Applied Biodynamics — Issue 036 (Spring 2002)

Issue 036 is organized around three major components: (1) a long-form interview with Hartmut von Jeetze that treats biodynamics as a discipline of workmanship, comparison, and trained judgment; (2) a field-level report on a nationwide preparation-making meeting in Copake, New York, focused on quality control and regional coordination; and (3) a set of book reviews selected for practical orientation—planting calendars and sky maps on one side, and a spiritually framed water-stewardship book on the other.

The issue opens with Nick Franceschelli’s interview with Hartmut von Jeetze, introduced with explicit emphasis on personal presence, moral seriousness, and a lifetime of agricultural observation rooted in Camphill communities and biodynamic work across multiple regions (Scotland, New York, Minnesota, Pennsylvania). Von Jeetze’s account is structured around biographical origin, comparative training, and method. He describes growing up in proximity to one of the first biodynamic farms in East Germany (near the Koberwitz region), and emphasizes that early impressions form motives long before conceptual understanding. A recurring theme is that biodynamic conviction should not be inherited as ideology; it should be earned by contrast and testing. Von Jeetze explicitly recounts choosing orthodox agricultural training to establish a base of comparison, and then interpreting biodynamic effectiveness through measurable farm realities: soil structure, erosion, earthworm presence, storage/keeping quality, and yield quality rather than mere tonnage.

The interview provides multiple operational and observational claims framed as lived examples. These include: early experience stirring BD 500 as a child and learning the discipline of vortex formation; the insistence that agriculture is fundamentally a “transportation business” (materials moved in sequence) demanding planning discipline; and the statement that the latitude for error in a growing season is small, so method and timeliness govern outcomes. Von Jeetze offers concrete comparative observations—chemical fertilizers producing crusting and erosion on conventional farms, contrasted with biodynamic systems showing improved tilth and biological activity. Several specific vignettes function as diagnostic demonstrations: comparison of silage compaction and runoff between conventional and biodynamic methods; a jar test mixing horsetail tea and lime water to illustrate silica–calcium polarity through visible precipitation; and side-by-side potato planting using biodynamically propagated seed stock versus purchased potatoes, with visibly different plant vigor and pest pressure. The interview repeatedly returns to trained observation, humility, and patience as safeguards against both credulity and rejection.

A second major article, Dana Pauly’s report on the “Preparation Making Meeting February 15–17, 2002,” documents a concrete organizational milestone: the first nationwide biodynamic gathering dedicated specifically to preparation-making experience and future strategy, held in Copake, New York, with at least forty-three participants representing farms and organizations across numerous states and Canada. The report is structured as a set of practical questions and coordination challenges rather than proclamations. Discussion topics include: required quantities of preparations, quality assurance, relationship between farm individuality and preparation making, sourcing herbs/sheaths/horns, appropriate forums for sharing experimentation, and the role of the Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association in making and distribution. The report highlights regionalization as a central strategy: regional groups shared efforts and constraints, planned follow-up meetings, and exchanged preparation samples. The meeting closes with an explicit gesture of appreciation to JPI’s historical preparation work, including the presentation to Hugh Courtney of a veil painting titled “Etheric Forms, Etheric Forces.”

The issue’s book reviews are not treated as general literary notices; they are selected as tools that train observation and responsibility. Hugh Courtney reviews Northern Star Calendar (Easter 2002–2003) as a planning and recordkeeping instrument emphasizing lunar passage, rainfall records, sunset sky charts, and the implications of differing constellation boundary systems, including Pacific Standard Time orientation and the absence of daylight-saving adjustment. Courtney also reviews Star and Planet Almanac 2002 as a practical, spiral-bound guide to naked-eye astronomy, using monthly charts at three time anchors (after sunset, midnight, before sunrise) to support reliable identification of constellations, bright stars, and planetary positions. Perry Clutts reviews The Holy Order of Water by William E. Marks as a motivational and spiritually framed call to water stewardship, summarizing the book’s combination of deterioration history, ethical imperatives, and references to figures such as Theodor Schwenk and Viktor Schauberger, alongside themes of “living water” and vortex dynamics.

Editorial notes and institutional items add operational context: JPI’s mission statement is printed; an executive director search is described as entering candidate interviews; and a biodynamic seed catalog notice (Turtle Tree Seed) is included as a practical resource pointer. The issue closes with a Rudolf Steiner quotation emphasizing field-walking knowledge verified through subsequent testing.

Articles

• An Interview with Hartmut von Jeetze (N. Franceschelli) 
• Preparation Making Meeting February 15–17, 2002 (D. Pauly)  
• Book Reviews: Northern Star Calendar Easter 2002–2003 Easter by B. Keats, Star and Planet Almanac 2002 Monthly Guide to  the Sky at Night by L. Bisterbosch (H. Courtney)
• The Holy Order of Water – Healing Earth’s Waters and  Ourselves by W. Marks (P. Clutts) 

Key Topics Covered

• Interview-based training in biodynamic judgment through comparison and testing
• Camphill community context and biodynamic agriculture as social practice
• BD 500 stirring discipline and trained observation as agricultural method
• Concrete demonstrations and comparisons: erosion, earthworms, silage behavior, storage quality
• Preparation-making coordination meeting (Copake, NY, Feb. 15–17, 2002) and national participation
• Quality assurance questions for preparations: quantities, sourcing, standards, and experimentation forums
• Regionalization strategy for preparation making and distribution logistics
• Book review: Northern Star Calendar as a lunar/weather recordkeeping and sky-observation tool
• Book review: Star and Planet Almanac as a structured guide to naked-eye astronomy
• Book review: The Holy Order of Water as water-stewardship motivation with spiritual framing
• JPI institutional updates: executive director search and mission emphasis

Citation

Source: Applied Biodynamics, Issue 036, Josephine Porter Institute, Spring 2002.