Applied Biodynamics — Issue 073 (Summer 2011)

Issue 073 is a large-scale systems and continuity issue, focused on how biodynamic principles operate under commercial acreage, how organizations navigate leadership change, and how knowledge is sustained through communal preparation work. The issue emphasizes rotation design, comparative field trials, operational constraints, and long-term observation.

The feature article, “Biodynamics in the Breadbasket: An Interview with Fred Kirschenmann,” by Hunter Francis, documents the management of one of the largest certified biodynamic farms in the United States. Kirschenmann describes deliberate downsizing to contiguous acreage (approximately 2,600 acres) to better realize the farm-as-organism principle. Roughly one thousand acres remain native prairie, managed as organic grazing land, while cropland is certified biodynamic. The decision not to apply preparations to undisturbed prairie is presented as a site-specific judgment based on ecological integrity and labor considerations.

The interview details rotation logic and crop sequencing developed through decades of experimentation in a short growing season. Rotations alternate cool- and warm-season crops, grassy and broadleaf species, shallow- and deep-rooted plants, and include legumes for nitrogen fixation. Specific multi-year rotation examples are provided, with green manure phases (yellow blossom sweet clover or alfalfa), compost incorporation, and crop substitutions driven by ecological pressure (e.g., GMO contamination risk in canola, bird pressure in sunflowers). Livestock integration centers on a cow/calf operation, with additional species managed as labor capacity allows.

Preparation use is described as standardized yet adaptive. The farm applies BD 500, BD 501, and compost preparations; BD 508 is not currently used. Compost rates are discussed comparatively (3 vs. 6 tons per acre), with no observed difference under certain conditions. Kirschenmann recounts controlled strip trials conducted with researcher Walter Goldstein to evaluate silica under drought conditions—comparing zero, single, and double applications—with no significant yield or quality differences observed in millet. A separate multi-year trial comparing organic management, organic plus compost, and organic plus compost with biodynamic preparations documented significantly larger root crowns where preparations were used, repeated over two seasons. The interview explicitly notes limits, unanswered questions, and decisions to continue practices based on cumulative soil improvement rather than single metrics.

The issue includes “JPI Executive Director Resigns,” a formal notice reporting the resignation of Shelley Goguen Hulbert effective May 6, 2011. The article maintains organizational transparency, acknowledges contributions, and signals continuity of mission during transition.

In “A Heart-Warming Gathering in the Cold of Winter,” Abigail Porter reports on the Fellowship of Preparation Makers Conference held in Ontario. The account documents hands-on preparation work, presentations emphasizing silica preparations, intergenerational participation, and governance of shared preparation knowledge. The report underscores the integration of practical work, cultural life, and peer exchange as essential to sustaining biodynamic competence. Material sharing (notably Biodynamic Compound Preparation) and post-conference application are described as experiential follow-through rather than experimental claims.

Across the issue, biodynamics is presented as a system tested through rotation design, comparative trials, and long-term soil development, sustained by institutions and communities that transmit skills through repeated practice.

Articles

• Biodynamics in the Breadbasket: An Interview with Fred Kirschenmann (H. Francis)  
• JPI Executive Director Resigns  
• A Heart-Warming Gathering in the Cold of Winter (A. Porter)

Key Topics Covered

• Large-scale biodynamic farming under continental conditions
• Farm-as-organism implemented through contiguous acreage
• Native prairie management decisions and certification scope
• Multi-year crop rotation design and ecological substitutions
• Integrated livestock within grain systems
• Comparative compost rate trials
• Controlled strip trials of silica under drought
• Root development comparisons with and without preparations
• Labor and logistics shaping preparation sourcing decisions
• Organizational leadership transition at JPI
• Community-based preparation making and knowledge transfer

Citation

Applied Biodynamics, Issue 073, Josephine Porter Institute for Applied Biodynamics, Summer 2011.