Biodynamic Certification

Highlights of Biodynamic® Agriculture

• Promotes the individuality of each farm or garden by minimizing outside inputs and “digesting” as many aspects of the land’s operation as possible back into the living organism.
  
  

• Operates on the fundamental insight that the soil is as important to the earth as blood is to the human being. The health of the soil is paramount to all Biodynamic® practices. Emphasis is on the living vitality of the soil through the creation of humus and related beneficial biological activity. This approach differs from simply adding corrective supplements to crops or land, whether or not these supplements are considered organic or chemical.
  
  

• Uses no chemically synthesized fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, fumigants, hormones, antibiotics, growth regulators or GMOs. Reliance on these synthetics reduces the ability of plants to absorb nutrients from the soil, leaving them susceptible to disease. Over time, these chemicals kill the soil and the environment.
  
  

• Employs a series of eight herbal-based preparations applied to the soil in order to promote soil vitality through increased microbiologic activity and diversity.
  
  

• Uses cover crops and companion plants to maximize the health of the farm or garden.

• Promotes pest control through soil management, Biodynamic® sprays and teas, crop rotations and diversification, and the encouragement of diverse animal, bird and insect populations that lead to self-regulating predator and prey relationships.
  
  

• Aligns garden and farming practices (planting, pruning, etc.) with the Earth’s natural cycles (lunar, seasonal) for maximum health and development of plants.

The Farm and Garden as Living Organisms

Biodynamic® Agriculture is based on the teachings of Rudolf Steiner, who first developed its principles in 1924. Since then it has been developed further by thousands of practitioners throughout the world. In its principles and practice, Biodynamic® Agriculture regards the earth as a living organism. Holistic procedures that take into account the life forces of the earth and the cosmos are employed to enhance the fertility of the soil.

For example, potentized medicines from animal, plant and mineral sources are regularly applied to the soil, plants and compost. Careful consideration of environmental and cosmological influences, such as the waxing and waning moon, are important aspects of the Biodynamic® approach. Most importantly, the Biodynamic® path demands that its practitioners work with inner methods of observing, understanding and healing all life forms that comprise the garden and farm.

Beyond economic or marketing objectives, the genuine goal of Biodynamic® agriculture is that each farm or garden become a living organism which breathes between Earth and Cosmos.

In summary, Biodynamic® agriculture is not simply about consuming the resources of the earth, but about healing and protecting the very life forces that sustain the Earth.