Applied Biodynamics — Issue 021 (Fall 1997)

Issue 021 documents biodynamics as a disciplined method requiring training, careful observation, and willingness to test claims against measurable or at least clearly described outcomes.

“From the Editor” introduces the issue’s contributors and explicitly notes a recurring theme: elemental beings and nature spirits are presented as part of biodynamic agriculture’s conceptual field, while the issue simultaneously publishes practice-grounded reports and a laboratory analysis. “More Goings & Comings at JPI” records a work-study term in which Lloyd Nelson supported major preparation work (Barrel Compost using a Thun recipe and BD 500) and order processing, during the fall’s intensive preparation-making period. A “Thank You, Flower-Pickers” section lists named volunteers and the specific botanicals contributed for preparation making, clarifying that ingredient supply is distributed across regions. A conference announcement advertises a “Back to Basics” mini conference in Florida in January 1998, and the issue includes the standard preparations legend and mission statement.

“Interview with Master Gardening Teacher, Gunther Hauk” (Nick Franceschelli) is the issue’s longest piece and functions as a practical account of how biodynamic competence forms over time through apprenticeship, study, and repeated application. Hauk describes learning biodynamics in Germany through proximity to conscientious practitioners rather than through ideology. Key training sites include a Waldorf school garden in Stuttgart where erosion control on sloped beds required careful technical management, and the Talhof (“Valley Farm”) associated with Friedrich Sattler and Hilde Pfeiffer. Talhof is described as climatically marginal—late sun, early shade, frost possible in any month—yet still capable of successful production and animal quality outcomes, supported by long-term meteorological records and outside assessment that judged agriculture there “not possible.” Hauk repeatedly contrasts two modes of biodynamics: use as a price-premium label versus use as a method undertaken with study, reverence, and ongoing learning, including continued work with Steiner’s Agriculture Course.

The interview then shifts to structural and educational constraints in the United States. Hauk argues that biodynamics can expand, but public differentiation between organic and biodynamic is weak and requires sustained consumer education and networks. A specific example is offered: biodynamic oats are described as scarce in U.S. distribution compared to Europe, and the narrative presents availability as a network problem rather than a production impossibility. The interview also directly addresses method rigor in education. Children can participate in spraying if the work is organized and approached with appropriate attitude, but stirring is treated as a discipline requiring seriousness, selection of suitable students, and appropriate time of day. Hauk states that timing matters and indicates that late afternoon is more appropriate than early afternoon classroom slots. He also explicitly frames objective comparison as a research necessity, including the sacrifice of leaving some areas untreated so results can be evaluated against controls.

“Observations and Experiments: A Spectroscopic Analysis of BD Preparations #507 & #508” (Don Jensen) is the issue’s clearest example of an empirical, instrument-based approach to biodynamic materials. Jensen describes how interest in preparations arose from practical composting constraints and from observed effectiveness of Pfeiffer Compost Starter and Field Spray Concentrate in decomposition and green-manure work. The article then documents preparation extraction methods used for analysis. BD 507 extract is described as fermented valerian flower essence: flowers are packed tightly in a glass jar, covered with distilled water, left 7–10 days until fermentation begins, then solids are removed and the extract is bottled. BD 508 extract is described as a fermented horsetail infusion: slightly dried horsetail is placed in a one-gallon jar (about 10 ounces), filled with heated water, and fermented/extracted for 7–10 days. The samples are then analyzed in a chemistry laboratory using spectroscopic instrumentation directed by a computer program to quantify ten elements, including phosphorus and silicon. The article prints the resulting table (mg/L) and highlights surprises relative to expectations: in BD 507, potassium is high and phosphorus is lower than anticipated for a preparation often associated with phosphorus; in BD 508, phosphorus is extremely high relative to silicon, prompting speculation that sulfur and phosphorus levels may be relevant to the preparation’s observed fungal-prevention use. Jensen is explicit about limits: preparation-to-preparation variability, plant location and soil condition, and fermentation effects may alter elemental readings compared to simple extracts. The article is framed as a “cursory look” meant to stimulate better questions about whether foliar applications act through direct feeding, soil-plant signaling via the rhizosphere, or other mechanisms.

“BD Preps at Shepherd Hill Farm in Kentucky” (Alice Petty) contributes a field-scale observational account linking preparations to visible and behavioral indicators rather than abstract claims. Petty describes a mixed farm system (hens, sheep, cattle, a milk cow) and states that preparations were adopted after an initial period of organic farming. The article reports several observations treated as evidence prompts. Soil texture changes after repeated BD 500 or Barrel Compost spraying are described as visible and documentable. A key livestock observation is reported as time-sequenced: after Barrel Compost was sprayed on a portion of corn ground and also on a small pasture area where cows were resting, the cows later grazed only the sprayed area, described as if an “invisible fence” circled it. The farm also reports a longer-term behavioral shift in sheep movement: after years of preparation use, sheep are described as staying within treated ground boundaries and turning back from roads, while earlier years required constant retrieval due to fence breaches. The article notes additional on-farm uses such as occasional spraying of pig bedding and manure with BD 500 or Barrel Compost, while also acknowledging ambiguity in interpreting animal reactions because pigs already exhibit strong appetites and rooting behavior. The article’s methodological stance is observational and comparative: animals are treated as sensitive indicators, but the report remains framed as interpretation-in-progress rather than proof.

The issue’s book review section reinforces the editorial theme that biodynamics spans both method and worldview, while also including internal critique. Hugh Courtney reviews Marko Pogacnik’s Nature Spirits and Elemental Beings as a report grounded in the author’s claimed direct experience, describing Pogacnik’s approach as energy-form perception rather than Victorian imagery and emphasizing the book’s practical-experience basis. Woody Wodraska reviews Peter Tompkins’ The Secret Life of Nature as a wide-ranging synthesis attempting to assemble Steiner’s views on elemental beings and hierarchies, while explicitly criticizing the absence of bibliography or quotation references as a major scholarly limitation.

Articles

• Interview with Master Gardening Teacher, Gunther Hauk (N.  Franceschelli)  
• Observations and Experiments: A Spectroscopic Analysis of BD  Preparations #507 & #508 (D. Jensen)  
• BD Preps at Shepherd Hill Farm in Kentucky (A. Petty) 
• Book Reviews: Nature Spirits & Elemental Beings by M. Pogacnik (H. Courtney), The Secret Life of Nature by P. Tompkins (W.  Wodraska)  

Key Topics Covered

• Work study labor for Barrel Compost Thun recipe and BD 500 production at JPI
• Distributed botanical supply chain for preparation ingredients through named volunteer collections
• Biodynamic teaching model linking technical bed management erosion control and preparation use
• Talhof marginal frost valley farming used as a case of long term practical success under climatic constraint
• Commercial premium adoption versus method based biodynamic commitment and study
• Biodynamic market and distribution limits in the United States contrasted with European availability
• Educational protocol distinctions between spraying with children and disciplined stirring requirements
• Research requirement to leave untreated areas for objective comparison
• Extraction and fermentation method for BD 507 valerian flower essence
• Extraction and fermentation method for BD 508 horsetail infusion using heated water
• Spectroscopic element table mg per liter for BD 507 and BD 508 with stated cautions on interpretation
• Hypotheses about frost tolerance relating sap mineral sugar composition and phosphorus relationships
• Hypotheses about fungal pressure relating sulfur phosphorus and silicon organization in BD 508
• Pasture grazing preference observed after Barrel Compost application with delayed response timing
• Sheep boundary behavior reported as changed after farm scale preparation use
• Book review emphasis on nature spirits framing and critique of missing citations in Tompkins

Citation

Source: Applied Biodynamics, Issue 021, Josephine Porter Institute, 1997.