Conversion to Biodynamics

The idea of converting to biodynamics from conventional or biodynamic agriculture can seem intimidating. In part, this is because the language around biodynamics can sometimes seem inaccessible. At the heart of it is this: life on earth depends on a constant supply of new energy from the cosmos. If the sun ever turn off, it would get pretty cold here on earth! Almost everything valuable about nutrition comes from the cosmos. Even when we cultivate soil by increasing organic matter, where did that organic matter come from? It's mostly composed of materials that used to be air, plus the energy captured in photosynthesis. When we remember that humus is more than 50% carbohydrates -- all produced from photosynthesis drawing on sunlight -- it helps us remember that it is not merely a metaphor or poetic image to say that all agriculture depends on the cosmos. At JPI, we are here to help your with this transition. 

We begin with 500 Horn Manure as a foundational biostimulant for soil to help return vitality to tired fields. That's always step number one. It doesn't make sense to put living plants into dead soil, so the first thing to do is bring more life to your soil.

Alternatively, we can use the Pfeiffer™ Field and Garden Spray as a way to bring all the biodynamic preparations to the field in a single pass. The Pfeiffer™ products contain the 500 Horn Manure and the Compost Preparations. This premium product is proprietary to JPI and brings the full force of all the biodynamic preparations to your field in a single pass.

Choose the crops in each rotation for the individual farm

Pfeiffer says every region, soil type, climate, and set of marketing conditions calls for its own crop rotation. He calls for a legume among the crops every four years and describes five-to-seven-year rotations, often used in northern countries, as more beneficial than an intensive three-year sequence. Examples include clover sown with summer grain, beans or peas in place of summer grain, or a fodder legume the farm can use. The two-complete-rotations planning horizon above concerns how long to follow the conversion; this guidance concerns how to choose and sequence crops within each rotation.

Source: Ehrenfried E. Pfeiffer, Soil Fertility, Renewal & Preservation (revised ed., 1947), Chapter Eight, printed pp. 69 and 71.