Applied Biodynamics — Issue 033 (Summer 2001)

Applied Biodynamics Issue 033 brings together JPI’s preparation-making work, Hugh Courtney’s plans for the institute’s future, Joseph A. Stevens’s account of Alex Podolinsky’s soil-building results, and a detailed proposal for using BD 507 valerian with finished compost.

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Courtney’s continuing preparation work

In “Michaelmas 2000 Revisited for Clarification,” Courtney explains that he remains committed to making the biodynamic preparations. His succession concern is the demanding executive and distribution work required to make the preparations broadly available while also operating a 109-acre farm. He invites JPI and the Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association to strengthen compensation, storage, staffing, finance, and national access so the preparation work can continue well into the future.

Stevens’s research and training vision

Joseph A. Stevens proposes that JPI grow as a center for preparation quality, research, and practical training modeled on Alex Podolinsky’s Australian work. Stevens cites Podolinsky’s published results of thirty inches of topsoil, including 12 percent organic matter in the top four inches, developed in six years using the biodynamic preparations, rock dust, and subsoil plowing. He presents disciplined experiments, careful observation, and clear communication of results as a strong path for expanding biodynamic agriculture.

Prepared valerian and finished compost

Stevens reads the German term Dünger as “fertilizer” and proposes applying BD 507 after BD 502–506 have brought the compost to a mature, colloidal state. In his account, prepared valerian activates phosphorus—the “light-bearing” substance—in finished compost and completes the sequence through which the first five preparations have structured the material. He encourages growers to try the sequence, record changes in soil depth and quality, and share what they observe.

Courtney likewise calls for practical work with the question and notes that Podolinsky’s Prepared 500 applies valerian to finished horn manure. For present-day pile use, follow JPI’s current BD 502–507 Compost Preparation instructions, which place half of the stirred BD 507 in a sixth hole and spray the other half over the pile.

Later phosphatase evidence

A 2003 Washington State University compost experiment reported by Jennifer R. Reeve gives a concrete phosphorus-related result for the complete BD 502–507 set. The treated compost showed higher alkaline-phosphatase activity than untreated compost at day 100 (p = 0.0085). At final sampling, untreated compost measured higher activity (p = 0.0171), documenting a time-specific response for the full preparation set, which includes BD 507.

June 2001 preparation-making seminar

The photo report follows fifteen participants from the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Guatemala through hands-on preparation work. They made Barrel Compound, examined unearthed BD 504 stinging nettle, wrapped BD 502 yarrow for summer exposure, harvested valerian, and learned nettle identification. The issue’s caption calls the preparation both Biodynamic Compound Preparation and Barrel Compost. They are the same preparation; JPI uses the name Barrel Compound for the U.S. product.

Book review

Christy Korrow recommends Tanis Helliwell’s Summer with the Leprechauns as an engaging account of cooperation between human beings, nature, and elemental life. The review connects the book’s theme of healing the earth with the biodynamic task of working consciously with the living world.

Articles

• Michaelmas 2000 Revisited for Clarification (H. J. Courtney)
• Letter to the Editor on JPI’s Future (J. A. Stevens)
• Preparations Making Seminar at JPI—June 2001
• New Insights on the Valerian Preparation—A Call to Examine Old Habits in Biodynamics (H. J. Courtney)
• Prepared Valerian: The Secret of Finished Compost (J. A. Stevens)
• Book Review: Summer with the Leprechauns (C. Korrow)

Key topics

JPI succession and national preparation access; Podolinsky’s reported soil-building results; prepared valerian and the phosphorus process in finished compost; practical biodynamic experimentation; the June 2001 preparation-making seminar; and Barrel Compound as the U.S. product name for the preparation also called Barrel Compost.

Explore related resources

BD 507 Valerian · BD 507 guide · BD 502–507 Compost Preparation Set · Barrel Compound · Alex Podolinsky’s Biodynamics: Agriculture of the Future

Citation

Source: Applied Biodynamics, Issue No. 33, Josephine Porter Institute for Applied Bio-Dynamics, Summer 2001.