Applied Biodynamics — Issue 058 (Fall 2007)

Issue 058 functions as a global practice and institutional consolidation issue, combining field observation across multiple countries, organizational development in the United States, local preparation making, and reflective material linking inner discipline with agricultural work.

The primary article, “Touring the Mediterranean: A Biodynamic Odyssey,” by Hunter Francis, is a detailed travel-based field report documenting biodynamic and organic agriculture in North Africa and Turkey. The article is explicitly observational and comparative rather than prescriptive. Francis reports on visits to biodynamic date, raisin, fig, apricot, and nut producers operating largely within cooperative structures supported by European distribution networks. A recurring structural model is identified: European capital and market access combined with local farmer cooperatives, technical consultants, and Demeter certification.

The article documents specific agronomic practices where available. In North African date groves, BD 500 is applied twice yearly at approximately 2.5 ounces per acre, slightly higher than typical U.S. recommendations, using either hand application or mechanical sprayers. BD 501 is applied at roughly half a teaspoon per ten gallons per acre, also twice yearly. Compost systems rely on palm residues and sheep manure inoculated with compost preparations, with limited compost volume due to scarce feedstocks. Record keeping is emphasized as rigorous, including spreadsheet-based tracking of preparation applications across multiple farms.

In Turkey, Francis reports similar cooperative structures with centralized preparation storage. Preparations are stored in clay jars buried in soil-filled wooden chests within cool storage rooms. Application rates for BD 500 are higher, reaching up to four ounces per acre. The article highlights constraints affecting biodynamic practice in arid regions, including difficulty sourcing equisetum (BD 508) and stag bladders, leading to imported materials. Adaptation questions are raised explicitly, including possible substitution of botanically related plants and alternative animal sheaths where cows are scarce, framed as questions rather than instructions.

The article also addresses processing infrastructure, noting that Demeter-certified facilities in Turkey operate under multiple regulatory frameworks simultaneously, including organic, biodynamic, fair trade, ISO 9001, and HACCP standards. Francis documents both the efficiency and the social cost of industrial processing environments, while also noting improvements in worker education, literacy, and health care funded by biodynamic-linked enterprises. Throughout, the article avoids claims of universal success, instead reporting observed economic improvement, improved crop quality, and increased farmer self-reliance within specific contexts.

“Meditative Thoughts for Autumn,” presents a short excerpt from Rudolf Steiner’s lecture cycle The Cycle of the Year as Breathing-Process of the Earth. This piece is explicitly contemplative rather than instructional, offering a seasonal perceptual exercise linking autumnal decay with inner spiritual activity. No agricultural directions or claims are made.

“The Elizabeth Scott Courtney Memorial Fund” provides a brief institutional update acknowledging early contributions to the fund and restating its purpose: long-term land security, infrastructure, and educational continuity for the Josephine Porter Institute. The announcement is factual and administrative in tone.

In “The Biodynamic Trade Association is Here!” Hunter Francis reports on the formal launch of the Biodynamic Trade Association at the Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association conference in California. The article outlines the BTA’s mission, governance structure, membership categories, and funding model. The BTA is presented as distinct from Demeter USA while explicitly committed to supporting certification integrity and trademark protection. The article frames the organization as a response to market demand, aiming to increase availability of biodynamic products while coordinating trade, education, and media outreach.

“New Preparation Making Initiative in Kentucky,” by Laura Riccardi, documents a community-based preparation-making gathering involving over twenty-five participants. Preparations made included BD 501, BD 502, and Barrell Compound Preparation. The article provides concrete details of the work: burial of silica-filled horns, hanging of yarrow bladders, and site conditions. Riccardi’s letter excerpt emphasizes group harmony and intention but does not claim measurable agricultural outcomes, presenting the experience as formative and relational.

The issue concludes with “How to Save the World: One Man, One Cow, One Planet,” a review by Christy Korrow of a documentary film featuring Peter Proctor’s biodynamic work in India. The review summarizes the film’s content—compost making, preparation application, and farmer organization—while situating it as an introductory resource rather than evidence. The review explicitly frames the film as inspirational and contextual rather than scientific proof.

Across all articles, Issue 058 maintains a consistent editorial stance: biodynamics is adaptable, locally conditioned, and institutionally supported, but must be documented, constrained, and context-aware to remain credible.

Articles

• Touring the Mediterranean: A Biodynamic Odyssey (H. Francis)  Meditative Thoughts for Autumn (R. Steiner)  
• The Elizabeth Scott Courtney Memorial Fund  
• The Biodynamic Trade Association is Here! (H. Francis)  New Preparation Making Initiative in Kentucky (L. Riccardi) 
• How to Save the World: One Man, One Cow, One Planet  (Reviewed by C. Korrow)  

Key Topics Covered

• Mediterranean biodynamic agriculture in arid climates
• Cooperative farm structures and European market integration
• Quantified application rates for BD 500 and BD 501
• Preparation storage methods and quality concerns
• Record-keeping and Demeter compliance systems
• Processing infrastructure under multiple regulatory regimes
• Adaptation limits of biodynamic materials across cultures
• Formation and mission of the Biodynamic Trade Association
• Membership structure and governance of BTA
• Community-based preparation making in Kentucky
• Seasonal meditative practice without agricultural claims
• Documentary portrayal of global biodynamic practice

Citation

Applied Biodynamics, Issue 058, Josephine Porter Institute for Applied Biodynamics, Fall 2007.