The word “BIODYNAMIC” comes from the Greek words bio which means life and dyn which means force. The word was coined in Europe in the late 1920's following Rudolf Steiner's Agriculture Course. The biodynamic method is a holistic, ecologically sensitive and ethical approach to farming, gardening, food production, nutrition and even life. It looks at the farm as a self-sustainable and living organism while focusing on farm vitality.
The cornerstone of Biodynamic agriculture is the promotion and cultivation of nutrient-rich soil which in turn produces nutrient-rich food. This is achieved by abandoning the harsh, often toxic chemical supported practices of large scale factory farming and replacing them with a collection of holistic practices such as consistent crop rotation, the planting of trees and shrubs within the farmland to create biodiversity, incorporating cover crops grown specifically to add nutrients back into the soil that will eliminate exposure and nutrient degradation in addition to the regular application of microbial rich compost to amend the soil.
It is important to understand that there is a fundamental difference between soil and dirt. Dirt simply describes a surface level substance while SOIL is a living organism made up of a diverse collection of natural elements which include fungi, organic materials and bacteria. Soil is naturally reoccurring and has been in creation since the beginning of time on earth and beyond. In a single handful of healthy soil there are more microbes than there are people on earth. It is a complete and self-sustaining ecosystem in and of itself.
On a biodynamic farm, planting and harvesting are structured around lunar and astrological rhythms that play a role in the life-cycle of the plants, in the same way that the lunar cycle affects the tides and vitality of the ocean. It looks beyond the traditional farming seasons of spring, summer, fall and winter and into the deeper nuances and cumulative effects of the forces that influence all life on our planet.
One of the most unique aspects of biodynamics is the use of herbal microbial “preparations” to facilitate a healthy soil ecosystem and sturdy crops. There are nine different types, all with different purposes, and advocates of the Biodynamic way of farming hold that the benefits of using these preparations (or “teas” as they’re sometimes called) is one of the key differences between Biodynamic farming and other methods of sustainable or regenerative practices.
By using all-organic compost and soil amendments, no-tillage practices, crop and grazing rotation, cover cropping and a focus on nurturing and enlivening the soil from the resources that we have on hand locally, Biodynamic farming practices not only produce better, more nutrient-rich food but also provides a path to recovery from a multitude of ecological crisis that we are facing today. It protects against soil degradation and the release of harmful carbon emissions into the air by sequestering the CO2 and reabsorbing it back into the ground where it is meant to be.
