Applied Biodynamics — Issue 079 (Winter 2012–2013)

Issue 079 is a single-system, practice-centered issue focused on biodynamic grain farming and the evaluation of preparations through rotation design, scale-appropriate application, and repeated observation. The issue combines an extended farmer interview with a technical response section addressing practical implementation questions.

In “Finding Rhythm and Meaning in Fields of Biodynamic Grain,” Hunter Francis interviews John DeRosier, owner of With the Grain Farm in northern San Luis Obispo County, California. The interview documents a fifteen-year trajectory devoted to heirloom and modern grains grown biodynamically across multiple parcels totaling approximately 150 acres. DeRosier describes how grain, hay, and animals establish a rhythmic foundation for the farm organism, contrasting this cadence with the higher intervention intensity of vegetable systems.

The interview details rotation logic and scale decisions. Grain and hay phases alternate with legumes and cover crops, while livestock graze residues to return fertility. DeRosier reports that grain production can be viable at small scale, providing quantitative estimates (e.g., up to approximately 1,000 pounds of grain from a quarter acre under careful management) and emphasizing that grains historically function as dietary foundations. Equipment constraints (harvesting, cleaning, milling) are identified as primary barriers, addressed through acquisition of gravity tables and a commercial kitchen to enable value-added processing.

Preparation use is described procedurally and conditionally. DeRosier makes nearly all preparations on-farm, regularly applying BD 500, BD 501, barrel compost (Biodynamic Compound Preparation), nettle teas, and valerian. Application timing is adjusted to a dry-summer climate (average ~7 inches annual rainfall), with preparations withheld during hot, dry months unless irrigation is present. Observations include stronger root mass on treated seedlings, improved integrity of transplants, and cautions regarding BD 501 under inappropriate seasonal conditions, where leaf burn was observed. Stirring methods (hand stirring and flowforms), sprayer types, and application sequencing prior to cultivation are specified.

Economic and organizational evaluation is integrated into the narrative. DeRosier tracks farm decisions through spreadsheets as indicators of energy balance and resource building, framing financial records as diagnostic tools rather than endpoints. The interview explicitly notes limits—fencing constraints, wildlife pressure, dispersed parcels—and frames learning as iterative and observational rather than prescriptive.

“Anecdotes and Antidotes – Biodynamics at Work,” by Hugh Courtney, addresses practitioner questions with quantified, step-by-step guidance. Topics include treating newly prepared beds with Pfeiffer BD Field and Garden Spray (including minimum effective quantities per 100-square-foot bed and raking sequences); proper storage of preparations received off-season (water sources, moisture thresholds, peat moss buffering, glass storage); and use of Pfeiffer BD Compost Starter in rolling composters (activation amounts, timing, moisture levels, expected acceleration). Each response specifies constraints, thresholds, and handling requirements, and distinguishes dry storage from activated material with defined shelf lives.

Across both articles, Issue 079 presents biodynamics as a practice evaluated through rotation performance, plant form, root development, seasonal fit, and operational records, with explicit attention to context, limits, and repeatability.

Articles

• Finding Rhythm and Meaning in Fields of Biodynamic Grain (H. Francis Interviews John de Rosier)  
• Anecdotes and Antidotes – Biodynamics at Work (H. Courtney) 

Key Topics Covered

• Biodynamic grain farming at small and mid scale
• Rotation design integrating grains hay and livestock
• Climate-specific timing of preparation application
• On-farm preparation making and handling
• Root development as an evaluation indicator
• Equipment and infrastructure for grain cleaning and milling
• Economic tracking as a diagnostic tool
• Minimum effective quantities for soil sprays
• Preparation storage and moisture management
• Composting protocols in confined systems

Citation

Applied Biodynamics, Issue 079, Josephine Porter Institute for Applied Biodynamics, Winter 2012–2013.