Patricia Frazier, Introductions to Principles of Biodynamics in the Field

Biodynamics is the oldest form of organic agriculture. Established in 1924 in Eastern Europe during eight lectures over a 10-day period given by Rudolf Steiner, the methods of biodynamic agriculture were imparted to farmers of their time experiencing declining nutritional quality, crop yields, and seed vitality. Today, biodynamic food has entered the marketplace of established retailers such as Whole Foods, Amy’s Kitchen, and Lundberg Rice who are finding that customers are looking for higher nutritional quality and integrity of farming practices in the foods they choose. In this workshop, we will introduce participants to the three main principles of biodynamic farming and gardening, the farm as an organism, the influence of planetary and seasonal rhythms upon crop yields and keeping qualities and maintaining fertility and soil health utilizing the biodynamic preparations. This introduction will include practical application of all three of these principles on farms of multiple scales and crops, including diversified vegetables, pastured animals, medicinal herbs and flowers, and commodity crops such as grains.

Recorded at the 2017 Acres U.S.A. Conference, Columbus, Ohio, Wednesday, December 6, 2017.