Applied Biodynamics — Issue No. 089 (Spring / Summer 2016)

Issue No. 089 is a method-heavy, technically explicit issue focused on preparation quality, repeatable spray practice, and experimental validation within biodynamic agriculture. Unlike reflective or memorial issues, this issue emphasizes protocol articulation, comparative trials, and organizational scaling while explicitly addressing the risks of dilution of method as biodynamics expands.

Hunter Francis’s feature article “Fellowship of the Preparation Makers Holds Meeting in California” documents the 2016 gathering of preparation makers in Ukiah, California, hosted at Yokayo Roots Ranch and Frey Vineyards. The article records the explicit theme of the conference: perceiving and maintaining quality in BD #500 (horn manure). The conference structure combined lectures, hands-on demonstrations, comparative evaluation of multiple BD #500 samples, and chromatography-based “Steigbild” (rising picture) exercises. Procedurally, the article documents preparation evaluation through peer comparison, sodium hydroxide extraction, paper chromatography, silver nitrate and iron sulfate fixing, and multi-day development of image patterns. The article also records institutional concern over preparation standardization as Demeter USA explores certification protocols for large-scale preparation producers, including criteria for training, materials sourcing, burial, storage, record-keeping, and packaging.

The President’s Report: “2015 Year in Review” by Patricia Frazier provides a detailed institutional account of JPI’s relocation to Floyd, Virginia, culminating in the purchase of approximately 25 acres along the Little River. The article specifies land-use planning components, including pasture management, rotational grazing, preparation plant gardens, composting operations, research fields, and preparation production facilities. It documents spring workshops focused on BD #501 (horn silica), BD #502 (yarrow), BD #507 (valerian), and Barrel Compost Compound, including step-by-step instruction in grinding quartz, stuffing horns, burial timing, preparation recovery, and storage. The report also records the first on-site valerian harvest for BD #507, baseline soil data collection using chromatography and soil food-web analysis, and institutional research commitments to evaluate preparation effects over time.

Karen Davis-Brown’s “The Most Distant Reaches of the Universe: Biodynamic Practice April Through September” provides a seasonal practice framework anchored in specific operational tasks rather than abstraction. The article addresses orchard management, seed starting, pasture planning, compost building, and preparation making across the growing season. Explicit practices include frost-risk assessment using valerian, moisture moderation using horsetail and nettle teas, soil preparation for seed starting, and timing of preparation use based on plant readiness rather than calendar prescription. The article repeatedly emphasizes observation, early intervention, and minimal intrusion, grounding biodynamic decision-making in ongoing assessment rather than formula.

Wali Via’s “Remembering Devon Strong” records the life and work of a practitioner who incorporated American bison into biodynamic preparation making. While memorial in tone, the article documents specific preparation practices using buffalo materials and situates them within ethical frameworks of animal sacrifice, ritual killing, and respect for group soul—serving as a historical record of methodological diversity rather than instruction.

Pat Frazier’s extensive technical article “Horn Silica (BD #501) Frequently Asked Questions” is one of the most procedurally explicit contributions in the issue. It details the polarity between BD #500 and BD #501, specifies timing (pre-sunrise spraying), droplet size considerations, drought cautions, greenhouse restrictions, and crop-specific indications. The article also documents alternative uses such as mid-winter ground sprays, sequential balancing with BD #500 and BD #508, and ripening applications in orchards. A separate section provides step-by-step instructions for making and storing BD #501, including mineral selection (quartz, feldspar), grinding consistency, horn filling, burial duration, pre-potentization options, storage conditions, and estimated application quantities per acre.

Abigail Porter’s “Lessons Learned with Horn Silica (BD #501)” presents first-person case studies documenting failure modes, including plant burn, drought stress amplification, and delayed unintended effects in perennial fruiting. Each case explicitly identifies causal variables—soil moisture, droplet size, plant maturity, climatic context—and outlines corrective strategies such as increased BD #500 use, substitution with BD #508, and delayed silica application until post-establishment. The article functions as a cautionary complement to the FAQ by demonstrating consequences of misapplication.

Karen Davis-Brown’s “Stirring BD #501” documents large-scale machine stirring protocols, including calibration of 60-gallon tanks, unit quantities, stirring duration, early-morning timing, and coordination with field spraying logistics. The article records stirring as both a physical and attentional discipline, emphasizing consistency of method rather than improvisation.

Carol St. John’s “Using Horn Manure (BD #500) When Seeding & Transplanting” presents a structured student research project conducted at Blueberry Gardens. The article details experimental design, including treated vs. control soil blocks, exact soil mix recipes, calendar timing, germination counts, transplant schedules, harvest timing, and observational outcomes. Quantitative results show a 21% higher germination rate in BD #500-treated spinach, with qualitative observations documenting improved stress tolerance and leaf quality. Limitations and confounding variables (soil amendments, hoop house conditions, calendar deviations) are explicitly acknowledged.

Abigail Porter’s “Sequential Spray of Biodynamic Preparations for Weather Extremes” provides a formalized protocol for sequential spraying under drought or excessive moisture conditions. The article specifies calendar selection, planetary considerations, spray order across multiple days, abbreviated sequences when conditions constrain timing, and cautions regarding unfavorable periods such as eclipses and lunar nodes. The method is presented explicitly as a balancing intervention, not weather control, and is grounded in repeated practitioner use since 1988.

Pat Frazier’s “Horsetail (BD #508) Frequently Asked Questions” and the accompanying fermented horsetail recipe provide explicit instructions for preparation making, fermentation duration, dilution ratios, application acreage, and comparative uses of fresh versus fermented versions. The article situates BD #508 within silica-based disease moderation and greenhouse applications, emphasizing its role within a holistic preparation system.

Articles

• Fellowship of the Preparation Makers Holds Meeting in  California, “Making Visible Formative Forces within  Substance” and Harvard Divinity School “The Spirit of  Sustainable Agriculture (H. Francis)  
• JPI 2015 Year in Review (P. Frazier)  
• “The Most Distant Reaches of the Universe” – Biodynamic  Practice April Through September (K. Davis-Brown) Silica:  FAQ-BD #501(Horn Silica) and BD #508 (Equisetum): When  to use and how to make (P. Frazier)  
• Anecdote’s-Horn Silica (A. Porter)  
• On Stirring BD #501 (K. Davis-Brown)  
• Using Horn Manure (BD #500) When Seeding &Transplanting,  A Pfeiffer Student Research Project (C. St. John)  
• Sequential Spray of Biodynamic Preparations to Balance  Weather Extremes (A. Porter)  
• New: Sequential Spray Kits 

Key Topics Covered

• Preparation quality evaluation through peer comparison and chromatography
• Institutional expansion and preparation production infrastructure
• Horn silica making burial storage and application protocols
• Failure modes and cautions in BD #501 use
• Large-scale stirring logistics and timing discipline
• Seasonal biodynamic practice across crops and livestock
• Student-led experimental research with BD #500
• Sequential spray protocols for moisture extremes
• Fermented horsetail preparation and application
• Standardization debates in large-scale preparation distribution

Citation

Applied Biodynamics, Issue No. 089, Josephine Porter Institute for Applied Biodynamics, Spring / Summer 2016.