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  • From: Ethan X <livetrii@yahoo.com>
  • To: permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [permaculture] Beyond Organic: Discovering the Secrets of Biodynamic Foods
  • Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 21:38:59 -0800 (PST)

This article says,
“Biodynamics means creating a living system,” says Fullmer. “Biodynamic
farmers are certainly not the only organic farmers who do this, but it is
the only existing organized movement with such roots.”

Why would permaculture not also
be considered an "organized movement with such roots"?

Beyond Organic
Discovering the Secrets of Biodynamic Foods
by Daniel Scollan
http://www.emagazine.com/view/?3011

From small family farms threatened by big agribusiness and suburban sprawl
to environmental destruction from soil erosion and overuse of pesticides,
agriculture today faces many challenges. Consumers and farmers alike are
looking for more natural approaches. Bill Hill, owner of Warrups Farm in
West Redding, Connecticut, has been searching for better ways to raise his
tomatoes, garlic, peppers, Swiss chard, scallions and squash, and he might
have found it with biodynamic agriculture. Bill Hill sprays his crops at
Warrups Farm in West Redding, Connecticut...with organic preparations that
strictly adhere to biodynamic principles.© Daniel ScollanBiodynamics is not
new; it predates the now-popular organic farming movement. It resembles
organic agriculture in many ways, but adds a spiritual or mystical
component. Hill describes biodynamics as “deep organic.” However, the
biodynamic movement is relatively unknown in the U.S., having only earned
mainstream attention in
the world of wine making. But just about anything can be, and is, grown and
sold using biodynamic principles.
The Austrian philosopher, scientist and artist Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925)
laid the foundations for biodynamics in a series of lectures he gave in
1924. Steiner founded a school of philosophy known as anthroposophy, meaning
“wisdom of the human being,” which he defined as “a way of knowledge—a
cognitive path—that leads the spiritual in the human being to the spiritual
in the universe.”
Steiner applied this thinking to a diverse range of practical fields. He
designed the Goetheanum in Dornach, Switzerland, a building considered a
landmark of 20th century architecture. He also developed a method of
teaching that centers on educating the whole child—head, heart and
hands—that later became known as Waldorf education. Today, Waldorf schools
can be found all over the world, including more than 150 in the U.S.
Philosophical Roots
Steiner’s 1924 lectures, known as the “Spiritual Foundations for the
Renewal of Agriculture,” presented a critique of the contemporary
agricultural practices of the day and set forth the key principles of
biodynamics. Like organic farming, biodynamics rejects the use of synthetic
fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides, but for different reasons. Steiner
believed such substances were spiritually dead, rather than chemically or
biologically troublesome.
Steiner believed that everything in the material world has a spiritual
counterpart. So, biodynamic farmers are called to view the farm as a unique
organism with a spirit, with each part integrated into the whole. A more
concrete manifestation of this idea is that each farm is seen as a
self-contained unit, and farmers aspire to have all inputs such as
fertilizers come from within the farm. Composting then becomes an essential
tool.
Farmers are also called to pay close attention to their environments and
tailor their practices to those that best suit their specific local
conditions. Harold Brown, who has studied biodynamics as outreach
coordinator at Farm Sanctuary, says, “Biodynamic farmers don’t push the land
beyond what it’s capable of doing, as is the case with modern agribusiness.”
A key difference between organic and biodynamic techniques is that animal
husbandry is required for the latter. Animal manure is seen as especially
important for its contributions to compost. Further, biodynamic farmers
often work in connection with solar, lunar and astrological rhythms. For
example, plantings are conducted on certain days of the year. Such
practices, however, are not specifically required by the international
biodynamic certification agency, Demeter.
Something unique to biodynamics is the use of eight specific homeopathic
preparations, two of which are sprayed on crops and six of which are added
to compost. The preparations are believed to increase the “life forces” in
the soil and plants. Since they are difficult to produce, many farmers buy
their preparations from the Josephine Porter Institute and other producers.
The remedies are mostly herbs, usually stored in an animal organ, and are
buried underground to ferment for a time period coordinating with cosmic
cycles. The specific organs are thought to enhance the life forces of each
material.
The two spray preparations, manure and grounded quartz, are stored in the
horns of a cow. Small amounts of the manure or quartz are then mixed in
water. The compost preparations include chamomile and dandelion flowers and
oak bark, and are stored in a variety of organs such as animal intestines,
skulls and bladders, and then applied directly to compost. In Steiner’s
view, the preparations are both natural and spiritual.
Some people, especially vegans (who refuse to eat any animal-derived
foods), may object to such use of animal parts in farming. Brown, of the
farm animal rescue and protection group Farm Sanctuary, explains, “The whole
point of veganism is to alleviate suffering, and using animal parts
necessarily involves suffering.” Brown, however, finds other aspects of
biodynamics appealing, especially its view of the farm as a living organism.
“Biodynamics works in harmony with nature and, with experimentation, it may
be able to evolve to be more animal friendly,” he says.
Jim Fullmer, president of Demeter USA, advises, “Animals on biodynamic
farms are revered, and the goal of the movement is to mimic the wisdom put
forth by nature. Vegetarians and vegans should look at the whole picture of
biodynamics.”
Success in Wine-Making
The biodynamics movement, although currently occupying a small niche, is
growing. It has received the greatest attention and commercial success in
the wine-making business, where it has gained a reputation for especially
high-quality products. In the U.S., biodynamic wines, or, more accurately,
wines made with biodynamic grapes, are produced by such major California
vineyards as Fetzer, Benziger and Frey Vineyards.
“The success of biodynamics in wine can be attributed to the industry’s
focus on quality rather than quantity,” says Fullmer. He also points to the
intense media interest in wine ratings, which have often been very high for
biodynamic offerings. In addition, biodynamics’ focus on farm individuality
is especially suitable to the popular vineyard concept of “terroir,”
referring to a quality in the wine that expresses the place where the grapes
are grown.
Biodynamics is reaching beyond wine, however. Clean Foods of Santa Paula,
California sells several blends of biodynamic coffees sold under the Café
Altura brand. Owner Chris Shepherd says sales are increasing. “Consumers new
to biodynamics are attracted to its holistic nature, and often become
intrigued through their knowledge of Steiner’s Waldorf schools,” says
Shepherd. “It just tastes better.”
Biodynamic grower Seven Stars Farm in Pennsylvania has also seen success
with its line of yogurts, which are sold in major natural food stores
throughout the Northeast.
A Sustainable System?
John Reganold, a professor of soil science at Washington State University,
has studied biodynamics for nearly 15 years. His research suggests that the
special preparations do indeed have a positive effect on compost. However,
he says, “the jury is still out” on how effective they ultimately are, or
whether there truly is much difference between the health of biodynamic
farms and typical organic farms.
“We just finished a study that looked at a number of soil properties over
six years, and there were no significant differences between biodynamic and
organic practices,” says Reganold. However, he adds, “Biodynamic farms may
be the most holistic farms that I’ve seen.”
Jim Fullmer says many farmers are beginning to turn to biodynamics because
they are dissatisfied with the current U.S. National Organic Program. “Many
of the folks looking closely at biodynamics as an alternative are the good
organic farmers who see that the National Organic Program is losing the
basic foundations of organic farming—the emphasis on sustainability and
reduction of inputs. The National Organic Program has basically boiled down
to a list of materials you can or cannot use.
“Biodynamics means creating a living system,” says Fullmer. “Biodynamic
farmers are certainly not the only organic farmers who do this, but it is
the only existing organized movement with such roots.”
However holistic biodynamics may be, it’s still difficult for some people
to stomach the idea of those unusual preparations. According to Bill Hill,
“It’s not for everybody.”
DANIEL SCOLLAN is a former E intern currently serving in AmeriCorps.
CONTACTS
Demeter USA
Phone: (541)998-5691

Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association
Phone: (888)516-7797



"In the world I see -- you will stalk elk through the damp canyon forests
around the ruins of Rockefeller Center. You will wear leather clothes that
last you the rest of your life. You will climb the wrist-thick kudzu vines
that wrap the Sears Tower, and when you look down, you will see tiny
figures pounding corn and laying strips of venison on the empty car pool
lane of some abandoned superhighway." Fight Club

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  • [permaculture] Beyond Organic: Discovering the Secrets of Biodynamic Foods, Ethan X, 01/25/2006

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