New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

ECO-Vrindaban Board Meeting Minutes 11/18/2018

Mission Statement: ECO-Vrindaban promotes cow protection, local agriculture, and above all, loving Krishna, as envisioned by Srila Prabhupada, ISKCON New Vrindaban’s Founder-Acharya.

Participating Directors: Anuttama, Chaitanya Mangala (chair), Jamuna Jivani (board secretary), Makara, Olivia, Ranaka, and Vraja.

Participating Advisors: Kalakantha.

1. Ranaka’s Monthly Report

Lalita Gopi (Radha Vrindaban Chandra’s Barn):

• and Anandavidya are currently milking eight cows (Usha, Lakshmi, Anjali, Malati, Surabhi, Jamuna, Subhadra, and Sriya). They are producing 23 gal per day.
• The butter production has roughly doubled. Approximately 30 to 40 lb per week of butter is supplied to the deity kitchen for their use as ghee.
• We had a nice festival for Govardhan Puja, attended by the children of Gopal’s Garden and various other devotees.
• We put up name signs for the cows over their stalls and will be adding pictures of each cow on the wall.
• We had two “No Feeding During Milking” signs printed.
• We purchased a new hundi, which still needs to be secured to the wall.
• Lalita attended a short seminar on grass production with the WVU extension team.
• We put bedding out in preparation for the winter and have begun feeding at the barn.

Ray (General Farm Work):

• In addition to normal maintenance and repair duties, he washed and bagged the remaining 1,000 lb of potatoes that were harvested last month.
• Moved 13 cows from the Bahulaban pasture to their winter quarters at the Valley Barn.
• Filled the pot holes in the Valley Barn driveway with recycled asphalt donated by the road crew.
• Repaired the pasture fence at Valley Barn.
• Spread manure on Community Garden and Valley Bottom potato field.
• End of the year brush-hogging on Nandagram pastures, area around INV sewer lagoons, Mangalananda’s house and Sukhavaha’s house
• Moving hay from Valley Barn to Nandagram and Temple Barns.

Caitanya Bhagavat: 

At Nandagram:

• Built a structurally reinforced indoor bullpen for Madhusudhana and Vamsika.
• Filled the barns with hay for the winter.
• Cleared the feed isles.
• He and Tripada Vibhuti cleaned out the geriatric barn with the skid loader and then Caitanya Bhagavata prepared it for winter and divided it: one part for Tulsi, Punja, and Ganga; the other part for Bhadra Gaurachandra and Asesa Nitai Kripa.
• Provided general maintenance of the barns and cow care: putting out hay, filling the stock tanks with water two-to-three times a day, bed packing, counting the cows, and keeping an eye on the cows health and well-being.

At Bahulaban:

• He assisted Ray in moving 13 cows to the Valley Barn for the winter. Three still need to be moved.
• Provided maintenance of the barn and general cow care.

Suchandra:

• Suchandra’s crew consists of: Monique, Moriah, Madri, Ryan, and Shyama.
• Butternut squash: 200 lb delivered to temple kitchen.
• Stored the remaining butternut squash.
• Pulled up all plants at the Community Garden and Teaching Garden.
• Pulled up all the black ground cover in both gardens.
• Removed front and back of fence so tractor could get through to spread manure.
• Dug up dahlias and stored them.
• Trimmed cannas.
• Dug up mums to replant in another area.
• Stored hoses, tools and fencing material.
• Replanted gladiola bulbs so that they will be better supported next year.
• Trimmed back lilies and butterfly bushes.
• Trimmed herbs.
• Covered lily and gladiola beds with hay
• Pulled down bitter melon, bean, and loki plants at the Teaching Garden

Lila (Nandagram Garden):

• Moved cages
• Cleaned up beds
• Harvested for October 2018:
  • Kale – 5 lb
  • Hot pepper – 7.25 lb
  • Bitter melon – 6.25 lb
  • Roma tomato – 17 lb
  • Okra – .75 lb
  • Green bell pepper – 3.25 lb
  • Winter squash – 1,200 lb
  • Grape tomato – 6.5 lb

Radhanath das (Vidya’s Garden):

September Report

• Was assisted by Govinda and Prahlad.
• Harvested the last of the produce.
• Removed the marigolds and tomato plants that were no longer producing.
• Lilies were weeded and mulched.
• Most of the plastic and tomato cages have been rolled up and stored for next year.
• A load of aged manure was manually spread over the marigold garden addition in preparation for spring.
• September harvest totals (in pounds):
  • Bitter Melon – 138.25
  • Tomato – 77
  • Green bell peppers – 20
  • Hot peppers – 18
  • Loki squash – 50

October Report

• Harvest season came to a close.
• Potted 200 hyacinth bulbs in Vidya’s basement greenhouse in order to initiate our overwintering fragrant, flowering bulbs project. Suchandra and Shyama looked after the bulbs most of the month by watering and monitoring the temperature.
• Vidya was able to harvest the last bit of the bitter melon before the frost.
• Mowed the lawn and tilled in the manure that was spread in the marigold garden.
• He had done all the plant and plastic removal, manure spreading, and rototilling for this season in the spring. Now, however, he is doing this work in the fall in preparation for next season.
• Also harvested five lb of hot peppers that got hotter with the frost.
• Has been trying to recruit a few helpers to work with him in the garden two days a week
• It is time to focus on getting seeds, supplies, and greenhouses ready for March, so we can have a smooth as possible start.

Ranaka:

• Total estimated garden sales to INV to date for 2018 are $28,298.
• He and the garden crew are scheduled to meet with Kacey Gantzer (our former garden supervisor) on December 7th for her guidance on greenhouses and high tunnels.

2. External Grant Request: $7.5K for IMCPA 2019 Budget

WHEREAS: The ECO-V Board wishes to support self-sufficiency and cow protection throughout ISKCON.

RESOLVED: The Board approves a grant up to $7,500 to the ISKCON Ministry for Cow Protection and Agriculture for 2019.

3. External Grant Request: $6K to ISKCON News

WHEREAS: ECO-V wishes to support ISKCON News with their ongoing coverage of ECO-V’s cow protection and local agriculture projects, as well as reporting on other similar efforts throughout ISKCON.

RESOLVED: The ECO-V board approves a grant up to $6,000 to ISKCON Communications for 2019.

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