"Leaves are the sole organs on Earth able to create new material substance; in contrast everything else on Earth is a recycling of materials." – Australian Bio-Dynamic pioneer Alex Podolinsky 2007
In 1924, Austrian scientist and philosopher Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) originated the Bio-Dynamic farming method in collaboration with German soil scientist Ehrenfried Pfeiffer (1899-1961), whom Rudolf Steiner selected to be ambassador of biodynamics to the USA. Bio-Dynamic agriculture was the first ecological farming system to arise in response to commercial fertilizers and specialized agriculture, and was based on a 'visionary' approach that, today , can't be 'annulled' by science: For example, the concept of 'chaos and order' in 'vortex stirring' BD preparations is simply brilliant!
Our emotions influence the environment:
''A person cannot utter one single word, cannot have a thought, without their feelings influencing the environment. In the same manner that our actions cause an effect in space, so do our emotions; they travel through space and influence people and the entire astral world...'' – Rudolf Steiner - SteinerLibrary.org
With help from the pioneering Australian farmers, he [Alex Podolinsky] took the original impulse of Rudolph Steiner and developed a practical Biodynamic method… During the late 1950s and early 1960s he founded the Bio Dynamic Agricultural Association of Australia, The Bio Dynamic Research Institute and registered the Demeter Trademark...
“. . . I count myself very lucky to have been able to hear Alex Podolinsky lecture and then to see his teachings so effectively applied at Agrilatina. That soil transformation was a miracle! I have never seen anything like it!..." – Linda Bullard (former President) of IFOAM - Organics International.>>>more
We can come to a point where we must question: “What is truth?” Within a man-made system of mathematics or philosophy, or very much, the “model” of conventional agricultural science, truth can acquire an absoluteness and a kind of finality. Not so, when dealing with the (outside of man) real world of Nature and Creation. …
Conclusion: This has been contributed from o p e n human observation of Nature brought to consciousness. It makes no “scientific” claim. I feel sorry for those who try to “prove” their theory in a “scientifically” acceptable way, able to be “published” in a recognised journal; a time and money consuming effort which ends up in archives, often never to really contribute. In such, little productive purpose can be found. – Alex Podolinsky, : Bio-Dynamic Agricultural Association of Australia AGM 2007 - Third Session Address by Alex Podolinsky
Excerpt: "Australia’s 20 Million (on an area the size of Europe or the US mainland) contra to Kyoto agreement of 8% eventual pollution reduction –pollute to 30%. And scant notice is taken by Government Authorities – even to warnings of the CSIRO. There is hardly a university professor, or a senior 'public servant', or almost anybody who 'dares' say anything until, perhaps, after retirement. A system of funding by Government is in place, which “directs” virtually all 'individual' efforts and enslaves initiative. . . The way Australia is proceeding, it will, in 20 to 40 years, not be able to feed the present number of citizens. Certainly not healthily. (pp.3-4) . . .
The 57% Asians of the world population exist just outside our door.
We all live on one Earth. And we few inhabitants of the Australian continent (remember Graham Stephens report in the recent Newsletter on the Nitrate presence in NSW underground water - a danger to health), how have we affected and poisoned soils, crops and environment.
Forty years ago the Nitrate problem in underground water in the USA
was well recorded. We now have it here. Without doubt most of the NPK problems are induced by “fertiliser” run off ex biologically defunct soils without humus, unable to “hold” and utilize this NPK slowly. Blue-green algae is one result. Of all the people I know in various parts of Earth, there are very few with access to pure water deriving from springs, rivers or underground sources. In some highly populated countries, drinking water is unavailable for hours per day.
There are many people with sparsest access to water at all.
Australia will never be able to continue a policy of “US” . . . There are rattles round the globe. Isolationist or ego-centric policies will eventually fail. This has to be seriously considered. We know the situation – even in Australia – with water, with salt, with pesticides, weedicides. . . . And scant notice is taken by Government Authorities – even to warnings of the CSIRO >>> more
Cosmic flavour, spiritual nutrition?: the biodynamic agricultural method and the legacy of Rudolf Steiner’s anthroposophy in viticulture
Alex Norman, 2012, Western Sydney University.
Excerpt:
Arguably one of Western esotericism’s most ambitious and widely influential thinkers, Rudolf Steiner (1861– 1925) has left an astonishing legacy of cultural products that continue to have influence beyond the institutional reach of Anthroposophy, the new religious movement he founded. One such legacy is his system of agriculture, known today as Biodynamic Agriculture, or Biodynamics. >>>more
- What exactly is Bio-dynamics? Bio-dynamics was created by Rudolf Steiner, an Austrian scientist, in the early 1900’s and focuses on building soil humus levels to feed the plants and not using some sort of un-natural water-soluble fertilizer. Similar to nature, bio-dynamics relies solely on humus to grow plants. The farmers are trained to know how soil biology works and use certain techniques to maintain and increase humus levels. - The goals of the bio-dynamic farmer include; • To grow the most nutritious plants possible and to build health for the end user.
• To use a closed farm system that has very little, if anything, brought onto the property to treat the soil or plant.
• To increase the humus bank in the soil, so there is enough for future crops. If there is a deficiency of elements or unusual climatic conditions then some substances may be needed to remedy a situation. In this case, permission must be received by the farmer from the certifying body, before proceeding. - How does bio-dynamics work? - What is humus? >>>more
The Scientific Basis of Bio-Dynamics By John Bradshaw
Biodynamic Growing Magazine, December 2009 It matters not the source of the inspiration, the wild leap of imagination that may lead to new theories. No rational scientist would say: “I don’t know where that promising idea came from, I’d better not investigate it.”
– John Bradshaw, 2009
"My aim is to make our farmers observe what is happening on their farm and think biologically. I see our farmers as creative composers." – Alex Podolinsky, 2008
Their critics call the practice "occult", labelling them followers of a quasi-religious movement. To their fans, they are the best food and wine producers in the country. The movement is gaining popularity with farmers, market gardeners and winemakers converting to biodynamics mainly because they eschew chemical fertilisers, hormones and pesticides.
Alex Podolinsky, the man considered by many to be the father of biodynamics in Australia, walks us through his shed at his property in a valley near Powelltown. Sacks filled with cow horns are stacked to the rafters. Previously the sacks were filled with fresh cow manure, buried in the earth over winter. Podolinsky reaches into a covered bin and pulls out a handful of "preparation 500". This used to be cow manure but has been transformed into a smooth, moist, dough-like substance that smells neutral. In it are billions of microbes and particles of trace elements that are to be stirred in water and sprayed over a farm, garden or vineyard. An erudite, effusive and energetic man in his 80s, Podolinsky spells out the differences between organics and biodynamics. While organic certification requires the exclusion of chemicals, biodynamics is about the creative input - treating humus to hold soil nutrients, he says. . .
At a Glance
Conventional: Artificial fertilisers and petrochemicals are applied to soil. Pests are controlled with chemical sprays while flowering and fruiting can be manipulated with chemical hormones.
Organic: Natural manures, composts, crushed rock and other natural compounds lift soil fertility while pests are controlled with natural compounds. No chemical, hormones or GM products.
Biodynamic: An extension of organic farming with a more holistic approach emphasising the interrelationship of soil, plants and animals.
>>> more
Film preview, 2014:
A portrait of Niels Stokholm, an 80-year-old Danish biodynamic farmer who runs his farm in accordance with spiritual laws.
Abstract
Arguably one of Western esotericism’s most ambitious and widely influential thinkers, Rudolf Steiner (1861– 1925) has left an astonishing legacy of cultural products that continue to have influence beyond the institutional reach of Anthroposophy, the new religious movement he founded. One such legacy is his system of agriculture, known today as Biodynamic Agriculture, or Biodynamics. This method, combining a distrust of modern agro-chemical applications and a desire to spiritually as well as physically nourish the individual, is now disseminated in a range of industries, and is often applied in ways that have little to do with Anthroposophy or Steiner. The current fascination in the viticulture industry for Biodynamic methods serves as a useful example for exploring what Steiner believed and set out for farmers, as well as for highlighting how these techniques are used today. Lorand’s (1996) paradigm for understanding Biodynamic Agriculture is here used to frame a discussion utilising a production of culture perspective that looks at elements of culture as shaped by the system within which they created, promoted, taught, and appraised (Peterson 1976). In order to understand how and why an esoteric agricultural method is flourishing in the twenty-first century, its origins must first be examined.
Biodynamic Faming & Compost Preparation
By Steve Diver - Agriculture Specialist
Feb. 1999, Demeter-usa.org (pdf)
Excerpt:
In a nutshell, biodynamics can be understood as a combination of "biological dynamic" agriculture practices. "Biological" practices include a series of well-known organic farming techniques that improve soil health. "Dynamic" practices are intended to influence biological as well as metaphysical aspects of the farm (such as increasing vital life force), or to adapt the farm to natural rhythms (such as planting seeds during certain lunar phases).
The concept of dynamic practice - those practices associated with non-physical forces in nature like vitality, life force, ki, subtle energy and related concepts - is a commonality that also underlies many systems of alternative and complementary medicine. It is this latter aspect of biodynamics which gives rise to the characterization of biodynamics as a spiritual or mystical approach to alternative agriculture. >>> more
• It is an immediate source of nutrients for a crop
• It is a soil conditioner – by adding a colloidal mix of micronutrients, bacteria and fungal material it helps build humus as well
• It lasts for up to 6 years in the soil when liquid compost teas last 6 months
• There are four stages the composting process goes through:
2. Perfect Compost:
A masterclass with Peter Proctor Green Planet Films:
(DVD & eBook)
Peter Proctor is New Zealand's father of biodynamic agriculture. Compost is the fundamental element in all gardening & farming. This master class takes you through the compost making process from gathering and assembling your materials to creating the perfect compost heap.
Review:
SCIENCE in SOCIETY Archive Saving the World with Biodynamic Farming "The importance of marginal farmers in India using an emergent agricultural knowledge system against the corporate takeover of farms."
By
Sam Burcher
January 2008
One farmer, one cow, one planet
What if the world were an apple? One quarter of the apple is land and the rest is water. Cut the land in half and put aside that which is deserts and mountains. Quarter what is left and the peel of one of those quarters represents the topsoil that must feed the whole world. This analogy illustrates how important it is to get the best out of the available soil to provide abundant and nutritious food for everyone on the planet [1].
Peter Proctor is a soil scientist who has worked with the stuff for over sixty years [2]. His favourite invertebrate is the earthworm, which he describes as “the unpaid servant of soil health” and his favourite animal is the cow because of all the dung it provides. Dung is something that Proctor prizes more highly than gold, jewels, fossil fuels, or many other natural resources. His recommendation for green-fingered gardeners and for the long term sustainability and security of global agricultural systems is the same: a complex preparation of medicinal plant material (see Box) added to compost, manure and slurry. The mineral enriched compost preparations lessen soil compaction, enhance the quality of topsoil, increase microbial activity and encourage earthworms. >>> more
- Biodynamic Gardening by the Cosmos ... For example if you garden using biodynamics, preparation BD500 (horn manure) is put out in a descending phase, when the moon is waning. It’s applied as a soil spray in autumn and spring, as the day draws to a close. BD501 (horn silica) is a ‘light’ spray, applied first thing in the morning, in spring or summer. Preferably the moon will be ascending and waxing...
