Dollars and Sense:

Explanation of Save the Cow Finances

Save the Cow began over twenty years ago in the 1980s as a program to ensure that the cows and oxen at the New Raman Reti farm would be cared for without burdening the temple, managerially or financially. At that time, the devotees caring for the herd calculated that $31 per month per cow would cover all the maintenance costs. Their estimate was based on the size of the herd at the time and the then current cost of grains, hay, fertilizer, diesel fuel, veterinary care, etc.

Needless to say, times have changed. There are many factors including economic and natural forces that have impacted Save the Cow’s financial situation. First, there’s plain old inflation, which has halved the buying power of an American dollar since 1986. In other words, what $31 could buy then, costs $62 today (based on the Cumulative U.S. Retail Price Inflation (Annual Average) 1986-2009 = 100.06% [Year 2009 not included in calculations] www.halfhill.com/inflation.html). On top of that, prices of certain commodities can skyrocket in short order, as we saw in 2008 with petroleum products. This directly affects the price of diesel fuel, fertilizer, and hay (which depends on both).

Then there’s Mother Nature in the form of rain, or the lack thereof. North Central Florida has experienced drought conditions on and off since 1998 and especially for the last three years (2006-2008). Hay production was drastically reduced and prices drastically increased (at one point in 2007, when any hay was available at all, the price had tripled from the year before!). Last year, hay prices “leveled off” at about double and that’s why the “Great Winter Bale Out of 2008″ was necessary. The droughts have also resulted in the pastures on the farm becoming stressed and therefore in need of more regular fertilization.

Another aspect of Nature, the time factor, means more veterinary care is required as the herd ages. So while for years Save the Cow’s steady group of generous donors contributed enough to cover the basic expenses of caring for the herd, that level of support is no longer sufficient. What this all boils down to is this: Save the Cow needs to broaden its financial base of support. We know it can be done through increased outreach utilizing the Internet and other means of communication.

The Bale Out was an example of a successful campaign with a finite goal in mind (to raise enough funds to pay for the winter hay). Now the challenge is to get all the cows and oxen fully adopted at a level of support that will cover all the costs necessary to maintain a proper standard of care. We need more donors to come forward and adopt cows by making a pledge of monthly support.

Based on our experience and projections, an annual budget of around $25,000 should be sufficient. To put this amount in perspective, in the United States, it cost an average of $23,876 to imprison someone in 2005, the most recent year for which figures were available. But state spending varies widely, from $45,000 a year in Rhode Island to $13,000 in Louisiana. In Florida, the annual cost per inmate was $19,308 in 2008.

Our budget of $25,000 works out to about $108 per cow per month. For this reason we’ve come up with three levels of support or “adoption options”:

Pandava Sahadeva @ $31 per month ($372 per year)
Maharaja Nanda @ $51 per month ($612 per year)
Gopal Krishna @ $108 per month ($1296 per year)

Each cow or ox, therefore, can be adopted by one or more donors to add up to an average level of support equaling $100 per month. Currently, there are 19 members of the herd living at New Raman Reti and being cared for by Save the Cow. Thus, the total number of monthly donors required to meet our goal is between 20 and 65, depending on the amount of individual monthly pledges. At present we have 26 monthly (or annual) donors who have adopted a cow or an ox for total of about $10,000 in annual pledges. That leaves a balance of $15,000 to be pledged by 12 to 40 new adoption donors.

Please participate in  Save the Cow’s Adopt-A-Rama campaign! Join Krishna and Balarama in Their cowherding lila—Click here to Adopt a Cow today!

Save the Cow Financial Report

2008

2008 Financial Report