Applied Biodynamics — Issue No. 107 (Spring 2023)

Issue No. 107 is organized around “living soil” as an applied reality expressed through on-farm preparation work, community-oriented biodynamic farming in Ecuador, microbe-focused compost practice evaluated by microscopy, and a philosophical framework that interprets biodynamics as an ethically grounded way of knowing rather than a doctrine. The issue moves across institutional operations, a travel-based farm case study, an experimental compost methodology, and an extended philosophical essay, with each article retaining its distinct function.

Ben Nommay’s “News From the Farm—A Spring Update” documents early-season work at JPI as the landscape transitions from winter observation to active propagation and infrastructure experimentation. The article records specific, repeatable actions: expanding the preparation herb area by dividing valerian, relocating yarrow from cattle access, and establishing nettle patches by transplanting rhizomes along the riverbank. It also documents a structured comparison trial: two new barrel compound pits placed adjacent to each other, with one fully buried and one half-buried, explicitly to observe whether maturation differs by burial depth. The article further records planned cattle integration, including an intended silvopasture system and seed-starting for future forage and human food (chestnuts, pawpaws, persimmons). An explicit intake protocol for plant material contributions is stated, including exclusions (hybrid, GMO, treated seed, invasive species, and plants toxic to pets and livestock). The operational stance is experimental and repeatable: interventions are described as specific changes with observable outcomes rather than as generalized “spring practices.” (Page 3)

Mary Maruca’s “Pilgrimage to Finca Sagrada” is a case study framed as a travel narrative, documenting how Walter Moora applies biodynamic practice in Vilcabamba, Ecuador while shifting farm purpose toward community governance and education. The article specifies that Finca Sagrada operates as biodynamic and organic, uses JPI-provided preparations, and sprays across the land multiple times each year. Labor structure is documented (international volunteers arriving for a month; two primary partners/employees with a ten-days-on, four-days-off rhythm). The article also records a concrete management change: Moora’s former preference for orderly rows is replaced by interwoven plantings favored by farm partners, with the reported outcome of increased pollinator presence and healthier soil microbes. Beyond agronomy, the article documents a governance experiment: transitioning land to a legal form facilitating community stewardship (including additional acreage purchased to support community development and shareholder leases for house building and site stewardship). Daily communal routines are operationally described, including shared meals three times a day announced by a conch shell and a posted task board. The Spirit House (“House of Original Thought”) is documented as a physical anchor for the farm’s community life and spiritual intent, including an operational constraint: maintaining a near-perpetual fire and keeping a stockpile of wood to support it. These are presented as lived practices embedded in community rhythms rather than abstract claims. (Pages 4–9)

Leisha Naja’s “Love is in the Earth: Raising Healthy Microbes” is the most explicitly experimental and measurement-oriented article in the issue. It describes a transition from plant-focused herbal medicine making to soil-microbe restoration after microscope assessment suggested a lack of microbial life in otherwise thriving gardens. The article documents enrollment in the Soil Food Web School, the formation of a “Soil Squad,” and a practical compost-making workflow oriented toward microbial community building rather than fertilization. The article specifies an evaluation method (microscopy) and operational monitoring indicators (temperature fluctuations, moisture content, smell, and visual cues) used to keep compost piles aerobic and to avoid anaerobic conditions associated with undesirable organisms. It describes intentionally designing compost inputs to support fungi in a semi-tropical environment dominated by bacteria, and explicitly references protozoa as a target trophic level supported by feeding strategies that encourage nutrient cycling. The process is framed as iterative and comparative: each compost pile differs, and soil testing across farms and gardens determines which piles best restore a given site’s soil food web. The article also documents an applied development plan for a broader project (Suelo Vivo / Living Ground), including proposed educational packages, microbe-centered gardens, and site negotiation/fundraising, while maintaining emphasis on hands-on compost practice as the foundational method. (Pages 10–14)

Max Leyf Treinen’s “Freedom, Love, and Goodness: A Further Look at Steiner’s Philosophy of Freedom (Part 1)” provides the interpretive frame for ethical individualism as a practical discipline rather than a belief system. The article defines freedom as coherence between action and reasons clarified through thinking, distinguishes motives imposed by character or circumstance from motives fostered through knowledge, and treats love as the principle that “calls” willing toward the good. While philosophical, the article is operational in its intended use: it frames inner development as a prerequisite for responsible action, implying that biodynamic practice requires repeatable clarity of motive rather than mere technical compliance. The article’s core function in this issue is to contextualize biodynamics as a way of knowing and living that must be enacted consciously, paralleling the issue’s repeated emphasis on observation, measurement (microscopy), and planned comparison (barrel compound pits). (Pages 15–17)

The back matter includes “Remembering Maria C. Linder”, documenting Linder’s role in transferring rights and formula for the Pfeiffer Compost Starter and Field Spray to JPI and describing her scientific mentorship and publication record. The issue also includes a set of ongoing activities and a specific request for dandelion blossoms, including a timing criterion for picking blossoms on the first day they open, in the morning, with a tight center. (Pages 17–18)

Articles

• News from the Farm (B. Nommay)
• Pilgrimage to Finca Sagrada (M. Maruca)
• Love is in the Earth: Raising Healthy Microbes (L. Naja)
• Freedom, Love, and Goodness:A Further Look at Steiner’s Philosophy of Freedom (Part 1) (M. Leyf Treinen)

Key Topics Covered

• Spring expansion of preparation herb beds through division transplantation and relocation
• Comparison trial of barrel compound pits by burial depth
• Cattle integration planning through silvopasture and on farm organ sourcing
• Biodynamic preparation spraying across multiple annual cycles at Finca Sagrada
• Intercropped field patterning linked to pollinator presence and soil microbial vitality
• Community governance model for biodynamic land stewardship in Ecuador
• Compost building for microbial restoration evaluated by microscope observation
• Aerobic compost monitoring using temperature moisture smell and visual indicators
• Fungi and protozoa support strategies in semi tropical compost systems
• Ethical individualism as a repeatable discipline for motive clarity in action
• Transfer and stewardship of Pfeiffer Compost Starter and Field Spray within JPI
• Dandelion blossom collection timing for BD 506 supply continuity

Citation

Applied Biodynamics, Issue No. 107, Josephine Porter Institute for Applied Biodynamics, Spring 2023.