Applied Biodynamics — Issue No. 102 (Winter 2021)

Issue No. 102 is a winter issue focused on inward rhythm, preparation making at scale, completion of a long-running educational series, and institutional reflection during a period of transition. The issue balances detailed documentation of preparation work with editorial retrospection and memorial acknowledgment.

Emily Sepulveda’s “Note From the Farm: Changing Leaves, Changing Rhythms” documents the seasonal transition at the Josephine Porter Institute from active harvesting to winter burial and rest. The article provides explicit quantities and materials handled during the autumn preparation season, including the stuffing and burial of approximately 2,000 cow horns, the filling of chamomile sausages and deer bladders for yarrow, burial of nettle, packing of dandelion in peritoneum, and placement of cow skulls filled with oak bark near a consistently moist riverbank. These activities are presented as a repeatable annual rhythm aligned with seasonal contraction rather than as symbolic gestures. The article also documents the role of Associative Contracts as a structural mechanism allowing preparation quality and continuity during winter months.

Clay Wesson’s “President’s Report” records institutional decision-making during the pandemic period, including the cancellation of in-person workshops, the shift to weekly board meetings, and a renewed emphasis on organizational foundations following the death of Hugh J. Courtney. The report situates these changes within stewardship obligations rather than crisis response and frames winter as a period for structural consolidation and planning rather than inactivity.

Abigail Porter’s “Heal Yourself, Heal Your Garden (Part 5): Oak” concludes the medicinal and preparation plant series with a detailed examination of white oak bark as the material basis for BD 505. The article specifies species selection, bark sourcing from pruned branches, calcium content, and the role of oak bark in moderating excessive etheric activity when added to compost. Medicinal and agricultural uses are carefully distinguished. Garden applications include decoctions for disease resistance under excessive moisture, seedling sprays, and incorporation of composted oak leaves into soil mixes. Harvest timing and preparation sequencing are referenced in relation to biodynamic calendars.

In “Ten Years: Reflections and Inspirations,” Porter provides a retrospective account of a decade of editorial work for Applied Biodynamics. The article documents interviews, research themes, and pedagogical continuity, with emphasis on repeatable preparation methods, comparative evaluation, and long-term learning rather than personal narrative expansion.

The issue includes “Make Your Plans for the 2022 Fellowship Conference in Ithaca, NY,” announcing dates, theme focus, and planned presentations centered on preparation making, evaluation, and research methods, including chromatography-based assessment of preparation quality.

The issue concludes with “Crossing the Threshold: Stephen Decater,” documenting Decater’s life, agricultural work at Live Power Community Farm, and commitment to draft-horse-powered farming. The memorial records lineage, practice, and continuity without extending interpretive claims.

Articles

• Note From the Farm: Changing Leaves, Changing Rhythms (E.  Sepulveda) 
• President’s Report (C. Wesson) 
• Heal Yourself, Heal Your Garden (Part 5): Oak (A. Porter)
• Ten Years: Reflections and Inspirations (A. Porter) Make Your Plans for the 2022 Fellowship Conference in Ithaca,  NY 
• Crossing the Threshold: Stephen Decater

Key Topics Covered

• Winter rhythms in biodynamic preparation making
• Quantified autumn burial and preparation activities
• Associative Contracts supporting preparation continuity
• Institutional governance during seasonal contraction
• White oak bark sourcing and BD 505 function
• Oak decoction use for moisture and disease management
• Completion of a decade-long educational series
• Planning for preparation-focused fellowship conference
• Memorial documentation of biodynamic practitioners

Citation

Applied Biodynamics, Issue No. 102, Josephine Porter Institute for Applied Biodynamics, Winter 2021