Protection Farms - modelling a better system than the slaughter of bi

[Guest guest]

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'

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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