Winter Hay bale fundraiser

Please consider donating to the care and maintenance of the sweet cows at our Edinburg farm and cow sanctuary. Contributing will go a long way to ensuring our cows' health and safety. In this day and age, compassion is something sorely needed. Proceeds will go towards their hay this winter and the construction of more pasture fencing to help us provide grazing for our cows year-round.

Our hay expenses have significantly increased this cold season. Until this summer, most of our grazeable land had been used by another farmer under the Virginia Land Use Program. Instead of paying cash, he paid us in hay. This year, in learning how to manage the little pasture space we had available to use and with two years of difficult weather, we realized we needed to expand to using all our grazeable acreage. Taking back our land ends the hay-trade relationship we had with that farmer. This has been a lot of work this year and will continue into next year as we are putting in fencing and converting crops to pasture so our cows can graze our land, but this will enable us to not be so dependent on hay in the following years.

While we transition to supporting our cows on our farm, we still have 10 cows to provide hay for this winter and we greatly appreciate any financial support you can give them.

For anyone who donates over $30 I have created a beautiful 2023 calender featuring our beautiful herd and farm. Please use the contact button below if you would like one.

A bit about the cows your donation will help-

While all our cows/bulls have a forever home here, some of our herd was taken on just to give them protection or a retirement home. Currently those 3 cows are Bhumi, Daisy, and Sivadasi. Bhumi, the cow who started us on our cow journey, is our big disabled Angus and our most lovable cow. She was never supposed to live or walk but at four years old, she has accomplished both! Daisy, at 17 years old, is our retired old lady Zebu cow. She came to us pregnant so her last calf, Sivadasi, is also included. For these three, they will take about a square bale and a half a day- $9 a day

Because we believe in cow protection, I am trying to learn and showcase how to responsibly and ethically keep milking cows on a homestead without growing the herd to the point where the calves become a disposable by-product. Cows can be milked for more than a year without having to calve yearly, enabling us to grow our herd slowly. We are learning that there is a lot that goes into that, like providing ample healthy pastures and keeping the cows content in a herd. Using smaller breeds is also helpful. Another part of this is learning to preserve dairy products while the cow is in peak lactation so that as she gives less, there is still no rush to rebreed her. I feel it is better to show others how to ethically raise milking cows rather than providing milk through a small dairy. Our milking cows are Buttercup, Keshava (Jerseys), and Kalindi. Chaitanya and Nityananda are still heifers. The Jersey milkers go through a bale a day each; Kalindi and the heifers- a half bale each- $21 a day.

I am trying to stay away from AI (artificial insemination). To keep things natural we do keep bulls. Our two bulls are Manda and Murari. They each require a half bale a day- $6 a day

Currently I can get hay bales for $6 to $7 each. Hopefully it won’t take more than $5,400 to get through till Spring grasses are growing well. Any extra amount donated will go towards the pasture fencing so the cows will have more grazeable area. We sincerely thank you for any amount you can contribute!

For more information on our farm and what we do here, please visit my facebook page “Rebecca Lazar”.

Sincerely,

Tommy and Rebecca Lazar and all the cows at Bhumi’s Farm