Solar Powered Cow Protection

We have installed 103 solar panels on the south facing roof of the main ISCOWP building which are projected to supply 90-100 per cent of our energy needs. We have one more permit to receive before we are at temporary power at which time we will begin to see the actual output of the amazing energy from the sun. During the day we will use the solar for the electricity we need and the excess will go to our local electrical company which will act as our batteries. At night time they will send us back the electricity that we need for evening time.  Different times of the year we will be earning more and other times we will be earning less. Once a year they will reconcile our account. And if we have an excess they will pay us back for it. The way Florida net-meters is that everything has to be on one meter, so along with the main building we have tied in the garage/canning and drying/workshop building and once the new barn is completed it will tie into the system also. The goal of our system is to have enough electricity for the ISCOWP center,  the multipurpose building and maybe for the new barn. The benefit to tying in everything together is that in the future we can add solar panels to the two roofs of the multipurpose building and the new barn if we need them.  When a cost effective battery comes on the market, our system is designed to be connected to it.

I Need to be Adopted

This video was shot this winter 2016 at the  ISCOWP Florida center to give an update for their adopters.

Anasuya and Indraneela came to ISCOWP together. They were rescued from the auction barn in 2013. Anasuya was very frightened and timid in the beginning and a physical mess. Her coat was matted and bare in some places. Now she is a real character,  a tough girl and always curious. She will not hesitate to challenge one of the boys and she gets right in with the larger members of the herd when it comes to eating and drinking. Her coat is now lovely and shiny with red brown highlights. Mingling easily between younger members of the herd and the older, larger members, Anasuya is a confident girl.

She is partially adopted but needs a full adoption to help take care of her. She can be adopted HERE. Thank you so much!

This video was shot this winter 2016 as an update for the adopters of Nara and Narayana.

Nara and Narayana are brothers and are very close. They were both rescued from a dairy when they were about to be sold for slaughter. They are very intelligent. In this video you can see them closely observing an arati as if they are humans and can understand its spiritual meaning.

This is the first winter of their lives in which they are experiencing pleasant warm days instead of frigged temperatures. During the winter here in Florida the grass is shorter and when the frost comes the grass turns brown. Under the trees there is still green grass. During the winter hay is given to the cows but not anywhere as much when we and the cows lived in West Virginia. The hay here is high quality and Nara and Narayana like it very much.

They are healthy and happy.

To adopt a cow and help cow protection go to this LINK. Some of the adopted cow profiles are in the process of being updated.

Thank you.

Asha is Down

For years Asha has lived with a hip deformity that has made it difficult for her to walk. When she first came to us the vet said that she would live 2 to 4 years. Now she is in her 13th year and in human years that makes her 65.

The vet said due to her hip deformity eventually the nerves in her legs could become pinched and her legs paralyzed. In the last two years her one back leg has become useless. She has been seen dragging it with the strength of her other legs.

A few days ago we found her down in the pasture with all the cows around her. She couldn’t get up. We managed to get her in a sitting position and then she tried to stand up but her legs couldn’t support her.

She could not get up the following day. We decided to move her from the pasture as there was no shade where she was. Although many of the cows were very concerned and kind to her some of them were taking whatever food and water we gave her.

We moved her with a cow sling that worked very well. But when we got her up off the ground none of her legs moved. We have placed her in the shade under some very old, huge, live oak trees close to us. She can be fed and watered without disturbance.

It appears that she has lost all the power in her legs. Right now she is very peaceful. When we put her in the sling and raised her up she was very calm. We expected her to thrash but she did not. Of course the hope was that getting her up would allow her legs the chance to revive. But that did not happen.

She receives water and hay several times a day and she is listening to the Hare Krsna mantra playing near her. She welcomes prayers at this most trying time of her life.

Outreach at Krishna House

ISCOWP was invited to give a presentation about cow protection at the Krishna House in Gainesville, Florida. A slideshow presentation was given and new friends were made. We look forward to developing new relationships especially once we are established in the new ISCOWP center.

Around the Farm

Cattle Egrets, unlike other herons and egrets, typically feeds in dry fields, often following cattle or other grazing animals and waiting for them to flush insects. It also occurs in other open habitats, including aquatic ones. It nests in low trees and shrubs in mixed colonies with other species of herons and egrets. When associated with grazing cattle in fields, Cattle Egrets feed mainly on large insects flushed by the cattle, but in other situations they may eat crayfish, earthworms, snakes, nestling birds, bird eggs, and sometimes fish. They may also scavenge for food in garbage dumps. Although often associated with cattle or horses in North America, on other continents Cattle Egrets may follow elephants, camels, zebras, deer, and other grazers. They may also follow tractors and lawnmowers.

The completion date in now April 29 at which point we can start moving in.

In the right corner is the guest greeting room and guest bathroom. In the center is the kitchen and dinning area. The left corner is the temple room. On the back side behind the the guest room is the office. Going left is a living room and then Balabhadra and Chaya’s bedroom. This side faces south and it is on the south facing roof where the solar panels are located. Upstairs is a large storage area for ISCOWP office supplies like t-shirts, packing supplies, paper etc. That is on the top left. The rest of the upstairs is Lakshmi and Balaji’s living situation along with guest rooms.

The trees are budding out and the grass is growing. We have 6 bales of hay left. At this time the cows are 95% grazing and 5% eating hay.  We are having some rains which of course makes all the grass jump. That brown grass you saw in all the winter photos and videos is now mostly green.