New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

ECO-Vrindaban Board Meeting Minutes 08/27/2017

Mission Statement: ECO-Vrindaban promotes simple living, cow protection, engaging oxen, local agriculture, and above all, loving Krishna, as envisioned by Srila Prabhupada, the Founder-Acharya of ISKCON New Vrindaban.

Participating Directors: Anuttama (partial attendance), Chaitanya Mangala (chair), Kripamaya, Ranaka, and Vraja.

Participating Advisors: Bhima, Jaya Krsna, Kalakantha, Makara, and Olivia (partial attendance)

Recording Secretary: Jamuna Jivani

1. Ranaka’s Monthly Report

• The Temple Barn crew has been milking five cows. Milk production is at 18-20 gallons per day.
• Sita gave birth to a heifer calf this week, which will bring the milking herd up to six.
• Malati is due in October. Sriya and Anjali are both due in February.
• There are two heifers residing at the Temple Barn (an 18-month-old and an eight-month-old).
• The heifer, Subhadra, was moved from the Temple Barn to Nandagram for breeding with the bull Madhu.
• The milk cow, Usha, was moved from the Temple Barn to the Valley Barn for breeding with the bull Dharma.
• Ananda Vidya is producing 10-12 lbs. of butter and 15 gallons of yogurt each week for the temple kitchens.
• Hay harvest: We have 460 new first cutting, and 85 new second cutting bales in addition to the approximately 250 bales from last year. 80-100 more first cutting bales are expected along with additional second and third cutting hay.
• Ray is pressure washing and painting the valley board fences on the days he is not in the fields.
• Ray has begun work on Dharma the bull’s outside pen expansion project at the Valley Barn. Fill dirt has been added at the end of the cement apron on the side of the barn, and old fence has been taken down to recoup welded wire panels and posts for the new fence installation.
• Fil has been starting each day working with the oxen.
• While Ananda Vidya was out of town, Fil covered the morning and evening milking for three days.
• Fil has been doing grounds maintenance and mowing at Nandagram and the flower garden, as well as feeding, cleaning, and herd maintenance at Bahulaban.
• Ananta Gauranga, one of Fil’s cows from Canada, died unexpectedly a couple of weeks ago and Ray buried him. The cause of death is uncertain, though it is likely from “hardware disease,” ingesting a foreign object.
• Fil has been working on the mold problem in both houses at Nandagram by bleaching, removing, and repairing walls and ceilings when necessary.
• Fil and Tejo are making repairs and doing maintenance on the Nandagram water system.
• There is a problem with the electrical feed to the Nandagram pasture cabin. It will be revisited once Fil returns from his initiation in Hungary this coming Wednesday.
• Robert has been delivering summer vegetables to the temple kitchen and green beans to the Valley Barn processing room. He also picks flowers and makes vases for the temple.
• ECO-V purchased a new 15-cubic ft chest freezer for green bean and tomato storage. Dharmakala processed 26 one-gallon freezer bags of green beans.
• Suchandra and Lila have been picking and delivering 500-600 flowers each day to the temple. 6,000 marigolds were delivered over a three-day period for Janmastami. 2,000 flowers are expected to be picked for Radhashtami this week.

2. Farm Conference Update

Jamuna Jivani reported on the previous month’s projects:

• Madhava Smullen interviewed Jamuna Jivani for a Dandavats article about the conference. It will be published the week of 9/4/17.
• Sukhayanti and Jamuna Jivani have been calling all the temples and farm communities in North America to personally speak with them about and invite them to the conference.
• Posters have been sent out to many temples and farm, as well as the Facebook event page.
• A program at Prabhupada’s Palace has been confirmed for the evening of Friday 10/13/17 with kirtan, dipa dana, and a slideshow presentation by Sankirtana dasa.
• The organizers have confirmed a panel discussion on the topic of ahimsa dairy featuring some of the conference speakers.
• A special discounted price of $20 is being offered to New Vrindaban residents.

3. Sri Tulasi Manjari’s Resignation

WHEREAS: The ECO-V Board wishes to acknowledge the contributions made by one of its directors.

RESOLVED: The Board reluctantly accepts Sri Tulasi Manjari’s resignation as both a board member and board chairperson.

The Board members expressed their deep appreciation for Sri Tulasi’s service and sacrifice over the past couple of years.

4. Partnership with IMCPA

Kalakantha proposed a three-year partnership between the ISKCON Ministry of Cow Protection and Agriculture and ECO-V. He proposed the relationship that IMCPA envisions with the two organizations working together on specific projects. ECO-V will consider this proposal and vote on it at a later date.

5. Community Center Update

The community center topic was discussed at the Village Association meeting on 8/3/17. It was concluded that a sub-committee will inquire as to the needs of the Village Association members, consider the current buildings that could potentially be used as a community center, and examine places a new building could be erected. They will develop a proposal based on these considerations.

6. Prabhupada’s Palace Restoration Grant Update

Over the past few years, ECO-V allocated grants totaling $375,000 for the Palace restoration, which have since been transferred to INV in full. This funding went toward the restoration of the main stairs, the rain water control on the middle level, and the outer wall, as well as a number of smaller repairs. At the same time, INV committed matching funds totaling $425,000, of which approximately $10,000 remains.

7. Prabhupada’s Palace Fundraising Grant Update

The $50K matching grant committed by ECO-V for the purposes of fundraising for Prabhupada’s Palace renovation is yet to be requested. INV is currently planning a campaign.

8. Talavan Housing Sites Update

Members of the Village Association are the process of creating a subgroup to research the proposed housing site at Talavan. They intend to have a defined plan by the biannual meeting in early November.

9. Jamuna Jivani as a Board Advisor

WHEREAS: The ECO-V Board wishes to maintain a team of advisors.

RESOLVED: The ECO-V Board invites Jamuna Jivani devi dasi to act as an advisor from September 1, 2017 through the January 2018 annual meeting.

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