Protection Farms - modelling a better system than the slaughter o

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Syamasundara (das) (Bhaktivedanta Manor - UK) <Syamasundara (AT) pamho (DOT) net>

mark chatburn <markjon11 >; New Talavan <talavan (AT) fnbop (DOT) com>;

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

Tuesday, March 27, 2001 3:34 PM

Protection Farms - modeling a better system than the slaughter of

billions of animals.

 

 

> Srila Prabhupada made a very interesting and chilling quote one time. He

> said 'If you do not work the oxen you will think about killing them'

 

Comment:

I believe that that lettre was sent to Balavanta, at the time the Murari and

New Talavan farms were starting up in his zone. Yes we are killing them.

They are not working, because of this they have been relegated to the

poorest conditions on the farm, because of lack of engagement they are

morose and as i here the teens say, I'm bored. So what do they do, they get

in to trouble, this causes the management to see them as a greater burden so

many eating, ; so much time and money spent keeping them in and

feeding them. They are seen as a burden, some even pray that they did not

have this burden. In effect that was what happened at Murari Sevak.

>

> This is certainly shocking but what is even more shocking and revealing is

> that where the oxen have not been depended on, they have certainly been

sent

> away and in a lot of cases to their end.

>

> A commercial venture of farming must be dependant on the ox. Without a

farm

> policy of oxen working it will not work.

>

> The oxen must work.

 

Comment:

Every animal during its life time must be engaged, cows milking, oxen

working and bulls doing what comes naturally (with some control of course).

Today I took inventory of our living assets here in New Talavan.

 

We have seven people with experience at working oxen (three for many years),

at the present time one does some occasional work, the rest are not

involved.

 

The number of oxen that could be engaged (discounting the aged, crippled or

very nervous animals) are 30 Zebu crosses and 15 of taurus bloodlines or 45

animals. One doing part time work now.

 

> The other day I was speaking to an economic advisor who is currently doing

a

> phd in stategic buiseness planning. I expressed to him my dilema about the

> pricing of ox related products. Specifically i was talking about selling

> flour from a mill powered by oxen by use of an ox gear system.

>

> His answer was very enlivening because his point was that it is not a

> question of price it is a question of meeting the demand. He had some

> technical name for it which I canno remember. Specifically his point was

> that the flour will sell at the price wanted. There will be persons who

will

> value the product and will pay the premium price for it. His concern was

can

> we meet the demand.

>

> To give some background. The flour mill at the Manor can mill 30kg of

flour

> in an hour. A team of 4 oxen and 1 spare can do a 4 hour shift. To do a

full

> 8 hour day of milling would require 10 oxen, probably at least 2 persons

and

> would produce 240kg of flour. As the flour is sold its reputation will

> increase and thus can we meet the demand. Not being able to satisfy the

> demand is more of a problem than the price we sell the flour at.

>

> Incidently I think this is a good way to get the ball rolling. One can

start

> on oxpowered, ox dependant cottage scale buiseness by using oxen to mill

> flour. The price one sells the flour at should reflect the price one would

> have to pay an ox farmer for his naturally grown wheat. My initial

thoughts

> are that ox grown wheat should fetch 300 pounds per tonne. Organic wheat

is

> sold at 200 pounds and conventional wheat is sold at less than 100 pounds.

>

> In other words a person could start a milling enterprise using a gear head

> and flour mill. He could sell the flour at a price which would not need to

> be changed when he can buy from an ox farmer. In other words to get the

ball

> rolling he can buy organic wheat, mill it and sell it at a price suitable

> for wheat bought from an ox farmer.

>

> As the mill becomes successful then there is a vacuum into which an ox

> farmer can sell his produce. Remember the problem with the average ox

farmer

> is he is not very good at marketing and so if there is a ready outlet for

> his wheat it will be easier for him/her to her started.

 

We have been harvest wheat for the last two years and will be doing our

third harvest next month. We plant winter wheat here in October and harvest

near the end of April. We engage one devotee grinding by electrical powered

mill and that supplies the temple and then we sell to a small cliental.

 

Comment:

Do you have plans that you could send of an ox-powered grain mill or contact

with someone that does?

 

Taraka Prabhu does someone in Gita Nagari still have the plans for the

ox-powered sawmill?

 

Does anyone have plans for a gear system that could operate a water well?

 

One devotee here tells me that in rural Brazil they have ox-powered baler

and hayforks for the big round bales of hay (15,000 pound).

 

>

> Back to the point about meeting the demand. Nature has made it that oxen

> work within a certain parameter. In other words there is only so much they

> can do. You can adjust their food and their care but still they have a

> certain parameter of operation.

>

> In the same way an ox gear system has a certain limit to how much can be

> produced. The amish would use 10 horses on a wood saw. we could then

imagine

> 10 oxen on a gear head that was linked to a milling machine. Indeed I

> believe there is one such machine being used by horses in Germany

> somewhere. At least that is what the mill manufacturer told me.

>

> It is possible then to erect a gear mechanism, buy a mill and start

selling

> flour very quickly.

>

> The selling of organic wheat milled by oxen that will never be killed is

> the supreme niche market. It is much easier to get this element started

and

> maintained than the big milking herd.

>

> Naturally with the need for working oxen there will be good presure on the

> cow protectors to supply more oxen. This is the vedic model. Breeding

pushed

> the need for working oxen.

 

Comment:

I have about 30 Zebu (Bos indicus) cross animals that need an engagement. I

have mentioned before that the male to female ratio in these animals is

three to one not the one to one ratio of the taurus breeds. This ratio is

there for just the reasons you have given.

>

> Another side point. If the Manor goes down this road then we will have to

> buy in or get donated more oxen. This is an exciting consideration. we

> currently have 7 working oxen. In two years we will still only have 7

> working oxen. In three years we will still only have 8 oxen. Its a good

> fealing to not have enough oxen. To have a demand for more oxen.

>

> just some thoughts for deliberation

 

Comment:

The problem is largely a human one, the facility is there, it is a matter of

convincing those that are skilled to take it up again and to help in

training others. How it make it enticing for a trainer to engage in that

profession.

ys, Rohita dasa

 

 

>