What did Jack McAndrew’s recorded 2017 protocol use for a 100-ton compost windrow?

The issue records organic cow manure with two 125-pound bales of organic alfalfa hay per ton of manure, about 10% soil, 10 units of Pfeiffer Compost Starter, and 10 complete BD 502–507 sets. McAndrew built 10-ton sections, watered each layer to wrung-out-sponge moisture, mixed and feathered the materials, rebuilt the windrow to about 75 × 9 × 5 feet, inserted one preparation set per 10 tons, sprayed BD 507 over the pile, and covered it with one foot of straw. This preserves the issue’s 2017 method; current applications should follow JPI’s current product directions.

How did Issue 092 scale the archived compost protocol to a one- to two-ton pile?

For a one- to two-ton pile, the issue recommends one complete unit of Pfeiffer Compost Starter and one complete set of BD 502–507 rather than fractional quantities. It describes an initial temperature of approximately 120–140°F followed by a decline toward body temperature through most of a roughly nine-month maturation. For present-day rates and placement, follow JPI’s current Starter and BD 502–507 instructions.

How does Issue 092 describe spiral pruning and its field response?

First observe the whole tree. In the lower section, remove right-leaning growth while circling right and moving upward; prune the middle third to half conventionally; then work through the crown with left-leaning growth while circling left. Pat Frazier summarized it as “right down low, left up high” and reported a cohesive orchard architecture, vigorous healthy growth, and a lush appearance in trees pruned by the method.

Applied Biodynamics archive

Applied Biodynamics — Issue 092 (Fall/Winter 2017–2018)

Q: What preparation rhythm did Redbyrd Orchard use for apples and cider fruit?

Redbyrd Orchard began with BD 500 as the trees emerged from dormancy, used BD 508 repeatedly during wet periods, prepared all sheep-bedding compost with BD 502–507, alternated finished compost and wood chips through orchard rows, and applied BD 507 during bloom when frost threatened. Eric Shatt described the harvested fruit as superior in quality for cider making, with bright acidity and distinctive regional character.

Issue 092 documents Jack McAndrew’s measurable biodynamic compost protocol, Redbyrd Orchard’s preparation rhythm for apples and cider, practical fall–winter field work, spiral-pruning observations, and community-scale biodynamic education and research.

30mh An Dùbhlachd 2025 Published by The Josephine Porter Institute Download PDF

Featured archival image for Applied Biodynamics — Issue 092 (Fall/Winter 2017–2018)

Issue 092 is a practice-rich guide to compost, orchard vitality, seasonal preparation work, and community learning. Its central feature records Jack McAndrew’s large-scale compost method in enough detail to reproduce, observe, and refine: material ratios, pile dimensions, moisture, temperature, preparation placement, and maturation time are all specified.

Read the original Fall/Winter 2017–2018 issue (PDF)

In “Jack McAndrew, Master Compost Maker” and “Farmer Jack’s Protocol for Making Compost,” Abigail Porter documents a 100-ton system built with organic cow manure, organic alfalfa hay, soil, Pfeiffer Compost Starter, and the biodynamic compost preparations. The working ratio is two 125-pound alfalfa bales per ton of manure, about 10% soil, 10 units of starter, and 10 compost-preparation sets per 100 tons. Ten-ton sections are layered, watered to the feel of a wrung-out sponge, mixed and feathered with a loader, then rebuilt into a windrow approximately 75 feet long, 9 feet wide, and 5 feet high. One compost-preparation set is inserted per 10 tons, BD 507 is sprayed over the pile, and a one-foot straw cover protects the finished windrow.

Archived method and current guidance: The article preserves McAndrew’s 2017 protocol. For present-day applications, follow JPI’s current product directions: one 1-ounce unit of Pfeiffer Compost Starter treats 1–1.5 tons, while one complete BD 502–507 set treats up to 15 tons; the current complete-set directions place half of stirred BD 507 in a sixth hole and spray the other half over the pile. See the current Starter instructions and current BD 502–507 instructions.

The protocol supplies clear checkpoints. A newly built pile rises to approximately 120–140°F, then remains near body temperature through most of a nine-month maturation. In McAndrew’s Mediterranean climate, with about 13 inches of annual rainfall, correct starting moisture and a generous straw cover allow the pile to mature without turning. The method scales down cleanly: a one- to two-ton pile receives one complete unit of Pfeiffer Compost Starter and one complete set of compost preparations. At One Gun Ranch, McAndrew produced as much as 500 tons a year; 250 raised beds measuring 3 by 20 feet each received two tons of finished compost.

“‘Inch by Inch, Row by Row,’ Jack McAndrew Speaks About Biodynamics” places the protocol within a longer farming discipline: build fertility patiently, observe the living response, and let repeated practice sharpen timing and judgment.

In “Wild Apples, Hard Cider, and Biodynamic Preparations,” Mike Biltonen interviews Eric Shatt of Redbyrd Orchard and Cidery. Across 14 acres on two parcels, Shatt begins the season with BD 500 as trees leave dormancy, uses BD 508 repeatedly in wet weather to support a balanced leaf environment, prepares all sheep-bedding compost with BD 502–507, alternates compost and wood chips through orchard rows, and applies BD 507 during bloom when frost threatens. His experience links a resilient orchard ecosystem with distinctive, bright cider fruit and a long-term movement toward a more self-contained farm organism.

“Fall and Winter Biodynamic Practices” organizes the quieter half of the year into a usable sequence. Hugo Erbe’s Harmonizing Preparation No. 9 accompanies Michaelmas or Thanksgiving; BD 500 or Pfeiffer Field and Garden Spray supports fall planting, cover-crop incorporation, compost application, and root activity; the issue’s Barrel Compost—the same preparation JPI calls Barrel Compound in the United States because U.S. rules regulate which products may be sold as “compost”—supports continuing soil biology; Pfeiffer Compost Starter or BD 502–507 prepares fall compost for spring use; Tree Paste follows leaf fall and accompanies late-winter pruning; seed burial spans the Holy Nights or the coldest winter period; and Three Kings Preparation is prepared across midnight on New Year’s Eve and sprayed along the property boundary late on Epiphany.

In “New Pruning Practices on the Western Slope,” Mary Maruca records a repeatable spiral-pruning sequence taught by Enzo Nastati: observe the whole tree; work upward through the lower section by removing right-leaning growth while circling right; treat the middle third to half conventionally by removing broken and crossing wood; then work through the crown by selecting left-leaning growth while circling left. Pat Frazier’s memory aid is “right down low, left up high.” In her mixed orchard, the spirals created a cohesive architecture, and trees pruned by this method responded with vigorous, healthy growth and a lush appearance. Lloyd Nelson applied the method to 300 apricot trees; the account reports that his dowsed vitality reading extended across an orchard ditch after pruning where it had stopped at the ditch beforehand.

“Viva La Vida Foundation: Biodynamic Education at the Foot of Lamborn Mountain” follows a 32-acre school-farm project near Paonia, Colorado. The initiative combines farmer education, farm-organism design, preparation research, USDA Extension-assisted field trials, dairy-fodder development, future laboratories, classrooms, and student housing. “JPI Hosts World Biodynamic Farming Day” documents a coordinated Whitsun weekend: participants made Barrel Compound, sprayed BD 500 and Barrel Compound in the evening, followed with BD 501 and BD 508 at dawn, and toured JPI, Riverstone Organic Farm, and Spikenard Farm Honeybee Sanctuary. Baseline soil samples on shared acreage were being tracked through standard soil measures, soil-food-web microbiology, and chromatograms.

The issue also records JPI farm improvements, preparation-maker coordination, leadership news, a memorial for Dr. Basil Williams, a review of Richard Thornton Smith’s Cosmos, Earth and Nutrition, and the annual fall workshop with Wali Via.

Articles

Jack McAndrew, Master Compost Maker — Abigail Porter
Farmer Jack’s Protocol for Making Compost — Abigail Porter
“Inch by Inch, Row by Row”: Jack McAndrew Speaks About Biodynamics — K. Moneymaker
Wild Apples, Hard Cider, and Biodynamic Preparations — Mike Biltonen interviews Eric Shatt
Fall and Winter Biodynamic Practices — Abigail Porter
New Pruning Practices on the Western Slope — Mary Maruca
Viva La Vida Foundation: Biodynamic Education at the Foot of Lamborn Mountain — Mary Maruca
JPI Hosts World Biodynamic Farming Day — Pat Frazier
In Memory of Dr. Basil Williams (1939–2017)
JPI News — Pat Frazier
Board Members Attend Fellowship of Preparation Makers Conference in Canada
Farm Improvements
Congratulations and Farewell to Cynthia Bowman
Welcome to Our Newest Board Member
Cosmos, Earth and Nutrition: The Biodynamic Approach to Agriculture — review by Mike Biltonen
JPI Annual Fall Workshop with Wali Via

Key Topics Covered

100-ton and one- to two-ton biodynamic compost recipes
Compost carbon–nitrogen balance, moisture, temperature, and maturation
Pfeiffer Compost Starter and BD 502–507 placement
Straw-covered, low-turn composting in a dry Mediterranean climate
BD 500, BD 508, and BD 507 in perennial orchard management
Sheep-bedding compost and orchard-row fertility cycling
Fruit quality, wild apples, and regional cider character
Michaelmas, Holy Nights, Epiphany, and winter field practices
Tree Paste, seed burial, and seasonal pest-pepper work
Spiral pruning from the lower tree through the crown
Farm-school design and extension-assisted field trials
Coordinated evening and dawn preparation sprays for World Biodynamic Farming Day