ECO-Vrindaban Board Meeting Minutes 04/15/2018
ECO-Vrindaban Board Meeting Minutes 04/15/2018
Mission Statement: ECO-Vrindaban promotes cow protection, local agriculture, and above all, loving Krishna, as envisioned by Srila Prabhupada, the Founder-Acharya of ISKCON New Vrindaban.
Participating Directors: Chaitanya Mangala (chair), Jamuna Jivani (board secretary), Makara, Olivia, Ranaka, and Vraja.
Participating Advisors: Bhima (partial attendance) and Kalakantha (partial attendance).
Participating Staff: Caitanya Bhagavat, Lalita Gopi, and Vidya.
1. Ranaka’s Monthly Report
Ananda Vidya and Lalita Gopi:
- are currently milking seven cows: Jamuna, Surabhi, Laxmi, Sita, Anjali, Sriya, and Malati. Milk production is up to approximately 34 gal. per day.
- There are four heifers residing at the Temple Barn: 16-month-old Vamsika, eight-month-old Lalita, four-month-old Gopi Katyayani, and six-week-old Gaurangi.
- Parvati continues to reside with Dharma for breeding at the Valley Barn. Dr. Moore is scheduled to check her this week for pregnancy.
- Jaya Radhe is still residing at the Nandagram Farm with Madhu for breeding.
- Subhadra is due the end of May.
- Ananda Vidya continues to produce approximately 15 lbs. of butter, 15 gal. of yogurt, and 1/2 gal. of ghee on a weekly basis, and delivers them to the temple. In addition he made two (8” diameter x 3.5” high) wheels of Colby cheese this month.
- rented a machine for roughing up the smooth concrete in the calf pen/calving area of the Temple Barn. This was to prevent the cows from slipping on the slick concrete.
Ray:
- has nearly completed the cleanup of the former Brose trailer site across from the ECO-V Valley Barn area. The scrap wood has been burnt, the trailer frame has been removed, and John King will scrap the remaining metal on site.
- repaired a brake cylinder on the F-800 flatbed truck and hauled a 4,100 lb. load of scrap metal from the old brickyard area to the recycling center in Wheeling. There is at least one more load to be taken in.
- picked up 1,800 lbs. of potato seed and will cut it into pieces for planting this month. We will be planting two different areas with potatoes this year: a bottom field along Wheeling Creek at the Valley Barn, and strips at the Community Garden.
- completed the repair work on the Nandagram field house: two new sink faucets were installed, water lines to the tub were repaired, and the drywall on the ceiling below basement tub was replaced and painted.
- continues moving hay from the Valley Barn to Nandagram.
Caitanya Bhagavat:
- worked with Hari Chand in the ox program for one hour each morning, along with daily Nandagram herd care. He is researching a price quote on a single yoke and britchen for Hari Chand.
- and Tripada on the skid steer, along with Ray with the tractor and grapple hook, worked together to give the Nandagram barn its spring cleaning, which gave us a large pile of manure to compost for the fields and gardens.
Suchandra:
- tilled the beds at the Teaching Garden
- laid ground cover where needed
- checked the equipment for issues
- started the tomato, marigold, carnation, lettuce, pepper, black-eyed Susan, and other seeds
- planned out where to plant everything, and how many plants are needed.
- ordered more groundcover, heating mats, hole burner, handheld transplanter, and seeds
- started transplanting tomatoes, peppers and marigolds
- watered plants at the greenhouse
Radhanath Das:
- cleared the tree orchard area
- worked on clearing and preparing Vidya’s gardens by clearing beds, tilling, and laying groundcover
- started making tomato cages and preparing transplanting trays
- planted tomatoes, peppers and marigolds
- did some transplanting
- watered plants at greenhouse
Mukunda & Lila:
- prepared garden beds at Nandagram, weeded, and laid groundcover
- started planting tomatoes and peppers
2. Internal Funding Request: $9K for a Truck
WHEREAS: The ECO-V Board wishes to invest in equipment to support its ongoing farming-related projects.
RESOLVED: The Board authorizes a budget up to $9,000 for the purchase of a used truck for use by the garden crew.
3. 2018 Anniversaries
This year marks the 50th anniversary of New Vrindaban, and the 20th anniversary of ECO-Vrindaban. There was a discussion about different ways for ECO-V to commemorate the occasion. Some of the ideas included creating a community event of painting the Temple Barn, making a video (or a series of short videos) about what ECO-V does and what its accomplishments have been over the years, and hosting a small cow festival over the summer, in preparation for a bigger one in 2019.
4. ISKCON North American Farm Meetings
The North American ISKCON Farm Meetings have been moved to DeLand, Florida, and will take place June 25th and 26th. Jamuna Jivani and Lalita Gopi have volunteered to attend as representatives of ECO-V.
5. 50th Anniversary of Cow Protection in ISKCON
2019 will mark the 50th anniversary of cow protection within ISKCON, which originated in New Vrindaban (Spring 1969). To commemorate the occasion, there are plans for a feature article to be published in Back to Godhead magazine. Also, the 2019 biennial North American ISKCON Farm Conference will be held in New Vrindaban. The ECO-V members present put forth ideas for the conference, which included presentations by successful projects within ISKCON North America, and a list of some relevant personalities to invite.
Here’s a link to the ECO-Vrindaban website.
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