New Vrindaban Brijabasi Spirit

ECO-Vrindaban Board Meeting Minutes 06/16/2019

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 (partial attendance), Chaitanya Mangala, Jamuna Jivani (board secretary), Makara (chair), Olivia (partial attendance), Ranaka, and Vraja.

Participating Advisors: Kripamaya

1. Ranaka’s Monthly Report

Lalita Gopi (Temple Barn)

• There are eight cows giving milk: Surabhi, Lakshmi, Jaya Radhe, Parijata, Cintamani, Anjali, Usha, and Subhadra
• There are four calves: Prahlada, Satyabhama, Puspavati, and Jai Sri
• The cows are producing 25 gal of milk daily.
• Anandavidya is making 30 lb of butter and 30 lb of yogurt weekly.
• Parijata delivered a bull calf named Prahlada on May 18 during mangala arati. He initially suffered with stiff tendons in his front legs which kept him from balancing and bending low enough to drink from his mother. Bhaktin Brooke massaged his legs and within 13 days he was able to use his legs and drink properly. Also, Dr. Mores visited to check on him.
• Balaram has been weed-whacking and power-washing the fence.
• Lalita is slowly painting the fence and will continue to make repairs.
• A little pool was purchased for the new ducks which were dropped off at the barn.
• A new vacuum pump, capable of running three bucket milkers at once, was purchased and installed. A second bucket milker was refurbished and put back into service, we are now milking with two buckets at a time.
• Nila Govinda, Venkata, Nikunja Vilasini, Gopika and several bhaktins have been hand milking on occasion.

Ray: General Farmhand

• Repaired the Temple Barn roof
• Cleaned up and hauled four loads (20,240 lb) of scrap metal from around the new high tunnel area to the recycling center in Benwood.
• Completed clean-up of the high tunnels site.
• Worked with John Blakemore to install 100’ of drainage between both high tunnels
• Rotovated high tunnel site at Vidya’s.
• Cut, baled, and stacked 48 round bales of hay in the barn with the assistance of Joshua Rama and Caitanya Bhagavat.
• Installed a new vacuum pump and vacuum line upgrades at the Temple Barn
• Made repairs to Community Garden irrigation system.
• Brush-cut the rose bushes in the Bahulaban pasture and grass-cutting on various devotee residences.
• Cultivated potatoes.

Caitanya Bhagavat (Nandagram and Bahulaban)

• Daily cow counts
• Checking all fence lines
• Mowing and weed-whacking at Nandagram and the Valley Barn.
• Helped Vidya to prepare for her high tunnel greenhouse.
• Started a new locust post fence line at the Temple Barn.
• Assisting in hay making operation by moving bales from field and stacking in the Valley Barn.

Suchandra
Teaching Garden:

• hand-tilled the beds with the help of Sara, Ryan, Suchandra, Shyama, and volunteers
• laid ground cover with Sara and Ryan
• Shyama planted all pots
• weeded the lily beds and other areas with Shyama and Sara
• planted dahlias, marigolds, zinnias, globes, and other flowers with the help of some volunteers
• planted green beans and put cages around them with Sara, Shyama, and volunteers
• caged tomatoes and vining green beans with Ryan

Community Garden:

• put a fence up around the beds and secured areas of large fence with Ryan
• laid ground cover with Sara and Ryan
• planted tomatoes, green beans, green peppers, hot peppers, and big marigolds with Shyama, Sara, and volunteers
• Ryan mowed and weed-whacked

Vidya (Vidya’s Garden)

• Prepared the high tunnel site. The area is ready for Yoder’s to put up the structure.
• Angie has harvested and delivered to the temple:
• 39 pounds of asparagus
• one bushel of lettuce
• 2 bushels of kale
• 159 peony flowers
• 160 marigold flowers
• 8 lily flowers
• Angie caged 120 tomato plants
• The lily patch has been weeded along with much of the vegetables
• Started the second planting of marigolds and sunflowers
• Potted tube roses to plant in the high tunnels for fall production,
• Potted carnations plants to put in high tunnel

Lila (Nandagram Garden)

• Planted 70 tomatoes and 30 hot peppers.
• Seeded lettuce, peas, beets, cucumber, carrots, bush and pole beans, summer and winter squash, watermelon, kale, and arugula.
• Weeded, watered, cultivated, fertilized, mulched, and weed-whacked

Ranaka: General Manager

• Researched and ordered a new vacuum pump for temple barn, making it possible to milk two cows simultaneously.
• Has been working with John Blakemore to lay out high tunnel placement and drainage.
• Yoder’s began construction of two – 30’ x 96’ high tunnels on June 12. They estimate it will take five more work days to finish.
• Met twice with Kalakantha prabhu during his recent visit to NV. We discussed the organization of the October farm conference along with various farm projects around the globe.
• With the birth of Prahlada, the total herd count stands at 64.

2. Allegra as Advisor

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

RESOLVED: The Board designates Allegra Wiprud to the position of advisor through the end of 2019.

3. Prabhupada’s Palace Restoration Funding Request

WHEREAS: ECO-Vrindaban wishes to help renovate Srila Prabhupada’a preeminent samadhi in North America.

RESOLVED: The ECO-V board authorizes a grant up to $300K to ISKCON New Vrindaban for Prabhupada’s Palace roof restoration.

There are three terms the ECO-V Board highlight as part of this grant/loan:

1. ECO-V encourages incorporating more of Srila Prabhupada’s vision for New Vrindaban into the experience guests receive at Prabhupada’s Palace, including increased emphasis on the cow protection and local agriculture aspects of his mission.
2. In the near future, ECO-V would like to see a sustainability plan created for the long-term maintenance and viability of Prabhupada’s Palace.
3. For its records, ECO-V requests documentation on how the funds are spent on the Palace Roof Restoration Project.

To reach the previously requested $500K, up to $200K can be provided as a loan from ECO-V to INV, with loan details to be decided at a later date.

Here’s a link to the ECO-Vrindaban website.

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