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

[Guest guest]

Dear Rohita,

 

I have put our communications back onto the cow

conference. I'm not sure if you want it that way, but

I feel it is better so a greater feed can come

through.

 

So, from your feedback so far I have derived the

following:

 

Assumptions-

We are talking about a cool temperate setting, ie New

York state or the UK.

Using adapted (as dual purpose as possible) local

breeds of Bos Taurus.

Sheltered lifetime care.

 

Therefore, the cows will live an average of 20+ - but

what exactly would that mean - 29, 20 or 25? These

numbers would greatly alter the maths in the system.

 

Retirement at 14 to 16 for cows and oxen - as a basic

average.

 

The point I argue with here is the labour needed to

milk the animals. Below you state that 6 cows is the

optimum - this is half Syam´s number - why such

discrepencies - both devotees (I mean practicing, not

like me), both caring for cows? Could it be with the

time taken to do the milking? You state to do the

milking in one hour, wheras Syam has it done in 1.5

hours for twice the amount - remember this is with 3

cows in a 4-year lactation cycle. Below:

 

>From Rohita:

 

Tropical and subtropical regions

Seven cows

Two milkers, milking only, one hour (seven minutes per

cow).

Two milkers, setup and cleanup, ten minutes.

Two milkers, brushing, ten minutes.

one hour twenty minutes total time.

 

Six cows

One milker, milking only, one hour (ten minutes per

cow)

One milker, setup and cleanup, twenty minutes

One milker, brushing, twenty minutes

one hour forty minutes total time.

In temperate and Mediterranean climes the brushing

would be eliminated.

 

Setup means rinsing milk paraphernalia before use

(scalding water),

setting

out grain (we feed grain at milking time based on

production 1::3

grain:

milk), bringing in cows. Cows udders are washed with

hot soapy water,

to

stimulate let down (although I have seen people do

this solely by

massage)

and to remove debris from the udder.

 

Cleanup means washing in hot soapy water, cleaning

with brush and

rinsing

all milking paraphernalia. The milking parlour it then

swept and hosed

out.

Excess water swept out.

 

The brushing procedure also encourages let down as the

cows like to be

groomed and associate it with the milking process. In

temperate climes

the

cleaning of the milking parlour would be removing the

straw and putting

down

fresh so the area is setup for the next milking.

Deep-bedding is for

the

areas where the cows spend the night. In the

non-temperate climes, this

is

not necessary as the animals spend time on the field

except when the

weather

is inclement.

>

 

Other than that we need to start expaning into land

costs, capital equipment costs, running costs; plus

dairy arrangements.

Then there is the sticky issue of ox and crops.

 

As you seem to be on board with this, I would be glad

to hear your views on this issue. I have the UK

Vegetarian Society giving me another 2 page slot in

their magazine this Autumn - I want to include

something on ISKCON in this. Yet ISKCON, in general,

has not got behind the concept of a commercial system.

 

All around us millions of farm animals are sent to

slaughter. Now, in the UK, they are killing and

burying other millions - concentration camp or what?

 

The more one gets into the maths of this system the

more expensive it gets, and therefore the more

non-viable it seems. Yet it is so easy to be reactive

to the present system that to balk at the expense of a

humane system is totaly hypocritical.

Also, how far shall we go as a compromise to

Prabhupada? Whilst machine milking has its

impracticalities for the system itself, the non-use of

oxen (leaving them as range animals till death) could

lower costs whilst achieving one aim - not to kill

them. Not that I want this, but the normal consumer?

 

I find it amazing that devotees are so puritanical

that it's either all or nothing. Whilst I go on and on

and on about a commercial system, I feel most cow

conference devotees look on hoping the idea will die

along with the billions of farm animals that this

system hopes to replace.

 

Can you enlighten me a bit on this, and suggest ways

to bring this system to reality, as so far you are the

only cow conference devotee who has bit the bait. I

have Hanuman Prasek Swami who constantly writes to me

saying he is interested in my approach, yet he will

not get on the conference to push it through. Devotees

in Argentina know me as the cow man, but it is all pie

in the sky as the leaders - and here I mean cow

conferencers not GBC or Swamis - are not behind it. In

Arg the farm is a mess, no-one has a clue, yet just

down the road there are organic farms. I suggest joint

ventures, but they keep on struggling all the way!!!

 

Anyway, enough of my frustrated babble.

 

Yours in the bestest of faiths,

 

Mark

 

 

 

 

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