Applied Biodynamics — Issue 040 (Spring 2003)

Issue 040 presents biodynamics as a practice validated through repetition, procedural discipline, and visible transformation rather than abstraction. Across interviews, protocols, and reports, the issue consistently emphasizes doing, observing, and proving through outcome.

The issue opens with “Interview with Joe Francis” by Patricia Smith, a long-form oral history and technical account documenting over sixty years of biodynamic compost work in the United States. Francis describes managing a 300-acre East Texas ranch into his mid-80s, transforming severely depleted soils into biologically active pasture with dense earthworm populations and uniform grass cover. His method is singular and consistent: exclusive reliance on the Pfeiffer BD Compost Starter, used continuously since 1955. The interview details a repeatable compost-making protocol: three windrows, each approximately fifty feet long and containing about fifty tons of aged cow manure and hay; application rate of one unit of Compost Starter per ton; dilution into water and distribution during windrow construction; turning every seven days; and completion in a 21-day cycle. Francis explicitly frames this cycle as learned directly from Ehrenfried Pfeiffer, emphasizing seven-day rhythms as constructive biological cycles. The interview documents visible results—healthy cattle without antibiotics or hormones, persistent pasture fertility, and long-term compost reliability—and positions belief as secondary to proof established through decades of repetition.

“Seed Soaks with the Biodynamic Preparations” by Hugh Courtney reprints and condenses a practical seed-treatment guide previously published, explicitly framed as a response to repeated grower requests. The article provides crop-by-crop seed soak recommendations using specific biodynamic preparations, with handling instructions designed for replication. Two soaking methods are documented: full biodynamic stirring (BD 500 for one hour; BD 507 for 10–20 minutes), and a simplified method for small quantities using brief stirring followed by 20–24 hours of standing. Soak duration is constrained (generally 10–15 minutes), with explicit warnings against over-soaking legumes due to seed coat loss. The article specifies drying procedures, planting windows (within 24–48 hours), and storage viability of treated seed. It also clearly identifies knowledge gaps: preparations BD 501, BD 506, and BD 508 are largely absent from historical seed soak recommendations, and a single unreplicated corn trial using BD 501 and BD 506 is reported as promising but inconclusive. Sources are cited for further verification, reinforcing that the guide is procedural rather than definitive.

“2003 Biodynamic Preparation Conference” by Lloyd Nelson reports on a three-day national gathering of nearly forty preparation makers. The conference theme centers on how biodynamic preparations develop quality humus across varying soils and climates. The report documents structured knowledge exchange: regional reports, lectures on preparation use and renewal of agriculture, and working groups on making, storing, and applying BD 500 and BD 501. A central conclusion emerges repeatedly: biodynamic agriculture depends on decentralized, regional preparation-making rather than reliance on a single supplier. The report explicitly frames preparation making as a responsibility that strengthens human will and connection to land. Institutional transitions within biodynamic organizations are documented, alongside international concerns regarding future regulations affecting animal sheaths and preparation availability. The article positions JPI as a stabilizing institution ensuring preparation access while encouraging regional self-responsibility.

The issue concludes with book reviews that reinforce the issue’s applied orientation from different angles. Evolution’s End by Joseph Chilton Pearce is reviewed as a developmental and neurological critique of modern culture, emphasizing the consequences of disrupted bonding and inappropriate technological intervention. While not agricultural, the review situates human intelligence and nutrition as inseparable. The Woodchuck’s Guide to Gardening by Ron Krupp is reviewed as a practical, narrative-driven gardening manual that integrates biodynamic sensibility into everyday organic practice, emphasizing thrift, hand tools, seasonal rhythms, and reconnection with food production.

Taken together, Issue 040 reinforces a core editorial claim: biodynamics earns credibility through repeatable procedures, explicit constraints, and long-term observation across decades, not through novelty or theoretical defense.

Articles

• Interview with Joe Francis (P. Smith)
• Seed Soaks with the Biodynamic Preparations (H. Courtney)
• 2003 Biodynamic Preparation Conference (L. Nelson) 
• Book Reviews – Evolution’s End: Claiming the Potential of Our Intelligence by J. C. Pearce (M. Maruca)
• The Woodchuck’s  Guide to Gardening by R. Krupp (G.  Nottingham)  

Key Topics Covered

• Long-term compost regeneration using Pfeiffer BD Compost Starter
• Quantified compost windrow dimensions turning schedule and 21-day cycle
• Exclusive use of BD Compost Starter without other preparations
• Seed soak preparation protocols by crop with timing and failure warnings
• Simplified versus full stirring methods for small-scale seed treatment
• Drying planting and storage constraints for treated seed
• Acknowledged gaps in seed soak research requiring further trials
• Decentralized regional biodynamic preparation making as institutional goal
• Preparation conference focus on humus development and soil quality
• Human responsibility and will-strengthening through making preparations
• Organizational transitions within biodynamic institutions
• Book review critique of intelligence development and modern culture
• Practical gardening book integrating biodynamic sensibility without abstraction

Citation

Source: Applied Biodynamics, Issue 040, Josephine Porter Institute, Spring 2003.