Biodynamic Farming: Unlock Fertile Fields with Cows and Compost
Drawing on the teachings of biodynamic pioneer Rudolf Steiner, organic farmer Jeff Poppen weaves together stories from his life spent in the Tennessee countryside with practical applications of biodynamic principles and the profound aspects of biodynamic methods that continue to contribute to the success of his farm.
Below is an excerpt from Barefoot Biodynamics: How Cows, Compost, and Community Support Us Understand Rudolf Steiner’s Course in Agriculture By Jeff PoppenIt has been adapted to the web.
The term “barefoot” in the title may seem misleading. The word appears nowhere else in the book, but it indicates my uncomplicated, practical approach.
Cows, compost and community are fundamental. A hundred years ago and long before, farming was learned through experience and was more or less “organic”. With the introduction of chemicals, a breath of common sense came Lectures by Rudolf Steiner on agriculture in 1924, recommending avoiding artificial fertilizers and instead relying on cows, compost, and classic methods.
The instinct to cultivate plants and animals lies dormant within us and can be awakened.
The advice given in the course, which Steiner called the Guiding Lines, became the foundation of our farm and is also the foundation of this book. Although Steiner’s esoteric ideas are fascinating, I have tried to make this book basic to read. I leave it to you to delve into Steiner, biodynamics, and your garden. You may or may not take off your shoes.
Upon returning home from his agricultural course, Steiner reported to his colleagues what had happened. Lectures began at eleven in the morning and lasted until one in the afternoon, followed by a midday meal and a walk around the grounds. About a hundred farmers and scientists attended. They then developed their farms and research based on the guidelines he had given them.
In the case of the agriculture course, the first thing we considered was to outline the conditions necessary for the development of the various branches of agriculture. Agriculture encompasses some very fascinating aspects—plant life, animal husbandry, forestry, horticulture, etc., but perhaps the most fascinating of all are the secrets of fertilization, which are very real and essential secrets… during the last few decades, the agricultural products on which our lives depend have been degraded at an extremely rapid rate.*
In Steiner’s time, “fertilization” referred to the way farmers fertilized the soil for growing crops.
He knew well what was causing the degeneration of agricultural products. These were the modern soluble artificial fertilizers. The secrets of fertilization to which he refers are living interactions of microorganisms in soil. The activity of bacteria, fungi and other microbes in soil, compost and manure is indeed real and essential, but at the time it was mysterious because so few people understood the interactions of microbes in the soil. Steiner, however, understood and could see the harmful effects of synthetic NPK (nitrogen/phosphorus/potassium) fertilizers on these microbes.
The importance of diverse, balanced microbial activities is now well established. We need our microbial partners in our stomachs and on our skin. Animals need them, plants need them, and the soil needs them. Their presence in the soil helps ensure robust plant growth. Immediate cessation of chemical fertilization and return to the employ of compost would turn degeneration into regeneration. Steiner understood the importance of manure and how to handle it. He grew up surrounded by farms that relied on manure to keep their fields fertile.