The Supreme Lord is called Govind which means, one whom cows are very dear. Lord Krishna is showing by His own example how the cows should be cared for - 'once when the Lord had to take the cows out for grazing He asked mother Yashoda to give shoes to all His cows and only then He would agree to wear shoes. Finding it impossible to provide shoes to 9 lakh cows mother Yashoda requested her son to give-up His demand but the Supreme Lord couldn't agree and He kept on going to the jungles bear foot'.
This is how humans are supposed to take care of mother cows. Unfortunately, in the land of Vraj where the highest standards of cow care and of 'simple living and high thinking' should be practised, our dear cows are only used as a machine to provide milk. The residents of Vraj who keep cows takke the milk out from her udder and then push her out of their house to eat either garbage or worse, human excreta.
Therefore, its the earnest need of the hour that the devotees must take up the mission of Srila Prabhupada very seriously, who begged us to establish farm communities. Srila Prabhupada said that 'Fifty percent of my work is remaining and that is to establish varnasrama system'.
Protection of cows is not the job of one man or of some goshalas. Rather it is only possible to protect cows if the whole society lives by land and cows. Only if every household works the farm for one's own family by employing the bulls and keeps cows for milk then is it possible to save cows. Because cows need grazing ground to sustain herself and if ne person from a village goes out to city and works in nice plush offices then why will others from the village not migrate and live an easy life. However this gradually turns villages into concrete jungles. Therefore the cost of fodder for one cow has gone to at least Rs.45/- per day which used to be free of cost in the grazing grounds some 100 years back.
Only 55% of the population of India is now involved in farming, only 2% of Americans are doing farming and this is being done by tractors. So what do we expect - only deforestation due to over utilisation of forest land for cultivation because tractors and paper currency makes one greedy. So fodder prices go sky rocketing and gradually there would be no more fodder, then how the cows will live. Fact of the matter is that in 1951 there were 430 cows per 1000 humans and by 2001 there were only 110 cows per 1000 humans at this rate it is expected that by 2011 there will only be 20 cows for 1000 humans.
Therefore Srila Prabhupada wants us to live by land and cows. We must drink cows milk only if we srve her hands-on. And believe me everyone can do that. They are very loving species, and we all have that nature, its only a matter of desire and practice. Anyone and everyone can live that life. It's natural for each one of us. It's a happy way of life and on top of all Srila Prabhupada wants it from us. Of course in this day and age it's really a struggle to establish a self-sufficient society where nothing(especially grains and milk) is sold, where no paper currency is used, where every transaction is a loving exchange between devotees however we must do it. It is possible and it will be done since Srila Prabhupada wants it - we have to only endeavour with intelligence and cooperation. and if we can do it in Vrindavan then the whole ISKCON community will adopt it very fastly.
