Volume 7 Issue 1 The International Society for Cow Protection Spring 1997

he first phase of the BuildingVrajapura Farm Campaignhas come to a close. 20 cowsand oxen are now sheltered

and protected, and the foundation forexpansion of Vrajapura Farm has beenlaid. Vraja and Gita (middle picture),ISCOWP’s first team, are now quiteblissful roaming the pasturing groundsaccompanied by friends. We areeternally thankful to all of you for yourhelp in achieving the campaign's goals.

New goals for the year 1997-1998are in the making to begin the 2nd phaseof building Vrajapura Farm. As you mayknow, the vision for establishingVrajapura Farm is not only to give localshelter to cows and oxen, but to create afacility at which the educational processfor establishing cow protectioninternationally can be presented.Seminars, hands-on instruction in living-classroom settings, and the distributionof educational literature and resourcesare some of the activities that have beenon-going and are planned for expansionin the future. To offer these activitiesfully and on a long term basis, a secureand sufficient facility has been needed-and thus the development of VrajapuraFarm has begun.

Inside This Issue

Letters From Around theWorld

page 2-4,

Beginning ISCOWP’sStraw-bale Home

page 5,10

Special Thanks toVrajapura Farm Donors

page 6-7

Accomplishments ofVrajapura Farm Campaign

page 8-9

ISCOWP Outreach page 11

1st Phase of Building Vrajapura Farm Campaign is a Success

Vrajapura Farm Protects 20 Cows

Page 2 THE ISCOWP NEWS

IndiaThank you very much for your letter

and the advice about bulls, the beautifulmap of Vrndavan Dham, and thehandmade calendar. I appreciate verymuch.

We have 5 young bulls, the eldest ofwhom, Bhima, is nearly 4 years old.Here they are not castrated till they arefully grown at four years or so, nortrained to work either till fully mature.The western breeds mature by 2 years ofage. Similarly our Indian heifers at 3years are not ready to breed, whereasour Jersey heifer produced her first calfat 2 years plus.

I asked the vet here why they castratebull calves so early at a few countries inthe west and he said that is “for muttonpurposes,” meaning for the meat eaters.He doesn’t even know the dreadfulword “beef”.

Our Bhima will be made into an oxthis summer or September at the end ofthe rainy season, when there is plenty ofgreen grass for him and his health willbe very good. A local farmer who has ayoung bull of the same age will trainthem both together to pull a cart andplough. In this he will be in experiencedhands. So we have it really easy as faras training is concerned, but we’ll alsohave to learn how to make him workthough actually we have a man who willdo this (this is India).

I really do admire your pioneeringtraining program, and making your ownyokes, and my humble obeisances toAnanga Manjari prabhu for training herown team. It is glorious. You arebreaking new ground and showing theworld a wonderful example. Here it’s soeasy to rely on the tradition. Fortunatelyin our area oxen are used 100% forplowing rice paddy and doing a lot ofload hauling from one place to another.It is a hilly area and farmers are alsopoor. In Uttar Pradesh, also Vrndavana,

tractors are roaring down the road allday long.

Bhima is small, powerful, and veryhot tempered. He’ll have to work alonefor awhile as his younger brotherNakula badly broke a back leg fallingon some rocks about a year ago. It hashealed but he is slightly lame as hemoved the splints getting up and downtoo much. He can run well but may notbe strong enough for pulling a plough.The next brother Sahadeva is only 3months old. Nakula baby-sits the 2younger calves. He is smart enough tolift the latch on the gate and head for the

vegetable garden.Gaura is our Jersey bull, 2 years old,

big and very good natured. He will beour breeding bull. He is very used tobeing handled. I used to bathe his eyesdaily when he had some infection on thelids and corneas. It cleared up very wellwith cow urine, which is a goodantiseptic that doesn’t harm the eyes.

All our bulls have ropes through theirnoses and around their heads behind theears like a halter. They are not tied upby this or lead by this as it is sensitive.They are tied by chain around the neckto the ground. They are only tied bynight. The rope is just to catch in case ofany problem and they can be broughtunder control quickly. I prefer not to tie

LettersDear Reader,

Last issue we printed a short letter from

Labangaltika. Since then we received a

detailed letter about her efforts at cow

protection in India. We thought you

would enjoy reading it.

our animals in the day time as they needexercise and association. I can’t be surethey’ll be properly fed and watered iftied, whereas they have access to waterdrums while loose and hay is put downfor them in the field.

We tie our Jersey cow Lalita as sheis very restless and doesn’t like hotweather, tends to get into thorn bushesand scratch her udders, is bossy with theoxen, and once got a snake bite on herleg which was very difficult to deal with.It wasn’t a cobra bite, but it was swollenand she was quite ill. She is better tiedwith plenty to eat. We didn’t plan to haveJersey cows and bulls at all. A friendgave us 6 month old Lalita and wecouldn’t refuse her. She has had 2 bullcalves.

Nitai is Gaura's younger brother,seven months old, another Jersey. He isvery gentle. We have 2 older Indiancows, Haripriya and Laxmi, and 3heifers: Jaya Radhe, Gopi, and Madhari.

We are now building a new cowshedfor them all. We are going to keep all ofthem and their progeny on our 36 acres.We are putting this land into a trust forcow protection.

We grow fruit trees: mango mostly,cashew, some chikoo, guava, sitaphal(custard apple) and coconut. The sale offruits in the future should maintain thewhole farm. We sell milk. We have a fewgood customers in Roha, the nearbytown. Generally it is hard to sell cow’smilk here as people demand buffalo milk.A tribal neighbor, whose wife has TB istaking a liter a day for his baby daughter.It is nice to be able to supply local peoplein need. Last year we had 2 cases inneighboring villages where the motherhad no milk for the infants. It seems tohappen in the hot season.

In the monsoon which lasts about 4months from June to October with veryheavy rains, there is plenty of green grassand creepers for our animals to eat, andthey can graze freely. They are notinterested in spoiling the trees so muchasgrass is there. Just a cowherd isrequired to keep them from entering therice paddies.

Now it is very dry, no rain fromOctober to June. We cut a lot of grass forhay and purchased rice straw from localfarmers. This is what they eat now. We

Labangalatika milking Laxmi.

THE ISCOWP NEWS Page 3

are growing a field of green grass,specifically for the Jerseys, who needgreen fodder. It has to be watered, andonce cut grows up again. We buy a grainmixture from a village cooperative about45 KM away and transport here about300 kilos a month. It is a very balancedmixture of sesame oil cake, rice bran.lentils. chickpeas, wheat husk, and a littlegur or brown sugar. The cows are doingvery well on it. Even the youngest get 1/2kilo ration. This oil cake is made from acold press. No solvents are used, whereasthe stuff available from the mills is full ofrubbish and solvents. Adulteration is

something you really have to watch outfor. That is why we are so dedicated inbringing this feed from so far.

The local cows of village farmers

roam and graze on whatever they canget and drink from the river puddles. 3cows belonging to one man I know felldown a well and died trying to getwater one summer. They don’t takemuch care. They only feed the workingoxen. It is a poor area. Their cowsmaybe give 1/2 liter daily.

I also cut green papaya, fruit andleaves, banana trees, bamboo, whateverI can get to feed them. I grow garlicgrass, dill, and give Lalita some spicesin her feed, neem powder, gingerpowder, fenugreek, fennel andcoriander seeds.

Our fences are all thorns andbrush, “kanvandah” is a thorn bushwhich grows very fast and has verygood berries to eat. The fences alwaysneed maintenance but I refuse to haveany wire here. For one thing it would bestolen right away.and it is also

dangerous for animals who jump, as acow in heat.

We have a “gobar” gas plant forcooking gas, and the slurry is a perfectfertilizer for our trees. I also makescouring powder for cleaning pots andplates from cow dung ash and a littlewashing soda.

I have 2 very good books, withwhich you may be familiar with, whichare my mainstay for animal health,“Herbal Handbook for the Farm andStable” by Isabelle Leary and“Homeopathic Medicines for Cattle” byGeorge Mcleod. I have a big stock ofhomeopathic medicines here at homenow, and good results for cows, people,and dogs, so I feel some confidence inusing although I am just learning. I’mtrying to avoid vaccines and the vet andhis injections of sulfur and penicillum.He’s a good vet, and capable in an

Left- Foundation for

new cowshed. It

gives a glimpse of

our scenery

Below- Further

progress of cowshed

showing stone room

which will be living

quarters. Cement

and brick water

trough in

foreground. The

cowshed should

house about 25

animals.

Jaya Radhe in her monsoon grass.

Page 4 THE ISCOWP NEWS

emergency, but homeopathic medicine ishighly effective without side effects. Igive them homeopathic doses of calciumand phosphorous in clean drinking waterevery week to maintain health.

During this dry season ticks aresometimes a problem. We get sometobacco dust from Gujarat and make abrew. It is unpleasant for devotees to usebut it is non toxic and highly effective inkeeping ticks away I also give crushedgarlic for illnesses and deworming. It’salso unpleasant for us, but good for thecows. I am keeping a journal of medicalcases. Local knowledge is also here-howto put a plaster of a rootand other ingredients for abroken leg and tie up inbamboo splints.

At present Laxmi, ourlocal cow is milking 2-3liters a day, and our JerseyLalita about 8-9 liters pluswhat they keep for thecalves. The Jersey calvesgo on drinking milk tillthey are more than a yearold. There is no problem.They just milk her out.Laxmi starts kicking hercalf at about nine months toinform no more milk, andwill not allow us either.

I have enclosed somephotos. I apologize for thequality. They never comeout quite okay. I amlooking forward to yournewsletter. Please let me know how I canserve you.

Labangalatika dasiRaigad, India

BangaladeshRegarding land race rice seeds. We

find it very difficult to locate them (eveninterrogating every withered old farmeror widow for the names is not alwaysproductive ). Although Bangaladesh issuch a samll country, still different areashad their own land races (some of coursethe same, with only different localnames). I just don’t have the time andresources that I need to even recordthese, what to speak of trying to maintainand preserve them. We have in thecountry ISKCON farms in some other

districts, but the local devotees (as thegeneral population) are just not into this,and just grin and try to humor me. Do youknow of any organizations in the USA thatwould be willing to sponsor or be able tooffer advice/help/assistance or anything?Not only paddy of course, but hundreds ofvegetable varieties have long been losthere. The market wants all these “foreign”hybrid cauiflower, cabbage, tomatoes, etc.Only the village people will eat the“jungle” vegetables..But there are still afew “old favorites” that everyone still eats.Many of them are from perennial tubersand not seed, so they sprout up regardless.

I am more interested in this type as it takeslesswork. A kind of very lazy variety ofRobert Hart’s “Forest Gardening.” There isa very interesting kind of ‘potato’ that isperfectly round and grows above theground on a vine called a “butter potato”locally for its texture.

As far as threshing the rice paddy, wejust take handfulls of stalks from thesheaves and either 1) just beat it over ahard surface such as a bench, or 2) if thereis a lot, we use a simple foot operatedthresher. The first method is fine for smallquantities of some varieties that separateeasily, or for those like “Govinda Bhoga”that has shorter stalks. The foot operatedthresher is much faster and with two peoplepeddling (up and down to make a small

drum fitted with U-shaped iron pins goround) along with two helpers to supplyfistfuls of stalks from the sheaves, thingsgo very fast indeed. It only takes about afew minutes to do two sheaves.

To bring the sheaves from the fieldwe make up the sheaves (say, about ayard in diameter) and one man carriestwo such sheaves balanced on hisshoulders with a pointed bamboo slat thatsticks into each one. They can be carriedfor some distance like this, we have somefields at quite a distance. We can’t oftenuse the oxen as the fields inbetween areoften not yet ready to harvest so there is

no path large enough forthe cart.

That “dekhi” or footbeater (that you printed inthe article “BangaladeshPaper Makers” of the Fall95 ISCOWP News)showing the paper makersbeating the pulp is whatwe sometimes use forhusking. Set into theground is a Idia stone witha hole about a 6” wideand deep. The paddy isput into the hole and andthe wooden beater breaksthe husks. This beater ismuch faster and efficientif the paddy is slightly“par-boiled” first but par-

boiled is not offerableto their Lordships.

I can’t reallyexplain how we winnow our grains asthere is a specifically shaped (like ahorse-shoe) bamboo tray, that the womencan use very effectively. It can alsoseperate the broken rice from the wholegrains.

Nistula dasPaundarik DhamBangaladesh

A “dekhi” or foot beater is sometimes used for husking rice paddy

THE ISCOWP NEWS Page 5

he back of the house is built intothe hillside and the front faces

south looking onto the surroundinghillsides. We hired a local excavator toexcavate the basement site and dig thetrench for the concrete footers. Theexcavation took a day and a half. Afterthe excavation we proceeded to putreinforcing rods in the holes for thefooters. The overall depth of the footerswas 10 inches.

It was very auspicious for us that wepoured the footers for the house on LordNrsingha's Appearance Day which was aTuesday. After we poured the footers,while the cement was still wet, we placedin the cement the first (course) row ofpolysteel forms. A good friend of ours,Mukunda Das, who lives in PrabhupadaVillage community located in NorthCarolina, is a contractor andrepresentative of American PolysteelForms.

We had wanted to have pouredcement walls in the basement, but therewas no one in this area that offers theservice. We also wanted to haveMukunda help build the house, so whenwe called him and asked him to help inthe construction of the house he told usabout 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 setup in the cement Tuesday night,Wednesday morning we started puttingup the walls. By Friday noon the wallswere up.The size of the basement is 30 by 39 feet.

The south facing wall has two largewindows and 2 doors. There are 5 othersmall windows in the basement.

Our crew was totally inexperienced,but by Lord Nrsingha's mercy, byFriday noon the doors and windowswere cut out and framed, everythingbraced, and horizontal and verticalrebar was inserted into the forms.

At this point we were ready to pourthe cement (Friday noon). ThePolysteel forms are like "lego" blockswith steel mesh reinforcement. Thecement is poured inside and the formsare left in place after the cement ispoured giving insulation on both sidesof your forms. It took us 5 hours topour the cement and there was no

Beginning ISCOWP’s Straw-bale HomeBuilding the cement basement with environmentally friendly Polysteel forms.

Top pictures - Polysteel forms fit together

like lego blocks.

Bottom picture - Cement is poured in the

middle of the forms and drys to form

cement walls

Page 6 THE ISCOWP NEWS

DONORS AS OF AUGUST 3, 1997 PLEDGED GIVEN

Gour Govinda d, Sita dd,and Chandra Mukhi dd.(Davidson Family).......$ 6,000....$60000

Vanamali Pandit d(Dr. Mody)..........................................$ 4,000....$40000

Dan Duer.............................................................$ 3,607....$3,607

Anuttama d & Rukmini dd.(Walker Family)..............................$ 1,500....$1,500

Henry Schoellkopf....................................................$ 1,500....$1,500

Shastra d.(Scott From)..........................................................$1,500

Kanina d & Arjuna d.(Quinn Family)...................................$ 1,000....$ 750

Vrajabhadhu dd (Marie Pritekel)......................................$ 1,200....$1,200

Stephen Sorra........................................................$ 720....$ 630

Saraswati dd.(Betty Woodhouse).......................................$ 600....$ 650

David Thiessen.......................................................$ 500....$ 500

Dharma Vidya d & Nama Priya dd.(Grant Family)........................$ 500....$ 500

Doug Carlton.........................................................$ 500....$ 435

Parampara d.(Peter Maxwell)..........................................$ 500....$ 500

Parampadam d.(Kenn Perry)............................................$ 500....$ 435

Labangalatika dd (Mrs. Malik)........................................$ 330....$ 330

Amala Bhakta....................................................................$ 320

Pavamana d & Sampada dd.(Mc Cloud Family)............................$ 300....$ 300

Advaita d & Madri dd (Sofsky Family)............................................$ 200

Hemalata dd (Teresa Warren).....................................................$ 200

Giriraj d.(Ramos family)............................................ $ 200....$ 210

Madhukanta d & Ann (Searight Family).................................$ 200....$ 144

Maha Mantra d (David Fuller).........................................$ 200....$ 200

Stacy Charlton.......................................................$ 200....$ 200

Pusti dd (Connie Humphrey)...........................................$ $ 195

Isabelle Haas........................................................$ 144....$ 150

Janesa d (George Willmon).......................................................$ 133

R.K.Dhingra M.D.................................................................$ 129

Haridas d& Nandapatni dd (Stempel Family)............................$ 112..........

A. Gopal Krishna................................................................$ 108

Barbara Withee.......................................................$ 108....$ 108

Bhadrunga d & Hladini Shakti (Sherman Family)........................$ 108....$..108

B.H. Arthur & lindsey L. Mc Caskey .............................................$ 108

Daruka das (David S. Corcoran III)..............................................$ 108

Dulal & Sabita Bhattacharjee.........................................$ 108....$ 55

Haribolananda d, Garudi dd & Archarya d, Rasalila dd, Harikirtan d, & Rajavidya d

(Hargreaves Family)..................................................$ 108....$ 51

Jack Baldwin & Kanti DePoo......................................................$ 108

James Marlin Oswald..................................................$ 108....$ 54

Jimmy & Theresa Devine...............................................$ 108....$ 108

Jitari d & Rangavati dd.(Heintz Family)..............................$ 108....$ 54

Linda Campisano.................................................................$ 108

Matchless Gifts (Ujavala dd & Suresh d).........................................$ 108

Special Thanks to Vrajapura Farm Donors

$29,518 given of $30,422 pledged towards the $30,000 campaign goal for 8/96-8/97

THE ISCOWP NEWS Page 7

Special ThanksWe are so fortunate to have your

support. All of you always fulfillyour pledges when you can and it isbecause we can rely on you thatISCOWP is able to show progress.Thank you again and again!

Mary Goerke................$ 108....$ 108

Mayesvara d & Urvasi dd (Roberts Family)

...........................$ 108....$ 108

Rory Alden.................$ 108....$ 108

Srimate Radharani..........$ 108....$ 50

Suresvara d & Katayani dd(Hall Family)$ 108

Vidyananda & Kirtida Kanyaka..........$ 108

Isvari dd.............................$ 100

Lorraine Dove.........................$ 100

Suryaram Joshi........................$ 100

Amrita dd & Rasamanjari dd (Anne Kellogg &

Marilyn Stein)........................$ 70

Akilananda d (Al Fitch)...............$ 60

H.H. Candramauli Swami................$ 55

Dr. Prem Sahai........................$ 51

Anthony & Rawtee Lutchman.............$ 50

Dayavira d (Hill Family)..............$ 50

Celilia & Janmodasya d (Glass-McCafferty

Family)...............................$ 40

Dhanistha dd (D. Yarber)..............$ 40

Gayle Janzen..........................$ 31

Balai dd (Blanche Marsden)............$ 30

Advaita Chandra d & Radha Sundari dd (Taylor

Family)...............................$ 27

Kirk Cornwell.........................$ 27

Bharati & Nikhil Joshi................$ 25

Helen Wells...........................$ 25

Indra Pramada d (Elliott Cohen).......$ 25

Sudevi dd (Lyn & Ron Hansen)..........$ 25

Ram & Aruna Singhania.................$ 25

Aroon & Lilly Chaddha.................$ 21

Avadhuta d (Audrius Palubinskas)......$ 21

Bhupendra S.Gupta.....................$ 21

Caroline Constantine..................$ 21

Dr. B.G. Gokhale......................$ 21

Jacqueline & Soleil Develle...........$ 21

Jona O’Nan............................$ 21

Naveen Krsna d & Rasagmya dd (Khurana

Family)..................................$

21

Philip James..........................$ 21

Suresh Shirgaokar.....................$ 21

T.& Lakshmi RadhaKrishnan.............$ 21

Winthrop Dahl.........................$ 21

Yadunandana dd (Judith Syer)..........$ 21

Namath K. Nayak.......................$ 15

H.H. Gunagrahi Swami..................$ 15

Lenny Greenberg.......................$ 15

Vijay & Shaila Shroff.................$ 11

Right:

Kumba and

Mela at 2

months

old. Kumba

was very

sick as a

puppy.He’s

fine now.

Also, special thanks to the unsungheros of the rodent and deer controlteam: Kumba & Mela (Kumbamela).They respect the cows and oxen, chasethe deer, disperse the groundhogs, andloyally protect Vrajapura Farm.Albert Winkelman..................$ 10Ishwar Mahbubani..................$ 10Christine Onge....................$ 8

Left:

Kumba

(right) and

Mela (left)

About 7

months

old.

Kumba

is the boy

and Mela

is the girl.

They are

brother

and sister.

Page 8 THE ISCOWP NEWS

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

Top picture:

Vrajapura Farm

Middle Picture:

Balabhadra,

Tejo, and Seva

laying the

waterpipe.

Bottom Picture:

Balabhadra

using siding from

a local barn he

and crew tore

down as siding

for Vrajapura

Farm’s barn

ater System

60 cows and oxen are nowreceiving water from the new

water system at Vrajapura Farm. Duringthe winter, we will be able to give shelterand water to 20 cows and oxen. Withfunds from the Building Vrajapura FarmCampaign we have been able to employdevotee plumbers Tejo and Sevananda.They reactivated the original electricallypumped well which gives approximately2 gallons per minute, laid new pipes tothe two barns, and established 2 wateringstations for the cows at the barn sites. Anadded feature of this system is that a1000 gallon tank has been placed into thehilltop. The water flows from the pumpto the tank and down to the barns andhouse. If the electricity fails, the tank willhold enough water for several days whichwill feed the barns and house due togravity flow. The long term plan is to runthe system with a windmill, notelectricity. With the tank, the windmilldoes not have to be operated 24 hours aday. There is plenty of wind hereespecially at the top of the hill.

Refurbishing Barn

The barn is in a neglected condition.The opposite picture shows pine sidinggoing up on the west side of the barnwhere there was no wall. At present thewall is completed. This wood wassalvaged from a local 60 year old barnthat Balabhadra and crew took down. Thelumber was free except for the labor

involved in dismantling the old barn.Each of the 1’ by 6’ T & G siddingwould have cost approximately $11.50each. With 90 pieces used to completethe wall, we have saved $1000.

The next steps to refurbishing thebarn are to put siding on the east facingwall which is all rusted tin, replace someof the tin on the roof and tar it, andreinforce some of the roof with poplarbeams that have also been salvaged. Thisbarn and a smaller barn will enable us toshelter 20 cows and oxen this winter.

War of the Roses

Multiflora roses were importedaround the turn of the century to createhedge rows (living fences). Unfortunatelythey have overrun many areas by birdseating the rose hips and then depositingthe seeds with some manure. 95% of themultiflora rose bushes, which have beenchoking the pastures, have been cut byhand and are now being burned. In the 20acres of pasturing grounds, about half ofthat acreage was covered with roses.

During the winter months BhaktaKevin pushed the rose bushes over with arake so Balabhadra could cut the bush atits roots with a chain saw. These busheswere full of thorns. The winter time wasa good time to deal with the roses sincethe customary thick winter clothing was

THE ISCOWP NEWS Page 9

Top picture:

Rose bushes were cut with a chain

saw during the winter months.

95% of the bushes have been cut.

Middle picture:

Krsna Shakti putting in fence post

Bottom picture:

After spending appoximately 2

months cutting rose bushes,

burning them was very satisfying.

protection against the prickly thorns.This spring and summer the dead

rose bushes are being burned. Thiscoming fall, what little growth there isleft will be cut, leaving no reserve tosurvive the winter. Thus they will bedestroyed. It will take about one day tocut them all since the growth will beminimal. It took approximately 2 monthsof 6 hour days , 3 days a week to initiallycut the rose bushes.

Fencing

All the locust poles needed forfencing to protect vegetables, herbs andgrains against groundhogs and deer havebeen purchased. We have been havingdifficulty acquiring the use of the propermachine to pound the posts into theground. It has been actually severalmonths we have been waiting. Thetractor here at New Vrndavana that canwork the pounding attachment is still inthe repair shop and a local neighbor thatalso has the equipment has been too busyhaying to lend us his machine. No oneelse in the area has the equipment. In themeantime, Balabhadra and Krsna Shaktidug by hand 4 1/2 feet deep holes for allthe corner and gate posts. These polesare all in the ground now.

We were considering putting all thepoles in by hand but this is very timeconsuming when our labor is needed tocomplete so many other projects. Alsowe should get the use of one of themachines in the near future. When we do,it should take only a few days to put upall the fencing compared to a couple ofweeks by hand.

Cleaning

Since no one has lived on this farm for

15 years, much trash has been left on thegrounds. We have cleaned up the mostobvious by removing 12 truckloads of gar-bage. The old house is now cleaned of alltrash. Due to lack of space, instead of

dismantling the house we decided totemporarily use it for storage.

Planting

15 apple trees of 12 different varietieswere planted on the north side of VrajapuraFarm as the beginning of an apple orchard.A small vegetable garden was also planted.Both were attacked by the cows. The appletrees will survive, however the garden wasdevastated. We put up barbed wire fencingbut it did not stop some of them. When wehave the proper fencing we should not havethis problem. Our dog patrol has beentrained not to interfere with cows, thereforethey were of no help in this situation.

Conclusion

All goals of this campaign are intheir final stages and should becompleted by the end of August. Fundsfor all goals have been used appropriatelyand preserved for the goals not yetcompleted. Because, you our members,fulfilled the financial goals of thiscampaign we were able to fulfill thepractical goals.

In addition to achieving thecampaign’s goals we have attempted tobuild a straw-bale home (see page 5) forISCOWP’s family so we can live atVrajapura Farm by the winter time. Nowwe are traveling from our residence toVrajapura Farm which is about a 15minute drive. This may becomeimpossible in the winter months becausethe road into the property is in poorcondition. With all 20 of the cows andoxen at Vrajapura Farm we can’t riskleaving them up there alone. Therefore itis imperative to the project’s success tohave a dwelling built by the cold wintermonths. Since this is our private livingspace we are not fund-raising for theconstruction. To provide the financing,Baladeva our son, is driving truck andBalabhadra is working nights at the localdevotee owned Altwin Bakery in additionto working days at Vrajapura Farm. Atthis point we are hoping to build thebasement and make it livable by winter.

Together we have completed the 1stphase of Building Vrajapura Farm. Themain goal of the campaign was to makethe property inhabitable for 20 cows andoxen so that further development canbegin. Further development means tobuild a training center for spreading theknowledge of cow protection, ox-power,and self-sufficiency based on SrilaPraphupada’s instructions. We are

Page 10 THE ISCOWP NEWS

burned for heat, saving our oil and gasreserves, reducing air pollution and the“greenhouse effect,” the cause ofatmospheric warming.

Buildings constructed with PolysteelForms are as friendly to the interior

environment as they are to our globalwell being.

*Polysteel Forms do not containCFC’s, HCFC’s, formaldehyde, asbestosor fiberglass.

*Polysteel Forms do not produce anyodor or fumes after four to six weeks

Beginning ISCOWP’s Straw-bale Home

Continued from page 5

During the pouring of the cement therehad to be a person on each side of the wallwith a block and hammer tapping on thewalls so that the cement did not "honey-comb". With these forms you can not use avibrator so the tapping is essential toensure that air pockets, "honey-combing,"does not occur which weakens your walls.After the cement was poured and had setup for an hour we went around with a hoseand rags and cleaned the forms where anycement had spilled over.

The next step was to put in the Frenchdrain but before we could do this we had aheavy rain which caused the hillside behindthe house to slip into the hole. It took us 2days to dig it out. Then we proceeded tolay in 4 inch perforated drain pipes with agravel base. Before we put the gravel in welaid a cloth material. After the gravel anddrain pipe were in place and the drain pipecovered by more gravel, we folded thecloth over the top . This cloth and gravelprevents dirt from getting into the drainpipe and clogging it up. Three of us work-ed on it and the project took the better partof the day. After we folded the cloth, welaid dirt on top of the cloth to hold it inplace.

A Polysteel form is a environmentallyfriendly building material. From the initialmanufacturing process through decades ofenergy-saving performance in the field,Polysteel forms provide a variety ofbenefits to our environment.

*No CFC’s (Chloroflourocarbons) areused during the manufacturing process.The release of CFC’s has been linked tothe destruction of the Earth’s protectiveozone layer and an increased incidence ofskin cancer.

*The structural strength of Polysteelbuildings comes from reinforced concrete-Portland cement, sand and gravel - ofwhich the Earth has in abundant supply.This directly reduces the use of lumber forconstruction, thereby helping to save theworld’s forests.

*The thermal mass and expandedpolystyrene insulation of concrete-filledPolysteel Forms creates structures that aresuper energy efficient. This energyefficiency minimizes the amount of fuel

from the date of manufacture.*Laboratory analysis of the expandedpolystyrene foam (EPS) used in theforms has demostrated that nobreakdown of any of the EPS coponentsoccurs at temperatures below 170degrees Fahrenheit.

*The structural strength and stability ofPolysteel reduces cracking in foundationwalls and basements, thereby minimizingthe leakage of radon gas into homes andother buildings.

* Polysteel Forms meet or exceed allnational building fire code requirementswith a flame spread of much less than 25and a smoke development of much lessthan 450. In a fire, Polysteel Forms areless toxic than most common buildingand insulation materials, including wood.In an interior fire, the interior EPS in ourPolysteel wall can produce 5,420 Btu’sper square foot of heat, which is muchless than the 10,000 Btu’s per square footproduced by the wood in a 2 by 4 framehouse. When burned completely,expanded polystyrene gives off watervapor, carbon dioxide, and some soot orash- the same as paper. The fire retardentcontained in the expanded polystyrene isbrominated aliphatic hydrocarbon, whichis stable below 392 degrees Farenheit.

*As for noise pollution, a Polysteelwall, with a 1/2” drywall interior veneerand an equivalent exterior attached,creates a barrier with a sound class 48which virtually eliminates outside noise.

Our use of the forms was only toprovide a cement basement that would besturdy for our straw-bale home. And, asmentioned in earlier issues of theISCOWP News, straw-bale, in ouropinion, is the prime environmentallyfriendly building material. However,before we can build with straw bales wewill complete the basement and moveinto it by November. Hopefully we willhave enough money to do this timely.Gradually we will build the next twostories as the funds and time becomeavailable.

A cathedral ceiling will encompass thefront half of the house with nearly theentire front in glass. Not only will theview consist of the surrounding hills butalso the cows and oxen in their pasturinggrounds. By hosting guests in such anatmosphere we hope to impart the beauty

Top Picture:

A great view of the surrounding hills will

be available even from the front of the

30” by 39” basement.

Bottom picture:

Baladeva tapping the wall as Mukunda

pours the cement.

THE ISCOWP NEWS Page 11

ISCOWP OutreachISCOWP OutreachISCOWP OutreachISCOWP Outreach

rajapura Farm:

This spring and summerISCOWP has had the pleasureto host some of its members andguests. As Vrajapura Farm

develops we hope to build guest cottageswhere our supporters can come and enjoythe agrarian atmosphere. Seminars andworkshops will also be facilitated by suchguest facilities.

Some of our members who have cometo visit are: Dhanistha dasi (Prabhupadadisciple who has been distributing SrilaPrabhupada’s books for many years andhas her own center in Stonefort, Illinois),Gautamma das from the Goshala atBhaktivedanta Manor (England), HenrySchoellkopf, Vanamali Pandit das andfamily (Dr. Mody), Vidyananda das andKirtida dasi, and H.H. HridayanandaGoswami. Kanina das and H.H. Bhakti-tirtha Swami visited in the winter andBhakti-tirtha Swami visited again in July.Also, Anuttama of ISKCONCommunications visited Vraja-pura Farmin July to see the progress.

Bhakti Caru Swami, who is making themovie about Srila Prabhupada’s life andteachings, visited along with Henry in June.After speaking with Balabhadra he is nowconsidering having some footage on cowprotection with the possibility ofBalabhadra and the oxen involved.

Anthony Willett and family (toppicture) visited Vrajapura Farm beforetraveling to India on behalf of the HumaneSociety of the United States. BecauseAnthony will be working to assist cowprotection in India, we discussed thepossibility of him connecting with ournetwork of Indian members. Dhurga,

Anthony’s wife, grew up in Nepal. Shedescribed to us how every family theretook care of cows very nicely.

On July 13, Vraja and Gita blissfullyled the New Vrndavana Ratha-yatra(middle picture) amidst enthusiastickirtan.

Gita-nagari Farm (Port Royal,

Pennsylvania):

July 26 was the Gita-nagari Ratha-yatra at which Balabhadra led the parade

with Buck pulling a cartcarrying their LordshipsRadha Damodara. Gita-nagari Ratha-yatra hasalways been a very sweetexample of Ratha-yatracountry style with theprocession proceeding alongthe creek and then overGovardhana Hill to view thebeauty of the surroundingcountryside and the pasturingcows and oxen.

On July 27-August 1,the Gita-nagari Conferenceon the PracticalApplication of Vedic Studiestook place. Courses,discussion groups,workshops, and otheractivities on implementingthe principles of self-sufficiency and daivi-varnasrama based on theteachings of SrilaPrabhupada were offered.Some of the speakers were:Bhakti-tirtha Swami,Ravindra Svarupa das, Hare

Krsna dasi, Suresvara das, andBalabhadra das. Of course, Balabhadraspoke about implementing cowprotection and ox-power.

The overall conclusion of the wellattended conference was that it isessentially important to the developmentof ISKCON society that efforts should bemade to establish an agrarian basedlifestyle where daivi-varnasrama (one’spropensities determines one’s work) canbe implemented. Often in the ISKCONtemples there is service opportunity onlyfor brahminical (intellectually inclined)persons, thus leaving out vast numbers of

persons interested inKrsna consciousnessbut unable to find theirniche.

Madhusudana das,a devotee attending theconference becameenthused to care forGita-nagari’s youngbull calves afterlistening toBalabhadra’s class. He

Top Picture:

Anthony Willett is working with the Humane Society of

America to assist cow protection in India. He and

family came to visit Vrajapura Farm to discuss

connecting with our network of members in India.

Middle Picture:

Vraja and Gita led New Vrndavana’s Rathayatra.

Bottom Picture:

Balabhadra leads Buck at Gita Nagari’s Rathayatra.

Page 12 THE ISCOWP NEWSThe International Society for Cow ProtectionThe International Society for Cow Protection (ISCOWP) is primarily concerned with presenting alternatives to present

agricultural practices that support and depend upon the meat industry and industrialized, petroleum powered machinery.

Our Goals:1. To provide natural alternative energy by training bull calves as working teams of oxen.2. To utilize ISCOWP’s alternative agricultural practices as hands-on experience in living classroom settings.3. To demonstrate the usefulness of the natural by-products of the cow by encouraging the production of methane biogas fromcow manure as a valuable alternative energy source.4. To present the benefits of a lacto-vegetarian diet through educational literature, nutritional cooking classes, organic gardeninginstruction, and the production of cruelty-free dairy products from lifetime protected cows.5. To exhibit a sound ecological relationship between man, cow, and the land by establishing small family farms modeled afterthe historic Vedic example of agrarian harmony based on lifetime cow protection.6. To educate society about the practical benefits of lifetime cow protection by distribution of the quarterly ISCOWP NEWS,

related books, literature, and educational videos.7. To convince society of the living entity within the cow by direct contact with the oxen through our Cow Protection OutreachProgram.

ISCOWP was incorporated in March, 1990 as a non profit organization. William and Irene Dove (Balabhadra das & Chayadevi dasi)are its managing directors. They are disciples of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the Founder Acharya ofthe International Society for Krsna Consciousness. It is through their spiritual master’s teachings they have imbibed the practices andbenefits, both spiritual and material, of lifetime cow protection.

The tenets of cow protection and ox power are universal and nonsectarian, available to all regardless of race, creed, or nationality. Alldonations are tax deductible. ISCOWP’s tax# is 23-2604082. For more information: ISCOWP, RD 1, NBU #28, Moundsville, WV,26041, USA, TEL: 304-843-1270, FAX: (call first) 304-845-5742, e-mail: iscowp@ovnet.com, iscowp@com.bbt.se

THE ISCOWP NEWS

The International Society for Cow Protection

Rd 1 NBU #28

Moundsville, W.V. 26041, U.S.A.

Tel # 304-843-1270

Non-ProfitU.S. PostagePAIDMoundsville, W.V.Permit No.15

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