Why was Barrel Compost renamed Biodynamic Compound Preparation (BC)?

In 1998, Hugh J. Courtney wrote that some state agencies sought licensing of products sold as “compost.” JPI therefore called Maria Thun’s Barrel Compost BC (Biodynamic Compound Preparation) to avoid confusion with state regulators.

What change did Doris Foster observe in parsley after BC and BD 500?

Foster reported treating three crowded parsley pots with Barrel Compost, now called Barrel Compound, in the evening and BD 500 the next evening. Within a day or two, she observed their previously faded leaves become deep, dark green.

What roots did Stephen Storch find on the treated golf greens?

Storch reported applying BD 500 and Barrel Compost, now called Barrel Compound, to four rebuilt golf greens and one rebuilt in-house in October 1997. When he returned in April 1998, he found roots three to four inches deep with fine white root hairs in turf plugs from the treated greens.

What flower-quality response did Mark Trela describe at Fragrant Farms?

In the interview, Trela said his flowers looked better and that florists remarked on their vivid colors. He described building large leaf-and-manure compost windrows and using biodynamic compost preparations, BD 500, BD 501, and BD 508 as part of the cut-flower program.

Biodynamie appliquée archive

Applied Biodynamics — Issue 023 (Spring/Summer 1998)

Issue 023 records JPI’s 1998 Barrel Compost/BC naming decision amid some state compost-licensing efforts, alongside parsley and golf-green observations, peppering astronomy, livestock, and biodynamic cut-flower production.

30 décembre 2025 Published by The Josephine Porter Institute Download PDF

Featured archival image for Applied Biodynamics — Issue 023 (Spring/Summer 1998)

Issue 023 connects the Barrel Compost/BC naming decision with growers reporting vivid parsley color, robust golf-green roots, specialty cut flowers, and practical biodynamic farm methods.

Download Issue 023 PDF

In his Spring/Summer 1998 notice, Hugh J. Courtney explained why JPI would call Maria Thun’s “Barrel Compost” BC (Biodynamic Compound Preparation). He wrote that some state agricultural agencies were seeking to license products sold as “compost,” and JPI adopted the BC name to avoid confusion with state regulators. Courtney called this an adjustment in nomenclature. See the original issue, page 2.

In “Parsley Revival,” Doris Foster reports giving three crowded parsley pots BC (Barrel Compound) in warmed rainwater one evening and BD 500 the following evening. Within a day or two, she saw previously faded leaves become deep, dark green. Her firsthand account documents the sequence and the visible response, which growers can photograph and track in comparable pots.

Stephen Storch’s “Golf Greens Revival” reports applying BD 500 and BC in October 1997 to four rebuilt golf greens and one rebuilt in-house. On returning in April 1998, he pulled turf plugs and found root systems three to four inches deep with fine white root hairs in the treated greens. Storch described their appearance as better than the best green on the course and reported that the superintendent requested the treatment again.

Malcolm Ian Gardner’s “When Is Venus Behind the Sun?” explores the timing question in Rudolf Steiner’s pest-peppering indication. Gardner compares heliocentric and geocentric models and presents an eight-year Venus pattern. His analysis gives growers a documented timing framework to pair with species-specific peppering records and field observations across seasons.

Alice Petty’s “Farming on the Barter System” describes livestock as part of a reciprocal farm relationship: manure and grazing support the land, while the farm supports cattle and people. The narrative includes direct observations of individual animals, soil recovery, herd behavior, and the limits of working safely with a bull.

In Kathryn Dagostino’s “Interview with Mark Trela, Fragrant Farms,” Trela describes specialty cut-flower beds, large leaf-and-manure compost windrows, the compost preparations, BD 500, BD 501, and BD 508. He says the flowers look better and reports that florists praise their colors. The interview also records his use of BD 508 around disease-prone zinnias and his practical work with beds, weed barriers, labor, and postharvest handling.

Articles

Parsley Revival (D. Foster)
Golf Greens Revival (S. Storch)
When Is Venus Behind the Sun? (M. I. Gardner)
Farming on the Barter System (A. Petty)
Interview with Mark Trela, Fragrant Farms (K. Dagostino)

Key Topics Covered

Regulatory terminology and the change from Barrel Compost to Biodynamic Compound Preparation (BC).

Foster’s parsley greening after BC and BD 500, and Storch’s three-to-four-inch golf-green root observation after BD 500 and BC.

Venus cycles, historical peppering indications, and field records connecting timing with observed species response.

Livestock relationships, manure, grazing, soil renewal, animal behavior, and farm safety.

Cut-flower composting, preparation use, root establishment, weed management, flower quality, and postharvest comparison.

Repeatable Practice

For parsley, pre-assign comparable pots to water, BC, BD 500, and sequence groups and photograph leaf color under fixed light.
For turf, map treatment strips and sampling points before application and measure roots, soil, turf quality, disease, inputs, and weather.
For peppering, document species material, ash preparation, astronomical criterion, dilution, application, and matched control plots over several years.
For cut flowers, keep bed-level records for compost, preparations, irrigation, stem count, color, disease, vase life, labor, and sales.