Happy New Year from our Rancho Almasomos family. We’re excited to share with you some of what is happening at the ranch this month. |
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Since our last newsletter, our biodynamic consultant Jim Fullmer has helped us implement some important biodynamic practices at Rancho Almasomos.
In biodynamics, we think of a farm as a living organism and there are a number of practices and principles to best cultivate and support the vitality of the whole farm.
One of the ways we do this is by creating “biodynamic preparations” or BPs. The nine BPs we use are a collection of concentrated organic matter, herbs, and minerals that function like probiotics for plants and soil. Made up of hundreds of thousands of microscopic bacteria and fungi, BPs play a vital role in ensuring a balanced and flourishing soil ecosystem. They act like tiny workers and break organic material down into healthy soil.
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This process enlivens otherwise dry and lifeless dirt and transforms it into nutrient-rich earth for growing plants and raising animals. The complementary relationship between the flora and fauna support and balance the ecosystem, which results in wholesome and nutritious food.
During his visit, Jim helped us make two BPs: preparation #500 and Barrel Compost. The liquid preparation #500 was sprayed onto all three of our agricultural fields and onto a handful of other proposed farming areas to start activating the soil back to life.
We are so excited to see our fields full of life again that sometimes Jim has to remind us that building a farm, especially a biodynamic farm, takes a great deal of effort, patience, and time. Only after doing these practices over a number of years will we get to see the full benefit of our efforts.
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We can only imagine how amazing it will be to see this ecosystem come back into balance! To pick fruit from our vibrant and diverse orchard! To eat a tortilla made from our own biodynamic corn! And to share that experience with our community and the world!
Yes, waiting is hard. But we believe it is so worth it.
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What are Biodynamic Preparations? |
Biodynamic preparations are natural substances that help bring concentrated healing and vitality to a farm and, therefore, to its produce and community. You can think of them as homeopathic remedies for the earth and plants. The use of these preparations has significant, positive impacts on soil fertility, valuable insect and microbe diversity, pest and disease suppression, and crop quality and yield.
There are nine BPs. They are separated into two groups: Compost preparations and Liquid preparations.
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Compost preparations
The compost BPs are comprised of six medicinal herbs and flowers— yarrow, chamomile, dandelion, and valerian flowers; stinging nettle leaf, and oak bark. Many of us are already familiar with the variety of benefits we humans get when we take these substances as supplements or teas. These same benefits extend to the earth.
The herbs are collected individually and put through a transformation process. They are exposed and connected to the earth, animals, and the cycle of the seasons that breaks them down into composted humus material.
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This humus contains billions of living microorganisms and becomes a potent source of nutrients for the plants and soil. When the process is complete, the humus material is mixed with wet dirt and is then placed in a compost pile.
Compost is a powerful and vital part of biodynamic farming because it is so rich in large quantities of beneficial and necessary nutrients for plants, like nitrogen and natural carbon. Compost improves moisture retention in soil, and it promotes healthy organism life. It even helps prevent soil erosion and is an overall excellent fertilizer.
Biodynamic compost preparations accelerate the composting process and promote the cultivation of bacteria and microorganisms that elevate regular compost into a superior growth medium.
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Liquid preparations
The liquid BPs are made from cow manure, silica, (ground up quartz crystals) and equisetum (also known as horsetail). These liquid sprays bring healing and vitality to the farm by enhancing communication and relationships between the soil and plants growing there — yes, they do talk to each other.
There is no light without dark, and vice versa. In biodynamics, both light and dark are equally useful and important to the balance of life — much like the idea of yin and yang. Preparation #500 and #501 (our two key liquid spray BPs) act as two equally important pieces of light and dark.
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BP #500, which is made from cow manure, represents the dark earthy element. It is used as a fertilizer and microbe activator to encourage the microbial life in the soil and farm ecosystem. The silica-based BP #501 acts as the light and airy element. It increases plant immunity to diseases, bolsters photosynthesis, and enhances the ripening of fruit.
The last of the liquid spray preparations we use is the BP known as horsetail tea. It helps prevent fungal diseases and balances out the watery elements in plants and soil, especially when the climate is too wet.
Each of the biodynamic spray and compost preparations helps facilitate plant participation in their dynamic relationship with the natural elements and the cosmos. The BPs support plants, even in times of trouble, by allowing them to access the full spectrum of nutrients they need to become more resilient.
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Our vision for Rancho Almasomos is always growing. Today, we are following our dreams in ways we didn’t even know existed yesterday. Still, every version of our vision for this magical place has always involved community. People like you will always be a central part of what we do here and why we are doing it. There are many ways we are planning to offer you a chance to participate in the future—from hosting public and private events and workshops to setting up a diverse number of other farm-based experiences.
One of our current initiatives to invite more people from the community to experience the ranch for themselves in an intimate way is to build a dedicated picnic area for families and friends to enjoy the grassy flats along our beautiful perennial, spring-fed creek.
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This is truly an exciting project for us because it means soon more of you, our amazing supportive community, will be able to come down to the ranch and enjoy a creek-side afternoon or evening. We are still working out the details, but if we're lucky, we’ll have more to say about it by early spring.
You can learn about future events and be privy to insider knowledge of developments at Rancho Almasomos every month in the Rancho Round-up newsletter. We hope you share our excitement for the things to come!
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If you received this edition of the Rancho Round-up from a friend, you can sign-up for our newsletter yourself with the button below. |
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"You will not be good teachers if you focus only on what you do and not upon who you are."
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A big welcome to 2023 from all of us at Rancho Almasomos. May all your New Year’s
resolutions come easily to fruition. Look for the next edition of the Rancho Round-Up newsletter in February.
For more ranch updates, follow us on Instagram at: @almasomos
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