What Is Biodynamic Farming?
Compiled & shared by- DR. RK SINGH, JAMSHEDPUR
Also known as biological dynamic agriculture or just biodynamics, biodynamic farming was developed from a series of lectures given in the 1920s by Rudolf Steiner, an Austrian philosopher, artist, and social reformer. (You may know him for his theories on education that led to the creation of the Waldorf schools.) Steiner had been concerned about the increasing industrialization of agriculture, including the use of pesticides and inorganic fertilizers, which he thought were degrading the food supply.
Since then, biodynamics has been an evolving agricultural management system that shares many similarities with organic practices (see below). It has been very popular in Europe and is becoming more widespread in the U.S. In fact, Whole Foods carries some biodynamic foods and it’s not too hard to find biodynamic wine.
However, it should be emphasized that Steiner was not a scientist, but rather a philosopher—and his lectures on farming included many fringe components regarding how to use “cosmic energy” and “land forces” to influence organic life on Earth. And there are numerous books, articles, and websites dealing with biodynamics that are hardly of a scientific nature.
In particular, preparation of the classic biodynamic compounds—which are said to harmonize and revitalize the soil as well as the people who consume the crops grown in it—involves “mystical” properties, namely packing cow manure or silica into cow horns that are buried for months before the contents are mixed with water and ritually applied in minute (homeopathic) quantities to the soil. Why cow horns? They are said to receive and focus the cosmic energy. Specific herbs are also packed into skulls, cow intestines, or deer bladders and buried before being prepared for the soil.
Also integral to biodynamic farming: It follows cosmic cycles. Crops are planted and harvested according to the biodynamic (lunar) calendar, which is based on the position of the moon, planets, and stars.
Despite its decidedly unscientific basis, biodynamics encompasses a philosophy that resonates with the sustainability movement increasingly popular today—that the farm is a living organism with plants, animals, soil and humans all working together for the benefit of the whole. The idea is that the farm is self-sufficient, with organic materials (such as manure) and water recycled—a “closed system” with little brought in from the outside.
How biodynamic farming compares with organic farming
Biodynamic farming incorporates many of the same practices used in organic farming—including a ban on synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, as well as GMOs(genetically modified organisms). One difference is the type of compost preparations used, though there is no evidence from well-designed peer-reviewed studies showing that biodynamic preparations improve soil and plant health beyond organic methods.
Like organic farms, biodynamic farms can be certified. Demeter USA (named after the Greek goddess of earth and harvest) certifies both producers and products that meet its requirements, which include having to adhere to the standards of the USDA’s National Organic Program. Thus, some farms may have both organic and biodynamic certification.
In several ways, biodynamic certification goes further. For example, it certifies the whole farm rather than individual fields or crops, uses different processing standards for different products (as opposed to a single set for all organic foods) and sets higher animal welfare standards. It also requires that 50 percent of livestock feed be grown on the farm (organic farms can source their feed from anywhere in the world) and that 10 percent of land be set aside for diversity. But the standards also include the fringe elements, such as requiring use of homeopathic preparations.
Bottom line: Biodynamics is a type of sustainable farming practice that is better for the environment and certainly for farmworkers (who are not exposed to any pesticides) than conventional farming—and perhaps even better in some ways than USDA-certified organic farming. But as with organic foods, there is no definitive evidence that foods produced this way are any healthier than conventional foods. Whether they are worth the extra cost, compared to conventional, is a personal choice.
| Preparation Biodynamic – Cow Horn Manure
Known as cow horn manure, preparation 500 is basically fermented cow dung. It is the basis for soil fertility, and the renewal of degraded soils. It is usually the first preparation used during the change over to the organic/biodynamic system. Preparation 500 is made by filling a cow’s horn with cow dung, and burying it in the soil during the cooler months – November through February. The cow horns usually come from a slaughter house where the buyer has to compete with the artisans who use cow horns for various crafts. The price has risen since the horns are known to have a value in agriculture. |
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| Only cow horns are used, not bull horns. The cow horn differs from a bull horn in that it has a series of calving rings at the base and has a solid tip.
The dung should be from a lactating cow which will bring in the calcium processes to the preparation. The cow should be fed with good quality fodder two days before filling the horns to ensure the dung is of good quality. |
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| The horns should be buried in a pit about 16-18 inches deep and covered with soil that has been enriched with good quality compost. Be careful not to allow weeds to grow on the pit as the weed roots can grow into the preparation and also avoid trees roots. | |
| The horns should be buried open end down so that they will not become water logged if the pit is over watered.
During the cooler months life breathes into the soil and the soil has the tendency to be full of growth energies, which energies are absorbed into the dung through the receptive nature of the horn. |
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| The pit should be kept cool by mulching with paddy straw or similar and shaded with a low thatching of coconut fronds.
The preparation when ready after 4 months should have turned into dark humus and should be sweet smelling. It should be stored in a cool place and in glazed pots or in glass jars surrounded by damp coir pith as an insulation. |
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| It is sprayed up to four times a year. The best times are in October and November and then again in February and March. It is important to apply in the late afternoon.
It is used in small quanitities at the rate of 25 grams in 13 litres of water per acre. It is stirred for one hour making a vortex or crater in one direction and then reversing the direction and making a vortex in the other direction. The stirred preparation can then be sprinkled with a whisk brush over the land. On larger areas a larger volume of liquid can be stirred in a 200 litre drum with a tripod supporting a stirring rod or with a Virbela flow form cascade mixing up to 500 litres and applied with a spray nozzle. Preparation 500 is sprayed at the descending phase of the moon. |
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| With regular application, preparation BD500 will give a soil all the characteristics needed to sustain a Living Soil.
Strong humus formation |
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