Applied Biodynamics — Issue 013 (Fall 1995)

Issue 013 (Fall 1995) advances a consistent editorial priority: biodynamics gains credibility through procedures that can be repeated, observations that can be recorded, and outcomes that can be judged in practical terms. The issue pairs an experienced practitioner’s long-view farm report with a direct call for better research habits, a technically specific clay-improvement protocol, and a nutrition article that treats food quality as inseparable from processing method.

“Interview with a Biodynamic Pioneer: Richard Okorn” by Nicholas Franceschelli is the issue’s anchor. Okorn’s farm in Missouri is presented as a diversified farm organism developed over decades, with most functions handled personally: milling grain, processing dairy, making and applying preparations, seed saving, fieldwork, and delivery. The interview documents a clear learning sequence: early interest in ecological agriculture, dissatisfaction with insecticide-centered entomology training, contact with biodynamic literature through Rosina Arndt, then deep study of Steiner’s Agriculture Course leading to independent preparation making. Okorn explicitly rejects reliance on simplified products early on, describing an attempt to question and reconcile compost-starter logic with Steiner’s indications before committing to it.

The interview provides concrete operational detail for preparation use. BD #500 is applied ahead of planting and incorporated through tillage; a welded tractor-mounted approach enables BD #500 spraying from a knapsack while a disk follows behind, reducing labor while preserving timing. BD #501 is used on plants rather than soil and is treated as a routine practice rather than an occasional special event. Compost preparations are inserted into compost piles, and re-insertion occurs when a pile sits too long before complete use. Preparation-making material supply is described as a long-term infrastructural problem solved over years: horns, herbs, and animal sheath materials are gradually brought on-farm; even valerian required multiple years before successful establishment.

Rotation and fertility development are described in audit-friendly steps. A recurring pattern is small grain followed by red clover (undersown), then hay, then clover seed, then corn or soybeans; periodic “rest” periods in unmanaged vegetation are used as a deliberate soil-rest strategy. Compost application is treated as a mechanical constraint problem: spreading is easier on settled ground, then plowing incorporates compost into the top layer, despite acknowledged compaction risk from repeated passes. Sweet clover is described as a powerful soil builder and is evaluated by long-lasting visible crop response in subsequent years, even when not harvested as feed. The interview also includes measurable quality reporting in practice language: wheat grown from saved seed is said to bake reliably without added gluten and is reported to have tested at a very high protein percentage, positioning “quality” as a functional performance outcome rather than a slogan.

Okorn’s BD #501 process is also described in procedural terms learned from Rosina Arndt: reducing crystals in a heavy cloth bag by pounding, then progressively grinding finer with mortar and pestle, then finer still on glass, then straining through cloth until the powder is extremely fine. The point is methodological: fineness is treated as a controllable variable.

“What Row Was It In ????” by Chris Stearn, Ph.D., reframes biodynamic practice as a research discipline. The piece uses humor to make a strict methodological demand: observation without records is unreliable, and memory tends to distort the “story” of a season. A garden journal is presented as the minimal tool for turning biodynamics into cumulative learning. The article provides a practical checklist of record targets: variety identity, planting dates, seed source quality, disease/insect resistance, preparation applications (including BD #501 frequency), rainfall, seasonal anomalies, and other context variables. The emphasis is not on producing scientific-looking data tables; sketches, brief notes, poems, or single-word records are positioned as legitimate observation carriers as long as they preserve truth across time.

“The Heart of Clay” by Dennis Klocek is the most technical and intensive protocol in the issue. Clay is defined as “heart” in soil when balanced, but heavy clay is described as functionally hostile: water stagnation, root rot, slow warming, and hydrophobic behavior when dry. The article proposes a systematic remediation strategy built from sequential “openings” (homeopathic/alchemical framing) that convert dense clay toward porous loam through repeated layered additions, fermentation, and rhythmic dilution steps. The procedure begins with mid-winter physical opening of clods and the application of powdered gypsum and a measured layer of peat moss, relying on rain to work materials in before spring tillage. A second technical stream is the preparation of potentized mineral additives: pulverized eggshell is triturated through repeated cycles to a 3x potency, optionally combined with basalt powder during trituration. This fine powder is then mixed into cow manure (with honey noted as a mixing aid), placed into a buried, open-ended small barrel, and treated with compost preparations #502–506 inserted into holes and BD #507 poured in, then fermented until the manure smell dissipates—creating a form of barrel compost intended as a soil drench catalyst.

A third stream prepares a kelp–alfalfa ferment concentrate, then uses a wheelbarrow-based steep to create a clear “tea” and an “essence” mixing method that rhythmically combines diluent with concentrate during a 20-minute stirring process designed to generate foam and bubbles as a physical sign of mixing dynamics. Application then becomes explicitly horticultural: double-digging cabbage beds by trenching, layering soaked alfalfa, peat moss, compost, spraying the mixture and trench soil with the prepared drench, and forking in soil. Mid-summer follow-up includes another drench and incorporation of additional compost into the bed’s top layer, plus continuous hay mulch to keep clay moist and cool. Observable endpoints are stated in biological indicators: high worm activity, abundant springtails, and the ability to grow large, sweet cabbage heads where previously only hard-to-manage weeds succeeded. The article is operationally demanding by design and treats labor intensity as the price of accelerated soil transformation.

“Fats in a Nutshell” by Betsy Cashen addresses food quality through handling and processing controls rather than dietary ideology. The article distinguishes oils protected inside seeds from oils extracted under industrial pressure, heat, or solvents, and warns that “efficiency” can trade away health potential through altered fat compounds and processing residues. Practical recommendations are given in the form of checkable behaviors: prefer essential fatty acids in whole-food form (seeds and nuts) and in oils labeled unrefined; store oils cool and dark; buffer sautéing temperatures using an oil–water method; dilute butter with olive oil to reduce reliance on less desirable fats; and avoid hydrogenated vegetable oils by reading ingredient lists. The article’s method focus is consistent with the issue theme: quality depends on process.

Key Topics Covered

• Long-term biodynamic farm organism management by a single operator with on-farm preparation making and seed saving 
• BD #500 application logistics using tractor and knapsack spraying integrated with disking and planting timing
• BD #501 applied to plants and produced through a multi-stage ultra-fine grinding and straining method
• Rotation pattern using small grains with red clover undersowing followed by hay and seed crops then corn or soybeans
• Sweet clover evaluated as a deep-root soil builder with multi-year visible crop response
• Compost application strategy emphasizing settled-ground spreading then plowing for incorporation
• Research discipline of garden journaling with checklists for varieties dates rainfall preparation use and outcomes
• Heavy clay remediation protocol using gypsum peat and systematic clod opening across seasons
• Eggshell and basalt trituration to 3x combined with manure fermentation and compost preparations to form barrel compost
• Kelp and alfalfa ferment concentrate developed into an essence via staged rhythmic dilution during stirring
• Double-digging cabbage beds with layered amendments sprayed drenches and continuous mulch to maintain clay moisture
• Oil quality evaluation through processing method and home handling controls for storage cooking and ingredient screening

Articles

• Interview with a Biodynamic Pioneer: Richard Okorn (N.  Franceschelli)  
• Fats in a Nutshell (E. Cashen)  
• What Row Was It In ???? (C. Stearn)
• The Heart of Clay (D.  Klocek)  

Citation

Source: Applied Biodynamics, Issue 013, Josephine Porter Institute, 1995.