Home > Meet the Voith Family

The Cows- Chintamani, our Mother Jersey Cow, came from an organic dairy near Ithaca NY. She was pregnant when we bought her in 1999, and the next spring, she gave birth to the twins, Radhe and Shyama. We boarded her for 19 months at the beef farm that is across from our home. During her stay at the farm, she was bred by one of the farmer’s bulls, and that is how we came to get Bheema, who is black and fuzzy, resembling a teddy bear when he wears his red halter. The most recent addition to our cow family is Krishna Preeya, Chintamani’s latest calf, who is a plush, brown, Highlander/Jersey mix. We also have one goat named Roy, who was given to our daughter Kaitlin on her birthday, by a local woman who raises dairy goats.

Stephen has been to India several times, and has two adopted children from Bengal, Christopher and Samantha, who live with their mother in Maryland. Stephen has worked tirelessly for the past dozen years promoting cow protection as a positive and practical way to address the ills which plague our modern society. He has written and published the findings of his own investigative reporting and is known by friends as “a spiritual private eye.”

Linda loves anything related to agriculture. She maintains an heirloom garden raising rare and endangered varieties of vegetables, cereal grains and beans. She has been trained as a Compost Educator, by Cornell Cooperative Extension in Ithaca NY, and is currently working towards a certification in The Bridge and Target Animal Training System, while training the family’s cows and oxen.

Kaitlin is a very spirited girl, who likes to read. From a very early age, she has had a strong interest in all types of animals. She is currently taking horseback riding lessons, which she enjoys very much. Out of all of the family members, the impact of the injunction has been the hardest on Kaitlin. She dearly loves and misses her pet goat, Roy, who has been her constant friend and companion for the past three years. After the injunction was granted, Kaitlin went to a Board meeting to ask permission just to keep Roy… but they refused. Now she visits Roy twice a week at a local wildlife sanctuary where she helps care for the animals.

Gloria is very artistic. She likes to garden and is especially interested in scented heirloom flowers. She has just graduated from high school and is looking forward to working this summer. Bheema is Gloria’s special favorite among our oxen. She spent a lot of time training him as a calf, to get him ready for pulling a small cart and giving rides.

Jason is interested in science, especially physics. He shows a commitment to quality in everything that he does, (Except in keeping his room clean). He plays piano keyboard and harmonica. He also loves computers. For some reason, Chintamani, our milk cow, will give Jason more milk than anyone else in the family. After he milks her, she will often turn and lick his head for a few minutes, as if he were her calf. (Ever wonder where the term ‘cow lick’ came from?)

Nigel is currently at college pursuing his interests in physics and environmental anthropology. He enjoys his studies, but prefers a country atmosphere to the hubbub of life in Boston, which he sometimes finds tiresome. He enjoys his visits home, where he helps Jason doing barn chores and Kaitlin with her attempts to ride Bheema.