slurry is also good OM. 
3) Dung (OM) has micro-nutrients, micro-organisms. 
4) OM improves soil structure, soil health and moisture retention capacity 
5) Dung ash contains minerals like calcium, magnesium, phosphorous and other micro-elements, which is again used in fields to a great extent.

Narain Modi quotes from the book "Problem & Prospects of Cattle and Buffalo Husbandry in India" by Dr, Jurgen Lensch.

6) The National Council of Applied Economic Research has calculated that cattle dung in India is equivalent to 35 million tons of coal or 68 million tons of wood. Besides, it was estimated that well over one third of its weight in wet condition is used as domestic fuel. 
7) Dung as direct fuel saves 68 million tons of wood (which means saving about 140 to 150 million fully grown trees from being cut for fuel). As India cannot boast of oil and coal reserves of any significant magnitude and has already deforested large areas, it is left with no other option but to use cattle dung as domestic fuel. Thus the dung remains for the time being the chief fuel in the Indian households. 
8) Approximately 340 million tons of dung are returned to the land as manure, 300 million tons are burned as domestic fuel. Besides, 160 million tons are lost on roads and roadside and are recycled into the ecological system. 
9) Moreover, the cattle dung, when mixed with water into paste, fulfills the function of a floor plaster, which on drying forms a smooth surface which is easy to clean. 
Chayadevi dasi

ISCOWP REPLIES 
Dear Prabhus, 
Parampadam das wrote in regards to our discussion on the use of cow manure: 
"We should also consider what may be carried in manure; E-coli, for one. Anyone to expand on this? 
Then Tulasi-priya asked: I thought e-coli was only found in the (dead?) flesh of an animal. Isn't cow dung "anti-" septic? 
On 01 Sep 1997, Parampadam Dasa wrote: "It lives, or rather can live in the digestive tract of the living animal. Where it comes from or how the infection first occurs, I don't know. So if a particular animal is carrying, he/she can infect whoever comes in contact with this organism. 
It is the unclean practices at the slaughterhouse that are contributing to the situations we've recently read about in the papers. E. coli is a very common organism and easily transmitted, and detected by culture. How to treat? Talk to your vet? 
In response to this we did some research and found that e-coli is transmitted through undercooked meat and unpasteurized milk, and sometimes unpastuerized apple cider. Here is some information from the WEB site "E-coli Primer:" 
"What Is E.coli 0157:H7? 
Escherichia coli 0157:H7 is a dangerous bacteria that is found naturally to occur only in cattle. This bacteria is most frequently acquired through consumption of undercooked ground beef and unpasteurized milk. Another example of contamination is apples that have fallen off trees into cow manure and then processed into unpasteurized cider. Person to person transmission occurs via the fecal-oral route. Failure to wash hands or kitchen utensils after handling the contaminated meat can also spread the bacteria.
How Serious A Concern Is This Pathogen? 
Since 1982 Escherichia coli 0157:H7 has been recognized as an important cause of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) and colitis. HUS is the most frequent cause of acute renal failure (diarrhea) in children and infants. According to the Center for Disease Control approximately 20,000 people are infected by E.coli 0157:H7 each year. Approximately 200 deaths annually are reported. 
E.coli 0157:H7 is a relatively unrecognized pathogen for which routine screening historically has not been performed at most clinical laboratories in the United States. Because of the nature of the food production and distribution in the United States, outbreaks of FOOD BORNE DISEASES such as E.coli often are widely disbursed throughout a community. This is particularly so with contaminated ground beef, where the grinding process can spread the virulent bacteria to many hamburger patties processed at the same time. Until recently, the United States public health system has not been well prepared to handle this type of challenge. There is a need to improve surveillance of E.coli 0157:H7 and other food borne pathogens in general. Also, there is a need to better monitor food products to assure the safety of the food supply. 
During this research we found more than one WEB page extolling the glories of cow manure as a fertilizer for crop production which we will submit at a later date. Can anyone offer more information on E-coli, how the animals contact it, etc? Please give references, as hearsay and memories are not reliable. 
Balabhadra & Chayadevi

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Do Animals Have Feelings? 

From: Gauranga priya (dd) RSD (Berlin 
Date: 01-Jul-97 12:31 SST 
To: Free Forum [1998] Cc: Cow (Protection and related issues) [795] 
Subject: Newspaper article
The following Newspaper article appeared in a Chinese and later Macedonien Newspaper:

"For one slaughter-house in Hong Kong the day was quite ordinary, till one bison who was about to be slaughtered fell on his knees and started to cry! "People think that animals don`t cry, but this animal was crying like a baby" - said Billy Fong to reporters in Hong Kong. 
"There were standing around ten men who earn their livelihood by slaughtering the animals. And from their eyes, tears started to flow. People were touched so much, that they bought the bison. Then they gave the bison to one Buddhist temple, that he can live the rest of his life in peace." 
This tragedy-story about crying bison, began when workers were bringing this big animal towards the slaughter-house. When they were approaching the slaughter house, suddenly the animal fell down on the ground on his front legs. Then, his tears started to flow. 
"When I saw the animal, how it is crying with sadness and fear in his eyes, I started to shake," - told the Butcher. "I called others to come and they also became astonished like me. We started to pull and push the animal, but he didn't` want to move at all. He was sitting on the ground and was crying.The hair on my skin stood on end, because the animal reacted like a human being. We looked at each other, and we knew that none of us would be able to kill him.and we should decide what to do with him." 
Finally after much discussion, they decided to collect money and send the animal on a lifelong rest, with Buddhist priests, who don`t have anything against bisons. 
"We couldn't`t move the animal, till we promised him that he will not die. Then he stood up and he came with us. You can believe it or not, but this is the truth, although it sounds strange. It seamed that this big animal understood every word that we spoke," - said Mr. Tat Nin. For some workers in the slaughter-house, this incident was too much. Mr. Fong says "Three workers immediately after this scene, gave denial. They said they will never kill animals anymore, because they will always remember this bison, and how his tears flowed down his face from his big sad eyes."

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Planning a Self-sufficient Farm 

Dear Magdalena & Maha-ratha Prabhus, 
Thank you for your e-mail of June 4, 1997 and all the good news of your GOPAL project. 
The radio show sounds great. How long was the show and approximately how many people listened to that particular program? Have you received any feed back (response) from the program? 
Regarding the training of Nandi and Madhu-Yes, it is possible for them to be trained. Even more important than training Nandi and Madhu is who will be the person who will be trained to be teamster. Where will Nandi and Madhu be located in relation to where you are? Training is an every day (twice a day) program for quickest and best results, and especially when the time will be short-3 weeks to 4 weeks at most. 
You are asking about land for a permanent farm and training center for GOPAL. Is land expensive where you are? Is land available or is it hard to obtain? What is the political situation regarding land use and purchase? Any chance of getting land donated by the government into the name of GOPAL? Here we talk in terms of acres. Do you go by acres or hectares? A hectare is 2 1/2 acres. 
Self-sufficiency is a long term plan. Try and think of it in terms of a 5 year or ten year plan. There are different categories which Srila Prabhupada spoke about:1) Food 2) Shelter 3) Clothing 4) Medical. 
Food is self explanatory-more so for yourselves. However, what do the local farmers grow for their cows to eat during the winter? Talk to your local farmers and ask them how much land does it take to feed 1 cow per year and what is it that they feed them? Ask several farmers and and see how the answers vary according to the fertility and lay of the land (flat, hilly). 
Rainfall is also an important factor. What is the average rainfall in your area? Do you have years with sporadic rainfall or is everything stable in the weather? What do people do for their water supply? Are there springs, streams, wells? You most definitely want your own source of water. Does a lot of the water come from rain collected from the rooftops in cisterns (tanks)? 
In Russia the oil for cooking is sunflower oil. In your country what oil is used? Can that crop be grown in your area? 
How will you heat your building in the winter? Wood, coal, methane? If by wood you should have some wooded area on your land. How are the farmers working the land, specifically how are the small farmers working the land? Do they farm with small tractors, horses? What is the average size of land owned by the local farmers-1 hectare, 2 hectares, 5 hectares? 
Not only will you need to grow your own food but you will need a proper place to store your food, herbs, seeds, and the food for the cows. What vegetable seeds are available to you? Is it open-pollinated or hybrid? If it is open-pollinated then you will be able to save seeds from your crops for the next year's planting. If they are hybrid seeds you will not be able to use the seeds produced by your crops. 
What grains and root crops are grown in your area? Are you able to mill your own grains? If so, how? Hand mill, water power, ox-power? 
So many questions! 
If you find land that you like but there are no dwellings or cow sheds, etc., how will you build your buildings? What are the local building materials? Wood, brick, cement? What areas are you looking for land in relation to where you are presently living? 
You ask how many men are needed. Why just men? Try and think in terms of family and village. Its hard for one family to do everything to be self-sufficient. By working together as a village so much can be done. How many devotees are in your area? 
Our main business is Krsna Conciousness. Cow Protection is a major part of our lifestyle and essential to our worshipping the Deity. Do you have Canto 8 of Srimad Bhagavatam. Please read 8:24:5 Matsya the Fish Incarnation. Srila Prabhupada says in the purport that without cow protection brahminical culture can not be maintained. 
How close to town do you want to be located? What type of agricultural equipment is available to you for field work like plowing and field preparation; hay equipment, carts, grain planting, harvesting, threshing, etc? Balabhadra das

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Energy Autonomous and Enviromnetally Clean Farm (EAECF)

A Novi Sad (Former Yugoslavia) Project Considered and Approved by the United Nations

Dear Balabhadra and Chayadevi, 
On July 28, we have sent you one letter about one project of the Faculty of Agriculture, Novi Sad. Recently I have spoken with Dr Petar Kavgic, the main person in charge for this project. He has said that in 1998 there will be the world congress of Agricultural Engineering in Morocco, Africa and that he will take part in it with this EAECF(see subject of message) project. He is preparing his scientific work for that congress, in which he would like to mention the farms of ISKCON and their contribution to the solution of ecological crisis in the world. Maha-ratha has mentioned some ISKCON-farms on the presentation of GOPALA in the Association VRELO, where also Dr Kavgic was present. Prof. Dr. Kavgic was very interested and borrowed the book Divine Nature from Maha-ratha. 
On the occasion Dr Kavgic explained to Maha-ratha how he sees in his project the cows as producers of energy. With regard that here in Yugoslavia the soil is almost completely fertilized by artificial fertilizers, because of little livestock per cultivable soil, they will have to increase the number of cows on their experimental farm. In this way they will obtain natural fertilizers which is the irreplaceable factor of one ecological farm. In that case these cows will be used for the moving of one circular system through which the electrical energy will be produced. The cows will then give less milk, but Dr Kavgic considers that they will be healthier since they will be naturally engaged and move enough. 
We would like to ask you herewith to be so kind and contact Dr. Kavgic directly by e-mail referring to this subject. He is waiting for you to contact him. We pray that you are well. 
Maha-ratha & Magdalena

Balabhadra das and ISCOWP team Vraja and Gita harrowing a field in hilly West Virginia in preparation to plant rye.

ISCOWP REPLIES 
Dear Professor Kavgic Aug.,10,1997 
I have received recently a letter from Milan Ristic (Maha ratha) of Gopal, who made a presentation at VRELO where you also made a presentation. 
In regards to the subject matter of ENERGY AUTONOMOUS AND ENVIRONMENTALLY CLEAN FARMS I have a few questions. .Are you thinking in terms of small family farms making up a village, or larger land holdings with many hired hands being run strictly as an agri-business? We first and foremost consider that all living entities born within the state are citizens of the state and must be given protection. We are not interested in large agri-business as it promotes wholesale animal slaughter, after a lifetime of exploitation of the innocent animals, only for a monetary profit When there is a big scheme for profit based on exploitation and violence the end result will ultimately end in disaster of one kind or another. 
We are bound by the LAWS OF NATURE of which there is a reaction for every action (KARMA). We must be very careful to set up our communities so that we are protecting the innocent citizens as well as the land who in essence is our Mother. She will provide all of the necessities of life if we honor Her with Love and Respect. 
There is a book written by E.F. Schumaker by the title of "Small is Beautiful." The first several chapters are pertaining to fossil fuels which he describes as UNRENEWABLE RESOURCES and then he goes into Nuclear Fuel and its HIGHLY TOXIC WASTE MANAGEMENT PROBLEM. As we know these are not the solutions for environmentally friendly living. 
He also cites a Buddhist axiom which in gist is that a village is considered to be successful on the lack of consumption of outside materials for its survival. In the cycle of the farm the term is "ON FARM INPUTS" verses "OFF FARM INPUTS". Why is it necessary to buy nitrogen fertilizer when God has supplied nitrogen in the atmosphere which can be retrieved by planting certain crops which take the nitrogen from the atmosphere and fix it in the soil through their root system? 
You speak of working the milking cows to turn a gear head which in turn powers a generator which produces electricity. You say that the milk cows will give less milk because of their work load buts that's all right because they will be in good physical condition because of the exercise. 
When a cow has a calf about 50% of the time the calf is a bull calf and when he grows up and is trained he is very capable of doing the work which you are suggesting the milk cows should do. Just what is your plan for the bulls calves? As we all know the mothers are the bearers of the children and the men (fathers) are the suppliers of the family needs. He goes out and works to provide for the family. So the cow provides the family with milk, butter, cheese, yogurt and other substances such as manure and urine which can be used for fertilizer, cleaning, and medicine. 
Yes, cow urine is considered as a medicine for kidney and liver ailments. Cow manure is considered one of the best fertilizers in the world. In America, the old farmers called it "Farmers Gold". In the Hindu tradition of India there are many demigods residing in the different parts of the cow's body. In the manure of the cow lives the demigod by the name of Lakshmi devi (the Goddess of Fortune). 
Also, it has been found that instead of incorporating the raw cow manure into the soil it is actually more beneficial to run the manure through a methane digester. If this system is employed then one is given the gift of methane gas for cooking and lights and the slurry (sludge), which is then left, has become fully surcharged with enzymes, microbes, and bacteria. The slurry is actually more nutritious for the soil and is absorbed much easily into the soil than the raw manure. 
So please give careful thought to the employment of the bulls on the farm. Not only will they work but they will supply more manure and urine. Not only is manure and urine needed for fertilizer but so is a good farm plan of crop rotation. This includes a period of fallow for a portion of the land every year, as well as some green manure system, also commonly called "plow downs" which helps to supply organic matter (Humus) to the soil. 
Mono cropping is also being looked at as not so good . Instead, several crops are grown at the same time in the same beds (companion planting). This is done for several reasons. One reason is that certain plants give off certain smells that certain bugs don't like . When they are planted in a bed with other plants to ward off bugs, in effect they are acting as an insecticide. They also act as an additional crop and even a source of fertilizer such as a nitrogen fixing crop. 
The duty of the bull is to plow the agricultural fields and provide the food grains for its family as well as the human family. A byproduct of growing grains is straw. In many countries now, straw is being used as a building material. It is baled, either by machine or by hand press, into a rectangular shape and stacked like huge bricks. Because of the density of these bales the insulation of the house, store, church, school is greatly increased. By increasing the insulation factor it is easier to heat and keep warm in the winter, and in the summer the buildings stay cooler without need of air conditioning units, Hence, straw is helping to conserve energy by its insulation factor requiring less gas, wood , coal, electric or whatever energy is being used. 
Just imagine if 50% of the energy you consider necessary to live today, is not really needed because of our impractical ways of building. By employing natural resources such as straw, which in many places is just burnt in the field and considered a waste product not worth the time to pick up, energy can be saved. Here in America , a ban on burning straw has actually been posted because of the tremendous air pollution that is created by the burning of thousands of tons of straw. Now the farmers are seeing that the straw can be used in the building trades, and the people in charge of issuing permits for the building of houses are being forced to research this product as an alternative to traditional means of building houses and as much more energy efficient. A win-win situation all the way around. 
How much energy does it take to produce cement, cut lumber or any other building materials used in your area? Is straw a more economical building material in this sense also? Yes!! And it is produced locally and is relatively inexpensive to purchase and acquire by even the poorest people for shelter after harvesting their food grains. 
Just a few thoughts to think about to hopefully begin some meaningful dialogue and implementation of these environmentally friendly ideals of living respectfully on the Earth, our Mother and Provider. I hope to hear from you in the near future with some of your plans, thoughts, ideas, etc. 
I had the good fortune to travel to Russia in the summer of 94 and maybe, if all goes well, I will be able to come to your country in March or April of 98 to visit with the Ristic family and to help them with their project. When is the World Congress of Agricultural Engineering in Morocco? Thank you so much for your time. 
Balabhadra das (William E. Dove) 
Managing Director 
International Society For Cow Protection

PROFESSOR KAVGIC REPLIES

I express great respect to Mr. Dove who expressed significant interest for the Project "Energy Autonomous and Environmentally Clean Farm" (EAECF). On that project I have been working already several years, and the news is that on a Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly to Review and Appraise the Implementation of Agenda 21, considered and approved the World Solar Program 1996 - 2005, including the list of High - Priority National Projects (among them is also the Project EAECF). 
I am specially glad that the modern scientific settings I have built in the Project agree in one part with the ancient book Veda, respectively subsequent Hindu religion. As the word Veda itself means in Sanskrit "knowledge", it is obvious that in them it is gathered the great experience of numerous human generations which probably reach into the very beginning of the organized human societies, that is the origin of culture and civilization. 
Since Mr. Dove sent me a longer letter, it is my duty but also my satisfaction to answer it.

We in the Project EAECF wish that the little four- member family with 4 hectares of cultivable soil will be the basic cell of the future rural, ecological society. This family will on it's own land, only with it's work and usage of various renewable energies attain relatively great, but naturally possible outputs (highly valuable, healthy vegetable and cattle products + energies) with maximally possible protection of natural environment. All inputs will be taken from the available resources which give us the earth, water, air and renewable energies, which directly or indirectly come from the Sun (atomic space fires - the basis of life on our mother earth). 
The final goal is that we will use on a farm nothing unrenewable - everything must be the part of the closed circles of inputs and outputs. We will have the material and energetical autonomy of the farm (i.e. the united farmers and the whole village). Our EAECF is as one space ship which supplies to it's passengers whatever is needed and brings them to one distant spiritualized and happy future. 
Self - sufficiency and autonomy are in harmony with Vedic and Buddhist teaching. But also the original Christian religion teaches a man to modesty. Selfishness, greed and wealth cannot bring neither, to individuals nor the entire privileged nations, happiness and a safe future. I also follow through my life the teaching of my father Mirko: "It is not the one who is wealthy who has much, but the one who needs little". The concentration of material and cultural properties and the great quantities of energy in one place and by one group of people was taken on the account of limited resources of the whole living and nonliving world. According to yet unwritten laws of universe it cannot belong only to them. 
On the EAECF is foreseen the usage of the most up-to-date machines and technological processes. Some equipment is at present so expensive, that for it's purchase and usage a greater number of farmers will have to be united (first estimations point to 20 farmers). The use of the clean ecological High Technologies (HT) will demand also the considerably greater knowledge of both the adults and young people who will take part in this project. They will have to be educated, i.e. jump on a higher cultural and civilized level to be able to realize the needed income, i.e. to ensure to man one worthy quality of life. They will clear the real way of progress also to future generations. 
Now we have to put the question whether we can coordinate the relatively simple, self-sufficient natural life with the rushed, dynamic, man alienated, industrialized and urbanized life? It will go, but difficulty and slowly. The industrialization and urbanization will have to obtain a new human and ecological dimension. The farmer on the EAECF will also need an up-to-date machine produced in some factory. He will also travel by car, train, and airplane. But also these technique will have to experience their ecological transformation (there is very little petroleum left, and it is the main pollutant of the atmosphere, and the atomic energy in its present rudimentary and nonecological form is unacceptable for a man and the entire living nature). 
I agree absolutely with you that we can produce food without artificial fertilizers. If we determine all important influential factors for every microlocation we can establish, with support of computer based expert systems, the real ecological scenario of the plant and cattle production. The principle of connecting the plant and cattle production is obligated on EAECF. Animal excrement (manure), home and vegetable trash are processed by aerobic and anaerobic fermentation and the result is natural manure. It can almost completely eliminate the need for artificial fertilizers. If we studiously combine the plant cultures, we will catch hold of nitrogen also from the air, and also through synergetic and antagonistic effects fight against weeds, plant diseases and pests. There will be no need either for pesticides nor herbicides! 
If we use in the processing of manure, home and vegetable trash in the first part of the anaerobic fermentation, we will obtain besides natural manure also biogas as an important natural renewable energy. From 8 - 12 kg manure processed through a biogas fermenter and cogenerator-biogas-machine, 1 kWh electrical energy and 1,23 kWh thermal energy can be obtained.The four-member family with 4 cows, 10 pigs, 100 chickens + home and vegetable trash can give through biogas yearly 8000 kWh thermal and 6000 kWh electrical energy. The price of electric energy obtained in that way is only 0,054 DEM/kWh and in addition, after fermentation we obtain the solid remnants of hygienized natural manure. We shall certainly test these techniques on EAECF. 
Let us discuss now at the end the problem of "usage" the cattle on the farm. On 4 hectares cultivable soil we have foreseen 4 milk cows. I agree with you that they are one of the most valuable links on the farm. They will give the whole gamut of milk products - the most important component of the human nutrition. After a dog, the buffalo and the cattle are the first domestic animals which were tamed by a man (it is supposed that it was 9000 years before Christ). Maybe it is the real reason that the Vedas and later the Hindu religion saw in a cow a sacred animal (although it is not clear why was the cow milk not used). 
I agree with you that the bull should also have a certain importance, since the cow and a bull are a natural pair, which were separated by man because of his needs (he gave to a cow a nicer life, but the bull is today a victim which feeds a man with meat). Also the Egypt mythology (probably older than a Vedic) was symbolized by a holy black bull Apis with a white mark on a forehead (deity of agriculture - the basis of the whole Egypt civilization). The bird Ibis symbolized the wisdom and science. 
On the EAECF we have foreseen the possibility of usage of domestic animals also for production of energy. So, the ox can produce the tractive force of about 700 N, and by the speed of moving of 0,7 m/s he gives the power of about. 500 W. In 8 h of work he would produce energy of 500 x 8 = 4000 Wh or 4 kWh. The cow is considered to be 1/3 weaker than the ox, and she would in 8 hours of work produce about. 2,6 kWh of mechanical energy. If we would produce daily about 15 kWh energy, that is much! A man produces for 5 hours of physical work only 1 kWh of energy! 
If we know that on earth 1 billion people do not have any energy except of their muscles and the power of domestic animals, then the draft of domestic animals which is transformed into mechanical work or electrical energy would be the real salvation (the energy could be accumulated into electric batteries for lifting of water to a higher level). Because of that we are prepared for wider international cooperation and help in realizating experimental equipment for production of energy by means of cattle. We would be very glad if you were included in that. 
So much for now. I hope that we shall continue with correspondence. It is important how we take over the ethics, knowledge and philosophy of old and new religions. The modern man should have to define in the end the categories of good and bad, and to build, by usage of up-to-date science and technology as well as ancient wisdom, one nicer civilization in the third millennium. 
Novi Sad, 10.10.1997.

Prof. dr Petar Kavgic 
21000 Novi Sad 
Trg D. Obradovi}a 8 
YUGOSLAVIA

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ISCOWP's Basement Home has been "Dried In"

Baladeva stayed home for one month to accomplish getting the house secured for winter.

In the last issue of the ISCOWP News we described building the basement's cement walls for ISCOWP's straw-bale home. The next step was to prepare the basement floor. To do that we needed to add 8 inches of sand to the basement floor because we were going to pour only 4 inches of cement. We were starting with a 1 foot deficit. So, by the time we got to 8 inches of sand covering the floor it added up to 33 tons spread out over 1200 square feet. Needless to say this was labor intensive taking several days with sometimes 4 of us working on it.

The pile of of sand was dropped at the end of the driveway and we had a good 30 yards to move it with a wheelbarrow onto a ramp which was sitting on the lip of the basement wall. Then we dumped it over the ledge and shoveled it into different areas of the house. It took 3 loads of sand, each load being approximately 11 tons.

After this, all the plumbing and electricity was laid and we bought the windows, doors, and lumber for the roof. The roof will be movable since we will move into the basement and build upon it two more floors as soon as we have enough money.

After we moved all the sand onto the basement floor, we needed to put in the beam that would support the next floor system (joists). We started with 12 inch steel I-beams which we procured from Heavy Equipment (Varsana Maharaja's department) in 3 pieces. We needed a total of 40 feet and we needed to raise it 10 feet in the air. We took lumber and made a When the floor was done we had to wait one day for it to be dried and aired. so it could be walked on.

The next project was to put the floor joists into place.

After the joists were in we locked them into place with 2 by 12 blocks and then put on the sub-flooring, tongue and groove 3/4 inch plywood. Instead of using nails, the plywood was screwed into the floor joists to minimize squeaks in the floor (remember there is to be 2 stories above the basement).

After the floor joists and the sub-flooring was in place we ordered roof trusses which took a day to put up. This is a temporary roof system, which when we complete the house, will be taken off and used on two cottages.

After we put the trusses up we used half inch OSB sheathing which we screwed down to the tresses. Then we used 5 year asphalt roll roofing and nailed that down to the OSB sheathing. That took 4 of us 2 days.

After that was finished we proceeded to frame in the interior walls for the bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen, utility room, living room area, and install the 2 exterior doors and the basement windows. The basement is now officially "dried in." A few more things will be done to make it possible for Balabhadra to use the facility this winter. But we do not have enough money to finish the basement right now for all of ISCOWP to move in. After staying home for one month to get the house "dried in", Baladeva is now driving truck again to pay for what was spent and to finish the construction. We figure by next spring we will have enough money to finish the basement project and move into our new home by early or mid summer.

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ISCOWP Outreach

Jitendra Saved From the Slaughterhouse

Kamalesh and Arti Shah decided they wanted to save another bull calf from the slaughterhouse and finance his lifetime protection with ISCOWP. Last year Virendra was also saved from the slaughter house by them and cared for by ISCOWP. Since then Virendra has been trained to a few voice commands and is quite happy grazing the pastures of Vrajapura Farm.

Kamalesh and Balabhadra went to the auction to select a bull calf that Balabhadra could train to a productive life. When they saw Jitendra it appeared that he was more calm than the others as if he knew this was not the end of the line for him. It was a hard choice because there were so many helpless and deserving calves. They both wished they could save all of them.

Jitendra was bought for only $40, the cost of his flesh to the butcher. We discovered later that Jitendra must have never sucked milk from his mother. Since his life was planned to be very short, becoming healthy from his mother's milk was not a consideration. He didn't know how to suck from the milk bottle until almost forced. But when he did learn how there was no stopping him.

Because he had not been nourished by his mother's milk, our vet felt he must not have gotten colostrum which is very important to the proper development of a calf's digestive tract. He was having a hard time stabilizing. Sporadically he had diarrhea and often appeared listless. Chaya fed him a combination of rice water and milk (half and half) 4 times a day, but it wasn't until she cooked feed grains with the milk and combined it with the rice water that his health started to pick up.

Now he is healthy and has the association of two other bull calves who were born at New Vrndavana; Gopal and Partha. They are presently housed in the shed we built across the road from the house we are living at. This shed was used for last year's calves from the New Vindavana herd and Virendra. When we move to Vrajapura Farm next spring/early summer Jitendra, Partha, and Gopal will come also.

At first Gopal the older and biggest of the lot (he is about 6 months old) bullied Jitendra. Now, Gopal has been getting along nicely with Jitendra. Partha had no trouble taking a liking to Jitendra from the start. Since there is a fenced area around the shed they have shelter and are grazing together happily.

ISCOWP Training at Gita-nagari

Balabhadra has been visiting Gita-nagari farm to help get their ox program started once again. Years ago, when we lived there, all the buildings on the property were heated with wood hauled from the forest by the oxen. There were 16 fires in all which were provided with wood by ox-power.

Gita-nagari has recently received 3 bull calves donated to them. These calves were on their way to the slaughterhouse and now they are being trained to voice commands so they will be able to provide ox-power at Gita-nagari. They are now working on the commands of "Gee" and "Haw. Kripa, Madhu, and Burfy are very intelligent and are learning very easily and quickly. Madhusudana das has been training under Balabhadra to be their teamster.

At this point in time there are no trained older oxen at Gita-nagari and no one with the experience and knowledge to train them. Buck is trained but he is too old now the experience and knowledge to train them. Buck is trained but he is too old now to work. One ox, Bhima, is 3 years old and knows all the commands. He is one of the team of Bhima and Manu who Balabhadra trained in Sandy Ridge, North Carolina about 3 years ago. Under Balabhadra's direction he was outfitted with a single yoke, traces, chains, and single tree so that he would be equipped to log in the woods. Balabhadra took Bhima and Madhusudana das, ( Madhusudana has been inspired by Balabhadra's lectures of self-sufficiency to become the teamster at Gita-nagari), into the woods to train both how to log. Bhima was nervous at first, but he did very well once he got use to the noise of something being pulled behind him and the new situation. Madhusudana had previously learned the basics of being a teamster by staying 2 weeks at Vrajapura Farm. At Vrajapura he practiced logging with ISCOWP's team Agni & Shyam.

At Vrajapura Farm, Balabhadra instructed Madhusudana with ISCOWP's team Agni and Shyam.

Bhima stayed in the woods about 3 hours, gradually increasing the size of his load until we got an understanding of what his capacity was without working him too hard on his first work day. If an ox is loaded too heavy and he can not pull the load, he can become discouraged, especially if he is not experienced. Therefore, in the beginning it is best to load them light and work up to heavier loads.

Balabhadra is constantly in touch with Madhusudana and we have all hopes of his success training the oxen there. Balabhadra is planning another trip to Gita-nagari before the winter becomes very cold. Presently Madhusudana is taking Bhima into the woods to get firewood and is continuing to train the 3 bull calves.

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ISCOWP UPDATE

There is a new 500 gallon water tank under the roof of the barn. The purpose of this tank is to ensure the cows have water in the winter. Since it is under the roof it is less affected by frost. Often the water freezes in the tanks in the winter and there is only ice. An aeration device has been installed which keeps the water moving. When the temperatures get severe the water will not freeze and the cows will always have water. 

We have brought the cows into the barn and adjacent 2 acre pasture since there is nothing to eat in the pastures now that winter is upon us. Old manure has been removed from the barn floor revealing a cement floor. In digging a trench for the water line for the new tank, we discovered under the cement floor a drain field which had been placed before the cement floor had been poured. This, of course, was good news. 

Padma is drinking from the new cement water tank which is located inside the barn.

The old fencing on the farm is barbed wire and dilapidated. It is functional but we do not like barbed wire since it can do much harm to an animal. Any section of barbed wire fencing that needs to be restored will be replaced with high tensile fencing. New fencing has been installed and more will be installed in the spring, (when the ground is not frozen) for the 2 acre garden area.

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