Planting Berry Bushes 101

Springtime brings planting in the cow dung fertilized earth of ISCOWP farm. This year, besides vegetables, we are planting perennials of rose bushes, lilac bushes, berry bushes, lavender and even an almond tree. These plants are for the use of the ISCOWP staff but also to make products for our members and for sale to support ISCOWP's cow protection activities.

A little elementary instruction for a 4 year old and anyone who does not know much about planting is in this video.

Letting The Cows Out

The ISCOWP herd is always enthusiastic to graze the spring grasses after a long winter. The artik and treats showed in this video are offered to the cows in honor of any ISCOWP donor who  gives $1000 or more to the cows.

ISCOWP March Update

Students from Wheeling Jesuit University came to see Nara and Narayana in action. Balabhadra is explaining and then demonstrating how oxen are trained.

One of the guests tries his hand at ox training.


Check out this news and more from the ISCOWP farm in the latest 'ISCOWP Update' e-newsletter.

The Milk Issue Part 2

Discussion about the milk issue with Balabhadra das and members of the Hawaii ISKCON temple Part 2.

The Milk Issue Part 1

Discussions on the Milk Issue with Balabhadra das and members of the Hawaii ISKCON temple.

Training Nara & Narayana in a Yoke

Nara and Narayana, who were saved from the slaughterhouse, are doing very well with their preliminary training in the yoke. In this video, Balabhadra das gives a few pointers on how to train a young team to the yoke.

Sad and Happy News

Check out ISCOWP December e-newsletter

Nara and Narayana get A+

Yamuna Has Left Us

Yamuna gets a hug from Jahnava in 2009

Yamuna has left this world listening to Srila Prabhupada singing sweet bhajans of Lord Krsna, the eternal cowherd boy. This morning Balabhadra went to check on her. She seemed to be peacefully sleeping with her head tucked next to her side. Balabhadra called her name and she didn't move. Again he called her name and again there was no reply. It was then he was close enough to touch her and there was no response. On closer examination he found she was not breathing anymore. 

She had been successfully and easily moved by tractor and sling from the lower pasture to the safety of the barn, about a mile away, on Friday before the bad weather started. We were also very concerned about the ever increasing wild coyote population living in the woods. On our Facebook page there is an album, with captions of this event that you can view at: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151172300584471.471659.138008309470&type=3. 

She was far more comfortable and happy in the barn. However she kept trying to move and yesterday Balabhadra found her with her back legs split and her head crunched against the water tank even though he had offered her water several times a day along with hay. She was in such a tight situation and we again had to call for the tractor and sling to move her into a comfortable situation in the barn. She was quite happy in her new spot but appeared to be quite exhausted. Again she was offered fresh hay and water but declined both. Just before dark when Balabhadra was doing the evening herd check he again offered hay and water and she declined again. 

Yamuna was a wonderful sweet cow who grew up as a protected cow under the care of ISCOWP farm. She was friends with all the other cows in the herd and she very much liked her sweet treats whenever we brought them to the herd. She will be missed by all the cowherds and cows. Like the other 23 lifetime protected cows that have passed away on the ISCOWP farm, she will be buried on the farm. 

Thank you for praying for Yamuna. It is most fortunate that she left her body peacefully. 

Your servant, 
Chayadevi 
ISCOWP Co-Managing Director

Please Pray for Yamuna

Yamuna just a week ago


Just yesterday Yamuna, one of the older cows, went down. Please pray for her and us that we may be blessed to take the best care of her that is possible in her time of need.

 Yamuna is a sweet cow. She loves sweets. Sometimes she is friendly and sometimes she likes to be alone.

Here is an account of what has happened as written to her adopters.

10/24/12
While checking the cows every day, Balabhadra noticed that Yamuna has been having difficulty keeping up with the herd in the last week and a half. She is 17 years old and a lot of our older cows of the same age have this trouble but keep going often for a few years more. But just today, Balabhadra found her down in the pasture. With some help, he was able to get Yamuna to stand, but when she started to walk; her legs would not support her. This is usually the result of severe arthritis and/or some joint degeneration caused by old age.

Balabhadra said Yamuna is weak. She is sitting in a very nice spot that she chose. Balabhadra was finding her sitting in different spots in the pasture away from the other cows. Cows are social animals and usually stay with the herd. Often the cows and other animals will look for an isolated spot to leave their bodies when they feel it is time. So, the spot that she is in is one she has chosen. The weather right now is beautiful, a warm breeze and crisp.

 She drank and ate today and Balabhadra chanted the Maha Mantra to her. However, Balabhadra feels she doesn't have long to live.

10/25/12
Balabhadra went to visit her this morning and she had not moved. It appeared to him that her back legs/hips were paralyzed. We called the vet for his professional  analysis. He was able to come immediately as he was in the area. He examined her and said she had cancer, Lymphoma. He thinks that it has gone to her spine and that is what is immobilizing her. Dr. Moore, the vet, said to give her steroid injections. The hope is that we will be able to get her to stand up and therefore move her to the barns where we have more facility to take care of her. The diagnosis is terminal, it is just a matter of time. She presently looks healthy as you can see in the video. Please pray for her and for us so that we may take care of her in the best way possible and to keep her as comfortable as possible.

10/25/12 evening
We went to visit her and gave her water and hay. We left her with a recorder of Srila Prabhupada chanting.

Hawaii Ox Training Part 1, 2 & 3

Balabhadra and Candrakanta with Muni

Check out the 'latest ISCOWP e-newsletter' with more videos of ox training.

Ox Training Workshop, Hilo Hawaii.

ISCOWP was sponsored by LEAF Hawaii (Daiva das) to teach an ox training course through a federal government sponsored educational program of which Balabhadra was a chief curriculum contributor. The highlight of this course was an ox training workshop with Candrakanta dasi in the Hilo area of the Big Island, Hawaii. This video is the very beginning of the workshop.

Happily Running For the First Time.

Nara and Narayana did not have the opportunity to run and jump while in their pens. Once they got to the ISCOWP barn they ran all about in joy.

Rescued Calves Arrive Home!

Nara and Narayana were saved from the slaughterhouse. They were each living in a small pen.Here they are coming to their new home, ISCOWP farm.One of the first things they do is to run for the first time in their lives.

Wow! Success!

Madhava, the kirtan singer, meets Madhava the ox.

Check out our latest iscowp e-newsletter

Contents:
Ganda Needs Your Help Campaign a Success
The Garden is Flourishing
Ox Training
Guests