Applied Biodynamics — Issue 072 (Spring 2011)

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Applied Biodynamics 072 is a detailed account of biodynamic practice at production scale. Cindi Courter interviews Philip Lyvers and Laura Riccardi Lyvers about a 2,600-acre Kentucky grain and hog operation that combines preparation work, cover crops, no-till management, on-farm fertility, forestry, and close record-keeping. The issue then adds JPI operations news, Hugh Courtney's practical answers on preparation use and composting, and a precise harvest guide for BD 506 Dandelion.

A large-scale farm organism

Lyvers Farm grew from 336 acres and 100 sows to 2,600 acres, 550 sows, and approximately 9,000 market hogs per year. The farm also manages nearly 2,000 acres for wildlife and forestry and raises 300 acres of corn and 150 acres of wheat for about half of its feed ration. Philip describes how regular use of the nine biodynamic preparations helps the farm cycle hog manure, legume cover crops, and field residues into fertility. In 2011 the 450 crop acres were planned to receive all needed nitrogen from treated hog manure and legumes, without purchased nitrogen.

For hog-manure pits ranging from 9,000 to 90,000 gallons, the farm applies one set of the BD 502–507 Compost Preparations plus one unit of BD 501 Horn Silica per pit. Each pit is recharged when a barn is cleaned or the pit is pumped, at intervals ranging from six weeks to four and a half months. Three years of tests before preparation treatment and seven years with treatment gave a strong farm-scale comparison: treated manure showed 46% more phosphorus and 21% more nitrogen, accompanied by markedly lower ammonia and odor. The farm reads this combination of laboratory results and sensory observation as better nutrient retention in the manure.

Repeatable crop-stage protocols

Barrel Compound is the same preparation also called Barrel Compost. JPI uses the name “Barrel Compound” for its U.S. product because regulations govern what may legally be sold as “compost.” Barrel Compound, fermented BD 508 Horsetail, and BD 500 Horn Manure are applied together in spring and fall. The preparations and water circulate in a compost brewer for about one hour; the dark extract then passes through flowforms for one hour and twenty minutes. This gives readers a clearly timed, farm-scale mixing sequence.

The wheat observations are especially useful. On a 40-acre block, the farm applied fermented BD 508, Barrel Compound, and BD 500 before the fourth-leaf stage, followed by BD 501 after flowering. That block yielded 20 bushels per acre more than wheat receiving the first three preparations without the later BD 501 application. The article also records why crop stage matters: on wheat, silica preparations are placed before fourth leaf or after flowering, while fermented BD 508 applied during flowering was observed to reduce additional tillering. Philip also describes autumn soil applications as a way to prepare the field for winter forces. For current field directions, see the BD 500 instructions and BD 501 instructions.

Scaled pest peppering with records

Philip reports making about fifty pest ashes and combining more than forty peppers for broad-acre use. He uses one-quarter teaspoon of each separately prepared pepper, dynamizes and potentizes the combination in water to the fourth power, and then dilutes two gallons plus one quart into 4,500 gallons for application across 450 crop acres twice each year. Deer harvest records held the number of hunters and season length constant while tracking age, weight, sex, and reproduction: annual harvests moved from more than 100—about 115 for four years—to 70, then 50 and 60. Monthly mouse-pepper applications in the hog houses were accompanied by lower bait purchases and less curtain and wiring damage. The issue shows how a consistent application method and a stable set of field records can turn repeated biodynamic experience into useful farm knowledge. JPI's Biodynamic Pest Pepper video provides a current practical companion.

Practical answers from Hugh Courtney

In “Anecdotes and Antidotes—Biodynamics at Work,” Courtney recommends beginning with the preparations on a manageable area so stirring, spraying, calibration, and observation can be learned thoroughly. The Biodynamics Quick Start and Making and Using the Biodynamic Preparations are useful current starting points.

For making BD 501, JPI's practice in this issue is to bury filled silica horns shortly after Ascension Day—approximately mid-May—and lift them around Thanksgiving, always before Advent. This closely defined window follows Josephine Porter's teaching and JPI's preparation-making experience.

The compost guidance is equally exact. Add the compost preparations when the work can be completed; Maria Thun’s long practice particularly favored a Capricorn Moon. The issue’s 2011 account describes one unit of starter per 1½ tons of material, roughly 3–10 gallons of water per ton, 50–60% moisture, an 11:1–20:1 carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, turning only to correct excess wetness or dryness, and a three-week-to-three-month completion range with close monitoring. Those figures are retained as the historical source record.

For today’s method, JPI directs growers to use one 1-ounce unit of Pfeiffer Compost Starter for 1–1.5 tons (1.5–2.25 cubic yards), moisten it into a paste, activate it for 12–16 hours or overnight, and dilute it in enough water to moisten the materials. Distribute the spray through each portion while mixing the ingredients, then build a 4–5-foot pile with at least 50% moisture and a 15:1–25:1 carbon-to-nitrogen ratio. See JPI’s current Pfeiffer Compost Starter instructions.

Preparation-making materials

The closing dandelion appeal gives a memorable quality standard for BD 506. Harvest young blossoms whose centers are still closed into a visible “bull's eye,” preferably early in spring and no later than one hour before local meridian noon. Choose ground free of poisons and mineral fertilizers, avoid roadsides and parking areas, remove stems and debris, and dry the blossoms carefully in a warm, dry, shaded place. These observable criteria connect plant selection, harvest timing, and careful drying directly to preparation quality.

Articles

• How Do the Preparations Help in a Large-Scale Kentucky Farming Operation?—An Interview with Philip Lyvers and Laura Riccardi Lyvers (Cindi Courter)
• Notes and News from the Executive Director (Shelley Goguen Hulbert)
• Anecdotes and Antidotes—Biodynamics at Work (Hugh Courtney)
• We Need Your Help Picking Dandelions!

Key Topics Covered

• Large-scale biodynamic integration in a 2,600-acre grain and hog operation
• Manure-pit treatment with BD 502–507 and BD 501
• Multi-year nutrient testing and reduced ammonia and odor
• On-farm nitrogen cycling through treated manure and legume cover crops
• Timed BD 500, BD 508, Barrel Compound, and BD 501 sequences
• A 20-bushel-per-acre wheat comparison tied to post-flowering BD 501
• Crop-stage and soil-placement decisions for silica preparations
• Fourth-power pest-pepper scaling for 450 acres
• BD 501 burial timing from Ascension to before Advent
• Pfeiffer Compost Starter rates, moisture, turning, and completion targets
• Observable harvest standards for BD 506 dandelion blossoms

Related JPI resources

• BD 506 Dandelion Preparation and guide
• BD 502–507 Compost Preparation Set and instructions
• BD 501 Horn Silica, guide, and instructions
• Barrel Compound, guide, and instructions
• BD 508 Horsetail, guide, and instructions
• BD 500 Horn Manure, guide, and instructions
• Pfeiffer Compost Starter, guide, and instructions

Citation

Applied Biodynamics, Issue 072, Josephine Porter Institute for Applied Biodynamics, Spring 2011. 12 pages.