Meeting date
Co-op tractor for plowing and post pounding usage
- plow needs reinforcement work for use in heavy sod, can be done over winter
- post pounder can be fixed over winter, need welding by Chaitanya
- Kripanidhi or Chaitanya can drive tractor
Community garden
- Francis will use 2 acres for himself, and remainder to be managed by community
- needs cover crops in fall like rye, dormant in winter and takes off in spring
- 3 buckwheat cover crops to build soil on fallow land
Beet storage and sales
- Will approach Natures Fare about selling beets beyond Kamloops
- Bhumi farm built storage in barn
- Alternative idea is to bury beet in ground hole in cover with straw
- Shortage of cold storage in vancouver
Cow and goshalla update
- hindus love cows and wlll drive from Vancouver to do puja
- surabhi will breed next spring,
- daivata wants to move to Village for training bulls
- india cows good for north and have a2 milk dung and urine
Valley fence update
- fence work starts early march
- govardhan hill fence need improvements from lake to top of hill
- need to add gates and dummy posts to existing fences
- possible fence posts making this winter - with outside sales opportunities
Community water management
- Home lake is rising, back to spring level
- creek is flowing near bhumi farm
- Lakes were built to be used for irrigation
Farm and Water Tax proposal
- Goal of Tax is to transfer of farm costs from SVHI to farmers.
- Scope of Tax: shareholders owing or using farm land in Southend of Village
- Tax can pay for Organic certification costs, Water Line maintenance, Future Water Line expansions, Fence maintenance and expansion
- Need to create a Saranagati Farm Land Reserve and encourage shareholders who own farm land to use it, or trade for other land
- Draft Tax calculator: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SzUn7FPMbmMtWUsNxHRAgoldG5mos5p…
- Proposal will be presented at 2017 AGM
Next meeting and co-op elections in early January
Attendance: Bala, Yoginath, Kripanidhi, Ramanath