Applied Biodynamics — Issue 098 (Fall/Winter 2020–2021)
Issue 98 honors JPI founder Hugh J. Courtney and preserves his practical legacy in preparation making, BD 501, sequential spraying, field comparison, regional workshops, and biodynamic education.
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Applied Biodynamics, Issue 98 (Fall/Winter 2020–2021) honors JPI founder Hugh J. Courtney through firsthand accounts from colleagues, students, preparation makers, farmers, and educators. Alongside the memorial record, the issue preserves Courtney’s practical contributions: preparation-making workshops, disciplined seasonal methods, field observation, regional preparation networks, and a focused reflection on the role of horn silica in North American conditions.
Clay Wesson’s opening remembrance traces Courtney’s commitment to making the biodynamic preparations available “so that Earth may be healed” and to teaching others how to make and use them. Abigail Porter’s historical account follows his seven-year apprenticeship with Josephine Porter, the founding of JPI in 1985, the launch of Applied Biodynamics in 1992, and the development of a durable educational and preparation-making community.
The issue’s technical record is especially valuable. It documents Courtney’s sequential spray work during the 1988 drought; his encouragement of BD 501 and BD 508 use in North America; 20-minute potentized 501 5X and 500(X); four consecutive summer burials of horn silica; seed-soak trials; foliar use of individual compost preparations; pest “pepper” work; Tree Harmonizer and milk-and-honey methods; and his role in securing the Pfeiffer Compost Starter and Field & Garden Spray for JPI.
In “501,” Courtney presents horn silica as an essential balancing preparation for the strong limestone or earthly polarity he observed in the Western Hemisphere. He calls for dedicated, place-specific study of how 501 works under North American conditions. That approach remains highly practical: apply a defined protocol, keep timing and weather records, compare treated and untreated rows or blocks, and track plant form, color, ripening, disease expression, and harvest quality over the season.
“Hugh Courtney’s Legacy: The Elders” and “From Students to Educators” show how hands-on repetition carried the work forward. Regional preparation groups, annual workshops, visual comparison of preparation samples, and direct feedback from farms created a repeatable learning culture. Accounts from Dewane Morgan, Jeff Poppen, Matias Baker, Joseph Brinkley, Natalie Brinkley, Larry Mabe, and others connect preparation quality with long-term field practice and teaching.
Articles in This Issue
- “In Memoriam: Hugh J. Courtney, July 8, 1932–June 15, 2020” — Clay Wesson
- “Honoring Hugh Courtney” — Abigail Porter
- “Honoring Hugh Courtney” — additional memorial contributions
- “501” — Hugh Courtney
- “Hugh Courtney’s Legacy: The Elders”
- “Hugh Courtney’s Legacy: From Students to Educators”
- “JPI’s Newest Board Member: Mike Biltonen” — Clay Wesson
- Online conference notice: “Seeding the Spirit of Stewardship”
Key Topics Covered
- Hugh J. Courtney’s preparation-making, teaching, and institutional legacy
- Josephine Porter’s mentorship and the founding of JPI in 1985
- Hands-on workshops as a repeatable preparation-training model
- Horn silica BD 501 in North American geographic conditions
- Paired field comparisons for timing, plant form, and ripening response
- Sequential spraying during drought and other weather extremes
- Four-summer horn silica burial and preparation-quality assessment
- BD 501 5X and BD 500(X) twenty-minute stirring formats
- Seed soaks, foliar preparations, and pest-pepper field work
- Regional preparation groups and the Fellowship of Preparation Makers
- Pfeiffer Compost Starter and Field & Garden Spray continuity
- Students becoming farmers, consultants, preparation makers, and educators
Related JPI Resources
- BD 501 Horn Silica · guide · instructions
- BD 508 Horsetail · guide · instructions
- Sequential Spray Kit · instructions
- Pfeiffer Compost Starter · guide · instructions
- Pfeiffer Field & Garden Spray · guide · instructions
- BD 500 Horn Manure · guide · instructions
- BD 502–507 Compost Preparation Set · instructions
- Making and Using Biodynamic Preparations
Citation
Applied Biodynamics, Issue 98, Josephine Porter Institute for Applied Biodynamics, Fall/Winter 2020–2021.
