ox-powered cropping is no way economically feasilbe

[Guest guest]

Gopananda wrote

>What Syamasundar prabhu was saying is that ox-powered cropping is no way

>economically feasilbe in today´s economic environment.

 

I was not saying that it was not economically feasible in todays economic

environment only that you cannot do the same thing as your neighbour who

farms conventionaly or with a tractor.

 

It is economically feasible to do ox powered cropping if one markets it as a

premium product. Now in reality it most likely will mean that you have to

take the products one or more steps further than your neighbour. In other

words if you can make bread and sell the bread made from your ox produced

wheat then it is more feasible.

 

I would be very concerned about a farming system that uses the principles of

cow protection as its selling point and yet has not worked out how to use

the oxen. If the oxen are not making a living by themselves and 'earning

their chow' as one devotee put it then how on earth will people pay the huge

price of milk needed to support the entire herd?

 

We should be open to 'positive progressive development' and find farming

systems based on our principles that are applicable to 21st century

developed world living places. Our Cow protectors need succesful models to

follow and aspire to. Now the question what are these succesful models?

 

yssyam

[Guest guest]

>

> Is this not irresponsible to the farm animals of the world to limit any

> posibilities of cow protection by imposing on an impossible economic

situation

> standards that can not be met such as no cow protecion without ox-powered

> cropping?

>

> Is it not shooting one´s own foot?

> ]

 

No. It is not a justification to drink milk and ignore the ox as is so

widely practiced now.

 

> Should one not bend one´s views in accordance to time, place and

circumstance

> to allow some form of positive progressive development?

 

Of course. That is the challenge.

 

Let's look at it another way. What is the economic feasibility of keeping a

pet? Usually, there is none, yet it is a widespread practice that will not

be abandoned due to economic considerations.

 

What is the economic feasability of flying to India to go to Mayapur for

Gaura Paurnima? There is none. Yet every year, hundreds of devotees spend

lots of money doing exactly that.

 

What is the economic feasability of chanting japa?

 

What is the economic feasability of Deity worship?

 

Hopefully someone gets my drift..

[Guest guest]

>

> It is economically feasible to do ox powered cropping if one markets it as

a

> premium product.

 

Like a pool of devotees who were willing to pay a premium price for the ox

produced products as a form of vicarious cow protection. It's a team. Not

that over here is the vast majority of devotees applying economics only

aanalysis of where they spend their food budget and over there is a samll

minority of devotee vaisyas left on their own to figure out how to get their

production costs dwon enough that the majority will buy them because they

are economically competitive with agribusiness.

 

>Now in reality it most likely will mean that you have to

> take the products one or more steps further than your neighbour. In other

> words if you can make bread and sell the bread made from your ox produced

> wheat then it is more feasible.

 

Even that is a form of value added production that uses the profits from

bread making to subsidize the ox program.

 

Which, really, if you read SP's description of vaisya's duties, is more or

less what he says to do - protect cows AND make money. Not that the money

made by cows is the only money used for their protection.