Protection Farms -- mature herd is litmus test

[Guest guest]

Pancaratna ACBSP wrote:

 

> > Hare Krsna dasi comments:

>

> > 1. What is the cost of 1 unit (gallon, liter or whatever) of milk from a

> > cow in

> > a *mature* protected herd?

>

> You have rightly pointed out that ISKCON farm records are insufficient to

> use as a base for this calculation. However, perhaps we could understand

> what you would mean by "mature"? What is the criteria for judging a

> protected herd to be mature?

>

> Your servant,

> Pancaratna das

 

Many protected herds will give the appearance of profitability in the first few

years of operation, when there is a high percentage of productive animals,

especially productive cows.

 

However, as the herd begins to age, and the farm must take care of retired cows

and oxen, then generally the profitability begins to drop, because the

unproductive or less productive animals must still be fed and treated

medically, etc., but they provide little return. Therefore, it is the farm

with such a mature herd which is the litmus test as to whether such a

proposition can be profitable.

 

That's why I stress the idea of the mature herd -- because the younger herd can

easily give the false impression of profitability, when that is really not the

case for the long run.

 

your servant,

 

Hare Krsna dasi

[Guest guest]

-

Noma T. Petroff <npetroff (AT) bowdoin (DOT) edu>

Cow (Protection and related issues) <Cow (AT) pamho (DOT) net>

Cc: mark chatburn <markjon11 >; Mark Middle Mountain

<gourdmad (AT) ovnet (DOT) com>

Wednesday, March 07, 2001 9:25 AM

Re: Protection Farms -- "mature" herd is litmus test

 

 

> Pancaratna ACBSP wrote:

>

> > > Hare Krsna dasi comments:

> >

> > > 1. What is the cost of 1 unit (gallon, liter or whatever) of milk

from a

> > > cow in

> > > a *mature* protected herd?

> >

> > You have rightly pointed out that ISKCON farm records are insufficient

to

> > use as a base for this calculation. However, perhaps we could understand

> > what you would mean by "mature"? What is the criteria for judging a

> > protected herd to be mature?

> >

Comment:

Mature herd is a herd in which the number of animals born and the number

that die is about the same. It's make up consists of a population break down

that fits a bell curve, with the peak of curve consisting of animals of

highly productive age (5-10 yrs.) the lower ends of the curve are a small

number of aged animals and an equally small population of young animals.

ys, Rohita dasa