Biodynamics

The essence of Biodynamic Agriculture is to view the farm as a living organism, a wholeness in which health is achieved the more one can provide what is needed for the farm, from the farm.

Biodynamic principles are based on the idea that each farm should aspire to become a self-contained organism, composed of interrelating “organs”, similar to the human body. Through the dynamic relationships of the soil, plants, animals, farmers and cosmos, a farm organism is woven together, creating a vibrant farm ecosystem.

Concerned over the declining health of the land, crops and animals from extractive science and chemical agriculture, farmers approached Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925). In response, he gave a series of lectures in Koberwitz, Silesia (now Poland) titled, “Spiritual Foundations for the Renewal of Agriculture,” (1924) which form the basis of Biodynamic Agriculture.

Spiritual insights were given to renew and enhance healthy farming practices, based on the idea that unseen forces act upon the material environment around us. Steiner believed that cultivating the land with an awareness of these forces was not only practical, but essential to revitalizing the farm landscape. Guidelines were given on how to make specific “preparations” from natural substances, to use as medicines to rejuvenate and restore the health of the Earth, and to help improve nutrition for human beings. To learn more about Biodynamics, please click here. 

At Threefold Community Farm, we aspire towards “for the farm, from the farm.” The closed-loop fertility cycle on which the farm nourishes and regenerates itself begins with large animals grazing the landscape, generating manure, which the farmers then transform into compost, and apply to the fields. The grazing animals have the genius to give in their manure exactly what is needed for our landscape, and offer their natural abilities in cultivating our soil for planting.

In the practice of seed-saving, we cultivate plants, from seed to seed, who have an intimate relationship to the micro-climate, soil-type and specific farm environment. The seed, a sensitive organ of the farm, carries stories, and generation after generation becomes more and more expressive of, and receptive to, the subtle, dynamic forces within and surrounding the Earth.