Turning Sand Into Soil Urban Biodynamic...

HarvestSWINTER

2014 $8.50

Urban Biodynamic Journeys

Turning Sand Into Soil

Conference Reflections

Saving Your Own Vegetable Seeds

Vol.66-2. NZ Biodynamic Farming & Gardening

In this Issue

Editorial

What’s Stirring - Biodynamic News

The 2014 NZ Biodynamic Conference Report by Max Marriott.

How Can We Increase the Practice of Biodynamics in NZ? Conference Forum Report by Max Marriott.

A farmer’s amazing trip to New Zealand. Keynote

presenter Steffen Schneider reflects on their visit.

Some Observations of a Home GardenerMotueka gardener Anne Swann reports on the

astonishing changes to soil and plants she’s

witnessed under biodynamics.

How to Care for Horned CattleFarmers Margaret and Edwin Foord respond to the horned

cattle articles that featured in our previous issue.

Horned Debates David Wright recaps a discussion at this year’s Biodynamic

Conference on the management of horned cattle.

A Journey into DairyingLaura Beck reflects on the first year of her new adventure:

starting a small biodynamic raw dairy farm.

Turning Sand into Soil BD Council member Anne Dodds reflects on three

years at her coastal property in the Wairarapa.

Seed Saving A how-to guide from Waimate biodynamic

grower John Guthrie.

Meet a Member Matt Oliver and Lisa Blaker shared their biodynamic

experiences and thoughts with Niki Morrell.

Urban Biodynamic Journeys #1A late-blooming gardener dives in, wide-eyed.

By Rachel Devlin

Urban Biodynamic Journeys #2A career gardener finds her landscapes transforming.

By Vicki Stevenson

The Spirit of Winegrowing Inside the mind of New Zealand’s original biodynamic

winemaker. By Daniel Honan.

Botany Spot Comfrey. By Weleda gardener David Millin.

From the AssociationBooks available from the Association.

Harvests MarketsInformation on biodynamic products.

Association Information and Services

4

6

8

14

16

18

20

22

24

28

32

36

38

40

42

45

46

46

47

HarvestSMagazine of the Bio Dynamic

Farming and Gardening Association

in NZ, est 1939.

www.biodynamic.org.nz

©2014 Vol 66, No. 2, ISSN 1173-7042

Editors

Rebecca Reider, Max Marriott

[email protected]

Advertising Manager

Leah Wilson

[email protected]

Graphic Designer

Claire Flynn

[email protected]

Contributors

Tanya Batt, Wendy Tillman,

Max Marriott, Steffen Schneider,

Anne Swann, Margaret and Edwin

Foord, David Wright, Laura Beck,

Anne Dodds, David Millen,

John Guthrie, Rachel Devlin,

Vicki Stevenson, Niki Morrell,

Daniel Honan.

Front Cover Photo

Conference field trip, by Max Marriott

Association Office

Bio Dynamic Farming and Gardening

Association, PO Box 39045,

Wellington Mail Centre

Lower Hutt 5045

Ph. 04 589 5366

[email protected]

www.biodynamic.org.nz

facebook.com/

BiodynamicsNewZealand

Association Secretary

David Wright

[email protected]

Association Councillors

Anne Dodds, Bert Johnston,

Wendy Tillman, Max Marriott

Membership

Bio Dynamic Farming and Gardening

Association members receive

Harvests four times per year.

See page 5.

The Association exists to

guide, foster and safeguard

the biodynamic approach in

New Zealand. This involves

agriculture, horticulture,

forestry and animal

husbandry as indicated

by Rudolf Steiner. It is

affiliated with the General

Anthroposophical Society.

Statements expressed

in this magazine are

the responsibility of the

contributor or advertiser

for which the Association

accepts no responsibility.

Opinions do not necessarily

reflect the position or

policy of the Association.

Biodynamics is a generic

term under which individuals

are free to experiment as they

see fit. “Demeter certified”

biodynamic refers to an

internationally accepted

practice.

Advertising

We are very selective about

who we approach – and

who we accept – advertising

from for our magazine. The

advertisers you see here are

supporters of biodynamics,

whether you are a farmer,

gardener, consumer or just

plain curious. Please support

them and mention that you

saw their product or service

in Harvests.

Printer

MHP Auckland

Harvests is printed on

paper certified by the Forest

Stewardship Council.

WINTER 2014 | 3 2 | HARVESTS 66/2

105553

Editorial

Membership

Woven through this issue, there are various discussions

around the perennial theme of “how do we communicate

and sow biodynamics more widely?” This was the focus

of a forum session at the recent annual Biodynamic

Conference, and it shows up in multiple articles here,

with various opinions given.

As you may have noticed, with your own perceptive

and highly attuned biodynamic observational skills(!),

this magazine has taken on a new look this year. With

an upgraded design, we hope to both meet the needs of

current readers and attract new ones. This redesign gives

us a new opportunity to engage with the question: how do

we portray who we are? How do we reach the heart of the

matter, and the heart of the people? How do we do it not

90 years ago when Steiner first gave these teachings, but

now, in a society that’s barely even conscious of its own

widespread alienation between the world of spirit and

the world of growing our food?

When people ask me what biodynamics is, in the past

I’ve often gone straight to the cow horn explanation –

and as many of you have doubtless experienced

yourselves, highly dubious looks and raised eyebrows on

my interlocutor’s face have often ensued. But the practical

details don’t always tell the whole story. Our ancestors and

cultures throughout the world have had spiritual practices

to connect them to the miraculous process of cocreating

our food; even if we don’t have our own words for it, or

even written histories, that history lives in our bones.

And in reading the stories in this issue, I’ve sensed that

for many of us, biodynamics is one spiritual technology,

if you will, for coming back into that kind of relationship.

This issue of Harvests contains much accumulated

wisdom, and much of it comes to us through the writers’

personal stories. One theme I’ve noticed recurring

throughout is how for many of us, our individual spiritual

journeys interweave with our farming and gardening.

Anne Dodds talks about learning in an intense natural

environment “to work with the land, not against it.

Accepting its limitations, and your own, and above all

loving and respecting it.” Laura Beck writes about her

year setting up her small raw milk dairy farm as “a

massive lesson in faith and fear.” Vineyard manager Matt

Oliver describes his attraction to biodynamics: “As a

farmer, you’re expected to be science-based, neutral,

secular, independent… whereas this says you’re allowed

to use some spirit, to have some emotion, to feel some-

thing about your land, and it’s okay to use the evidence

of your eyes and feelings to make decisions with.”

Reading through this magazine I also find echoes of one of

our great teachers, John Ridout, in various articles written

by his past students. In the voices of these recent Taruna

students, I hear cow horn wisdom, but I also can sense

ripples of the heart-enthusiasm that shone through in

John’s attitude toward his students and the land.

How do we help more people step into that kind of

relationship? There’s no simple answer, because as any

good educator knows, we all learn in different ways. The

Buddha taught that there are 80,000 types of seekers, so

there are just as many paths to enlightenment!

Therefore it’s a pleasure to see so many strong personal

voices emerging in this magazine, giving teachings that are

inseparable from the truths of their own spirits. As we hear

the symphony of both commonalities and individualities, a

richer picture of biodynamics emerges. We’re working with

many complex cycles of the cosmos. But under it all, I hear

the rhythm of the heart.

Becoming a member of the Biodynamic Association is more than just a subscription to Harvests magazine...

You become part of a special community where biodynamic ideas are shared and biodynamic ideals are nurtured.

You have the opportunity to participate in relevant discussions that affect your food, your animals and your

environment. You have access to a myriad of different resources and, most importantly, the knowledge and spiritual

companionship of the membership.

Since 1939, the Bio Dynamic Farming and Gardening Association in New Zealand has campaigned for healthier and

more sustainable living through the practice and implementation of the biodynamic ethos.

Post: PO Box 39045, Wellington Mail Centre, Lower Hutt 5045

Phone: 04 589 5366 Email: [email protected] Website: www.biodynamic.org.nz

1 year commercial membership ($113) The Biodynamic Calendar ($31.50)*

1 year individual membership ($72) The Demeter Standards ($29.10)

1 year student membership ($36)

Membership Application Type: New / Renewal / Gift

Name: _________________________________________________________________________________

Address: _______________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________

Phone: ____________________________________ Fax: ______________________________________

Email: __________________________________________________________________________________

Payment Details: Cheque / EFT (please call the office) / On Invoice

*Note: Annual membership includes four issues of Harvests, the biodynamic calendar, member’s library catalogue and three resource guides: Using the Biodynamic Preparations, Towards an Understanding of the Biodynamic Preparations and Other Biodynamic Measures (all by Gita Krenek).

Membership to the Bio Dynamic Farming and Gardening Association: (including Harvests subscription)

- Rebecca Reider


What’s Stirring

Biodynamic Waiheke

Tanya Batt reports on a successful first workshop

In late April, I decided I would take the plunge and offer a

simple biodynamic workshop on Waiheke Island. Here on the

Awaawaroa Eco Village where I live, there are several people

using the biodynamic preps, including myself, and it being

time to put the 500 on, it seemed the perfect time to put out

a public call for ‘stirring friends’!

Fifteen people came along on the day to share, learn and get

their hands dirty. A welcome surprise attendee was Sumner

Burstyn, who has recently come to live on the Island. Sumner

was instrumental in the creation of Peter Proctor’s One Man,

One Cow, One Planet and Perfect Compost DVDs.

I had a sleepless night before the workshop, questioning my

own biodynamic knowledge base – was I qualified to run a

workshop? I pored over my various BD handbooks and Grasp

the Nettle, wondering what tricky questions I might have put

to me.

In encouragement to all those out there wondering the same

thing, let me assure you there is no greater way to learn than

to teach! In responding to people’s questions, I made all kinds

of discoveries about what I knew; and when I didn’t know, I

made space for not knowing, and encouraged people to make

The 2014 Council Award for Commitment and Service to Biodynamics in NZ

Awarded at the Biodynamic Conference in May 2014. Story by Wendy Tillman

The award this year went to someone whose commitment

to biodynamics and generosity in helping others within the

movement is truly inspirational.

He is a man who wears many hats – husband, father, grower,

businessman, exporter, educator, mentor, facilitator and friend.

He has been described as having the “patience and capacity

to cheerfully engage, while remembering clearly which

particular hat he is wearing at the time.”

With all of his commitments, time is a big sacrifice he makes

in his personal life for all of us; but lucky for us, he has the

constitution of an ox and will carry a very large workload.

Anyone who has worked with him will have received complex,

articulate but poorly punctuated emails sent at one in the

morning.

He has a succinct, often explicit way of expressing himself,

and there are a few quotes many have enjoyed – for example,

his reply when asked what 500 was, that it’s a ‘happy blanket

for your land.’

He is a joy to work with, perhaps because of his ability to

listen, to pull out the important aspects of a conversation,

to clarify and keep a group working well together by

acknowledging all input but keeping a clear picture of

the outcomes. He has great facilitation skills paired with a

dynamic personality, and is a natural leader.

His enjoyment of Steiner’s work comes from his appreciation

of what he sees as Steiner’s uncanny ability to get people

together, working on the same wavelength. He often talks

about the intent behind one’s actions, and feels Steiner was

using tools to get folks together. He warms to this concept as

much or even more than the intricacies of preparation usage,

ingredients and the like. For him, it is always the people that

make the difference.

As a grower, he has been Demeter certified for over ten years,

and has certified not just the produce, but the packhouse, the

processor and the final products. He and his wife pioneered

the export of Demeter-certified apples and opened the door

for others to follow. In doing this, they have shown that in an

export-driven country, biodynamic farming can be part of

the mainstream. His achievements present a clear picture of

how one grower can influence a number of properties and

businesses.

He is a go-to person within the NZ biodynamic movement.

Who do you go to when a new Councillor is needed? Who do

you go to when a new chairman is needed for the Association

or the Kete Ora? Who do you go to when Taruna needs a new

course leader or help managing the school? In each of these

cases, the movement has gone to him.

We are very fortunate to have this man as part of our

community, and also fortunate that he has an amazing and

supportive wife. This year, the Council award for commitment

and service to biodynamics in Aotearoa New Zealand goes to

a very deserving Erin Simpson.

their own enquiries. If anything, I believe Steiner’s teachings

encouraged curiosity and always left space for the mysterious.

In the course of the afternoon, we made a compost pile, put

down a cow pat pit and stirred and spread the 500. We have

also made plans to create a Waiheke biodynamic support hub.

A big thanks to all those who came attended.

Tanya’s cow pat pit – made f rom a local Waiheke wine bar rel . The beautiful handle was created by

wwoofer Matthias Schulz .

Er in Simpson with his award.

Biodynamic News

BD Online

The NZ Biodynamic Association has a new website

Check it out on www.biodynamic.org.nz

A motivated, confident person is sought to plan and facilitate the delivery of education on biodynamic

farming and gardening across the country. Great communication and networking skills are essential along

with the ability and desire to promote biodynamics to a wider audience. This will be for a fixed term, length

of the term depending on circumstances. Approx 15 hrs work per week, based from home or a suitable

complementary space. Travel will be required and a travel allowance is provided.

Applications close on 4 July 2014. For further information about the position and a job description please contact:

David Wright, Secretary BDA

PO Box 39045, Wellington Mail Centre, Lower Hutt 5045

Ph: 04 589 5366 | [email protected]

National Biodynamic Education Facilitator


CoNFERENCe

2014

The 2014 New Zealand Biodynamic Conference

Speakers shared a cornucopia of thought-provoking perspectives at this year’s annual biodynamic conference. The conference was held in Palmerston North, from Friday, May 23 until Sunday, May 25. Max Marriott reports.

The keynote speakers at this

year’s conference were Steffen

and Rachel Schneider, who had

come over from New York State

in the USA. They kicked off the

conference together, with an

overview of their Hawthorne

Valley Farm, which made for an

incredibly inspiring window into

a holistic biodynamic community,

encompassing a mixed farming

system (dairy, beef cattle, pigs,

chickens, vegetables, grains), artisan

food (bakery, creamery, kraut

cellar) and various learning centres

(apprenticeships, internships,

workshops, farm tours, farm camps).

You can visit their website at

www.hawthornevalleyfarm.org.

Our Moment in History

Steffen then followed this

introduction with a talk on the

second day, addressing the future of

biodynamics, 90 years after it began

with Steiner’s lectures at Koberwitz.

He covered a lot of content, but his

referencing of Otto Scharmer was

particularly insightful. Scharmer is

a senior lecturer in management

at MIT, a vice chair for one of the

committees of the World Economic

Forum, has published several books

Ph

oto

s: M

ax

Ma

rrio

ttP

ete

r B

ac

ch

us

lea

ds

a g

rou

p t

hro

ug

h W

ind

Riv

er

Org

an

ic F

arm


and consults for governments

and high profile clients from the

private sector. He also grew up

on a biodynamic farm.

In 2011, Scharmer gave a speech

in Berlin where he outlined three

global divides: the ecological

divide (1.5), the social divide (2.5)

and the spiritual divide (3.0). It was

these that Steffen paraphrased in

his Saturday morning session. The

numbers correspond to disturbing

factors. The first represents our

consumption: we live as if we have

1.5 planets at our disposal, resulting

in one third of our agricultural

land disappearing over the last 40

years. The social number relates

to poverty; 2.5 billion people live

in poverty, and despite concerted

efforts to remedy this in the past

few decades, this number has

remained relatively constant. Lastly,

the number 3 refers to the spiritual

or inner-self crisis, where three

times more people kill themselves,

than people who are killed in wars

or homicides. Schneider painted a

sombre picture when he said many

of those suicides were friends and

colleagues from the farming sector.

Steffen went on to talk about three

different types of agriculture:

Agriculture 1.0 – basic peasant

farming (still the most prevalent

form of agriculture in the world);

Agriculture 2.0 – industrialised/

commercial farming (production

at the cost of social and ecological

values); and Agriculture 3.0 –

holistic, thoughtful farming (the

farm “individuality,” collaboration,

putting “culture” back into

“agriculture”).

Many scientists now agree

that we are living in an age –

a new geological epoch – called

the Anthropocene. This term,

popularised by Nobel Prize

winning atmospheric chemist Paul

Crutzen, recognises the massive

(devastating) effect that humankind

has had on the planetary landscape

– enough to constitute a new

epoch for the planet, dating from

the Industrial Revolution in the

1800s, though the exact timing and

interpretation of the human impact

is the subject of much debate.

Community Supported Agriculture

On the back of those foundations,

Rachel Schneider and Frank van

Steensel went on to talk about their

experiences setting up one form of

local solution: CSAs (Community

Supported Agriculture). This

rapidly growing movement, mostly

feeding urban areas, has arisen in

response to people demanding

ethical, nourishing, fresh food “with

the farmer’s face on it.” There are

over 10,000 CSAs in the USA alone.

Rachel spoke in depth on how she

and Steffen built their CSA from

the ground up, collaborating with

neighbours and other farmers,

along with schools, to garner

their current membership of

300 “shareholders.”

Bringing in a New Zealand

perspective, Frank spoke about

the trials and tribulations of setting

up his CSA in the Wairarapa. His

members are mostly from the larger

population centre of Wellington

and most are not kiwis. (His slides

can be found at www.wefs.co.nz/

ecodynamics-publications under

“Presentations.”)

There were various specialty

sessions on the first day of the

conference, including dairy/

drystock, winegrowing and fruit/

vegetables, followed by two farm

visits: one to Wind River Organics

(dairy/drystock), and the other

to Woodhouse Farm Organics

(orchard/gardens).

Similar sets of sessions followed

on the second day: a discussion

about the roles of the biodynamic

preparations in the farm and garden

and using the biodynamic planting

calendar by Rachel Pomeroy;

integration of cattle by Steffen

Schneider and Colin Ross; bees in

biodynamic management by Dieter

Proebst; astronomical relationships

to weather forecasting by Peter

Bacchus; communicating with the

elemental world by Gill Goodison;

observations of plants and their

planetary signatures by Andrew

Seager; and three different sessions

by Glen Atkinson on energetic

activities in biodynamics.

Biodynamics in a Rational Culture

“A central question throughout the

conference was why biodynamics

has so little acceptance in New

Zealand and how can we educate

for better outcomes,” says Glen

Atkinson. “My presentations were

aimed at addressing both of those

questions.”

“Firstly we live in a rational culture

where the ‘no science, but it makes

good wine’ mantra turns people off.

I asked people, at my first session,

how many had read the Agriculture

Course and 75% had. However to

the question of who understood it,

there were no hands left up. Herein

lies the problem: how can we

expect to be taken seriously when

the answer to people’s questions

as to what biodynamics is and how

does it work is ‘we do not know’?

Belief just does not cut it anymore,

nor should it be acceptable.”

10 | HARVESTS 66/2 WINTER 2014 | 11

A Sense of Taste

There was also a milk tasting

organized by Peter Bacchus on

the Saturday afternoon. “The milk

tasting was included as an activity

because educating the sense of

taste is important for us to discern

good food,” he says. “It is important

for producers to enable them to

improve their growing methods and

to understand what their customers

may be expecting. Naturally

one cannot always taste before

one buys, but if one tastes and

discriminates after purchase, it can

guide one with the next purchase.

As well as having tasting education

at producer conferences, perhaps

it should also be included where

those attending are principally

consumers. While not everyone

correctly linked the milk to its

source, a significant number did.”

It’s never an easy undertaking to

organise a conference, and for

the last three or four years, the

responsibility of this event has fallen

solely on the shoulders of people

who have volunteered and put their

hands up. So a huge thank you to

Joanne and Glen Turner, Gill and

Peter Bacchus, Andrew Seager

and Helen Boleyn, who made it all

happen in 2014, in addition to the

key sponsors: Homeopathic Farm

Support, Ceres Organics, Agrisea,

Agrissentials, BD Max, Weleda and

Cyclone Soil Systems.

Helen and Stephen Boleyn were

also behind the food at the

conference – both sourcing it

and supplying it from their own

property. The food was almost

exclusively from organic and

biodynamic growers, as was

the wine. Ceres also donated a

significant portion of food and

were largely responsible for the

flights that saw Rachel and Steffen

Schneider fly over from the east

coast of the U.S.

It was a very successful, intellectual,

thought-provoking conference

that has hopefully impassioned yet

more people into action. Lef t. Peter Bacchus explains ef f luent cycling at Wind River Organic Farm

Right. Andrew Seager dur ing his workshop on plants and planetary signatures

Ensure what you buy is truly biodynamic. Look for the Demeter label.


A recurring theme was the way we talk about biodynamics; the language, manner and terminology. Some went so far as to consider rebranding biodynamics altogether, because of the stigma amongst some people who might automatically shut off.

“

This was the forum topic during the last session of the

Biodynamic Conference held in Palmerston North in

May. Association Secretary David Wright appointed the

facilitators, who then led small groups in a brainstorming

session, choosing the best three ideas to then present to

the larger cohort.

These sessions are a wonderful opportunity for conference

attendees to engage and meet people, in addition to an

exchange of ideas in an open and collaborative way.

The different backgrounds, angles and levels of experience

with biodynamics all make for a very diverse and dynamic

discussion. The groups were each allocated the name of

a fruit, and group members were allocated at random.

The following table shows, in brief, the top three ideas

from each group.

How Can We Increase the Practice of Biodynamics in New Zealand?

There were a number of people in attendance who were new

to biodynamics. One lady exclaimed, “I didn’t even know what

500 was prior to the conference,” so it was wonderful that

she was interested enough in biodynamics to attend and that

the conference catered for all levels of understanding. For

me, it was particularly interesting to hear these people speak,

because of their fresh outlook and personal journeys that

recently brought them to biodynamics. A recurring theme

was the way we talk about biodynamics; the language, manner

and terminology. Some went so far as to consider rebranding

biodynamics altogether, because of the stigma amongst some

people who might automatically shut off.

The idea of collaboration was big, no doubt propagated by

the talks given by Rachel and Steffen Schneider throughout

the conference, leveraging off the success and results they’ve

had at their Hawthorne Valley Farm in New York State. These

comments about collaboration came up in reference to all

facets of the biodynamic community, from ideas about small

growers teaming up, to connection with other like-minded

groups and communities, to core groups situated across

the country acting as satellite advocates for the Biodynamic

Association and its promotion/implementation of biodynamics.

The idea of flagship farms to showcase biodynamics was

another common thread.

For all those who weren’t in attendance, it’s time to put the

thinking cap on. There is a very real change going on in the

worldwide community right now, where people are becoming

more aware of their food, more aware of what they eat, more

aware of ethical farming and more spiritually connected.

Biodynamics has a great opportunity to play a big hand in

the next phase of green/responsible/ethical (call it what you

will) farming and consumerism. Have a think about what

you can do to help increase the practice of biodynamics

in New Zealand.

Group Idea One Idea Two Idea Three

Feijoa Open the farm to the

community

Involvement in schools Show don’t tell

Apple Find flagship farms and

gardens

Collaborating with smaller

growers

Normalise BD – connect with

other groups

Cherry Consider the language and

terminology

Connect with like-minded

communities

Promote health

Pear Tasting sessions with friends

and neighbours

Networking within

community

Sharing compost making

Banana Increase internet resources Reinvigorate core regional

groups

Create demand based on rural

or urban environments

Lemon Accessible showcase

operations

Free samples of BD preps Tools for education

Olive Support/mentor new/curious

members

Using networks to promote

and extend

Using workers and wwoofers

to extend networks

Melon Rebrand BD Local groups Asking people what they need

Avocado Introduce BD in schools Infiltrate into conventional

agriculture

Flagship products

Plum Build strong BD groups,

networks and relationships

Spend time with each other to

build BD relationships

Build relationships in the

wider organic community


I believe that the NZ Biodynamic Association could become the leader in promoting and growing the CSA movement in New Zealand. At their essential core, CSAs are almost perfect embodiments of a future-bearing agriculture – they practice sound farming and gardening, build true community and engender a new economic thinking, one that is based on conscious collaboration and not an anonymous marketplace.

the purpose of agriculture is not only to care for the land and grow health-giving food; it also needs to provide the foundation for the cultural and socioeconomic life of our societies by helping to build true communities.

“

“

Much gratitude and many thanks for the warm welcome

and the amazing and generous hospitality we experienced

everywhere Rachel and I went. A resounding thanks to all

of you that made this trip possible! So many memories

and reflections still reverberate; it will take some time to

fully digest and internalise them. But let me offer a few

thoughts that keep coming up now that we have returned

to Hawthorne Valley Farm.

Impressions of Aotearoa

In many ways one can experience New Zealand as a

microcosm within our global macrocosm. This is also

reflected in the present situation surrounding food and

agriculture, where we are facing many challenges and

also see much opportunity.

On our travels, Rachel and I felt able to experience

landscapes and topography that reflect almost all the

diverse ecosystems of our planet, within areas on

each island and between the two islands. One gets the

impression of a still elementally very alive land, majestic,

threatening, beautifully gentle, towering and stern, with

rolling hills, beautiful valleys, amazing lakes, steep and

socioeconomic life of our societies by helping to build

true communities.

I believe that this “multifunctionality” is an important

strand in the “DNA” of biodynamic agriculture as presented

by Rudolf Steiner in his Koberwitz lectures 90 years ago.

We were able to share with the participants our work at

Hawthorne Valley Farm and show how that has developed

over the years. Our farm is embedded in, and in many

ways grounds and centers, educational and cultural

activities as well as significant economic enterprises. We

are involved in value adding to farm products and direct

marketing. In these senses our farm has always been an

example of the possibility of “multifunctional” agriculture.

Another important signature of our time is the fact that

we, humans, have become the major driving geological

force. This is the reason our time in geologic history can

be designated as the “Anthropocene.” For the most part,

this fact is resulting in many destructive actions toward

our planet and each other. Today, though, it is within our

power to turn this to the positive and become true co-

evolutionary partners in the ongoing development of our

Mother Planet. The cultivation and practice of individual

mindfulness in the context of supporting communities

can help with this turnaround.

Opportunities for NZ

With this in the background, we perceive many amazing

opportunities for the future of agriculture in New Zealand.

We identified seven contributing factors listed below:

•Agricultureisstilladominantandaverypresentpart

of social life.

•NewZealandisanislandculture–theself-sustaining

quality is a natural tendency.

•Currenttourismisarealopportunityforgrowing

awareness about farm-to-table food culture.

•Alreadyexistingwwoofingopportunitiescouldbe

developed into a more structured apprentice training.

•Informalfoodsourcingconnectionsthroughbartering

and sharing could be developed into awareness-based

economic collaboration.

•Vineyardsarenaturalleadersinunderstandingand

appreciating food quality.

•Growexistingdirectcustomerrelationshipsbasedon

raw milk to include other foods, like meat, eggs and

vegetables.

New York farmers Steffen and Rachel Schneider were keynote presenters at this year’s Biodynamic Conference. Steffen reflects on their visit and on future opportunities for community-supported agriculture in New Zealand.

A farmer’s amazing trip to New Zealand

Stef fen Schneider at the conference.

I can imagine that New Zealand could become a showcase

for a local/regional resilient food culture based on strong

personal relationships and sound agricultural practices – a

true future-bearing “microcosm” of what is possible and

necessary to keep pushing positive change forward.

I believe that the NZ Biodynamic Association could

become the leader in promoting and growing the CSA

movement in New Zealand. At their essential core, CSAs

are almost perfect embodiments of a future-bearing

agriculture – they practice sound farming and gardening,

build true community and engender a new economic

thinking, one that is based on conscious collaboration

and not an anonymous marketplace. This could provide

the necessary counterpoint to the overly strong export

focus, by beginning to create strong and resilient local and

regional food cultures from the grass roots up.

Still, because of its unique climate and geography, New

Zealand will likely continue feeding many people in other

parts of the world.

We certainly hope wholeheartedly that many of the

relationships that were begun during our time in New

Zealand will grow and develop; so here’s to further and

future collaboration and exchange.

rocky mountains. Amidst the overwhelming beauty, we

also saw some scars on the land caused by overgrazing

and steep hillsides in danger of eroding due to the lack

of sufficient tree cover.

New Zealand’s agriculture itself is largely export-focused

commodity agribusiness, with a motto of the need to “feed

the world.” And yet everywhere seeds of an emerging

future are germinating and growing. We encountered

them as we visited biodynamic and organic farms,

vineyards and orchards, as well as markets and natural

food stores in many towns. This gave us the opportunity

to develop a context for the culmination of our trip,

when we participated in the annual conference of the

Biodynamic Association in Palmerston North.

The Multiple Purposes of Agriculture

Through our conference contributions, Rachel and I

focused largely on the “multifunctionality” of agriculture.

This term was coined in the IAASTD report on the state

of global agriculture, published by the UN in 2007. This

term expresses how critically important it is to put the

actual practice of agriculture, its techniques, into a larger

context. That means that the purpose of agriculture is not

only to care for the land and grow health-giving food; it

also needs to provide the foundation for the cultural and


Some Observations of a Home Gardener

I have been using biodynamic methods on my home gardens for over

30 years on four different properties. Over the course of that time,

I have noticed several things have noticeably changed after three to

four years of applying the preparations.

As I’m a home gardener and work full time, my garden has to fit around

the time I have to do it. So I am not always able to plant by the planting

calendar or do things at the recommended time. That said, I can still

see that even the little I do has an enormous effect on the garden.

I make two BD compost heaps a year using only what is available from

my home garden – one at Michaelmas and the other at Easter. I apply

500 twice a year for the first few years I am on the property, and then

once a year when I feel that the biodynamic method is really taking hold.

The main physical thing that stands out from my experience is the

change in the nature of the soil itself. All the properties were basically

classed as alluvial, but the soil on each of the four properties was very

different. The first property was very, very stony (to the extent where

the carrots bent to grow around the stones); the second property had

been used to grow tobacco commercially; the third had very dusty soil

with no body or life after having conventional home garden sprays and

fertilisers on it for years; and the fourth is in a subdivision that used to

be a swamp, with truckloads of Moutere clay dumped on it to create

a base for the houses. This clay was virtually impossible to dig to start

with, as previous owners had barked it down and sprayed to get rid

of the weeds.

Regardless of the original type of soil, however, I have noticed huge

changes as the BD preps and compost have been put on over the years.

Firstly, if the soil lacked body, it gained it and retained moisture better.

On the clay I have noticed the soil has lightened and become more

friable so it drains better. The soil has become a beautiful dark rich

loam with lots of body; it is easily cultivated and is much deeper than

before, as the roots are able to penetrate to a much greater depth.

As the preps started to have an effect on the soil, likewise they affected

the plants. My garden plants started to show strong healthy growth

which was neither the luxuriant growth of plants grown with artificial

fertiliser, nor the stunted growth of those without nutrition. I next

noticed that not only did the plants start to grow better, but they also

became healthier. Both of my last two gardens had a legacy of roses

Motueka gardener Anne Swann reports on the astonishing changes to soil and plants she’s witnessed under biodynamics.

that were spindly and covered in aphids. Once the soil

health improved, so did they, and after three years or so

I have had no further problems with aphids.

The next thing I noticed was the taste of the vegetables.

The bitter taste disappeared completely. They had a

much sweeter and individual taste – the carrots really

taste like carrots, and peas like peas. Interestingly, guests

who were staying commented on the wonderful taste

of the food. These people either did not know about BD,

or if they did, didn’t take it seriously, so it was a genuine

observation on their part.

Then there were the comments from the little

community who had lived in the neighbourhood for

many years before I moved into one of the properties

and started BD gardening. After I had been there three

years, several of them over the course of a few months

called on me separately to ask what I was doing, as they

had never seen growth like it. This came again from

people who had no knowledge of what I was doing;

it was just from their observation that something had

radically changed in the garden since I had moved in.

And lastly, there’s that indefinable ‘something’ that

comes from a biodynamic garden, a perceptible feeling

that there is abundant life everywhere, that all is well

in the garden – that it is being fed what it needs and

is quietly digesting it. There is also a feeling of peace

and harmony that I don’t experience in conventional

gardens, no matter how well kept.

There’s that indefinable ‘something’ that comes from a biodynamic garden, a perceptible feeling that there is abundant life everywhere, that all is well in the garden – that it is being fed what it needs and is quietly digesting it...

Ph

oto

s: A

nn

e S

wa

nn

Here are some before and af ter photos of my present garden for compar ison.

I was assured that absolutely nothing would grow in the area on the south side of the house when

I bought it , so I stored the BD compost I had brought with me here until the bins were built .

And this is what happened two years later.

The main physical thing that stands out from my experience is the change in the nature of the soil itself...

The northeast corner, before and af ter.

“

“


How to Care for Horned CattleFarmers Margaret and Edwin Foord respond to the horned cattle articles that featured in our previous issue.

We have been farming horned beef cattle for about ten

years, running 20 breeding cows plus replacements. We

leave the horns intact on our breeding cows. If the cows

are culled, they are dehorned by a vet (costs an average

of $50 per horn) and then sent to slaughter. All non-

replacement stock are dehorned at a young age.

The New Zealand large-scale dairying system asks a lot of

changes to be made to the innate behaviour of a cow, and

horns definitely complicate that. Horned milk cows will

horn other cows when they are grumpy. Although that can

be minimised by prompt, considerate and assertive friendly

handling, good shed design and treats such as feed during

milking, there will still be the odd horning. It’s inevitable

because of the close proximity required by milking shed

systems. We wonder if there is a case to be made for

biodynamic herds above the normal European size to

be non-horned, and/or an adapted version of Demeter

certification for NZ dehorned herds.

Temperament is the key factor in handling horned cattle;

this is a breed disposition and a learned behaviour. Choose

a breed that is placid, and handle them calmly. Our choice

is Welsh Black, but Hereford tend to be similarly placid. My

experience is that cattle with Angus or Continental breed

ancestry have explosive temperaments, and that dairy

crossbreds are more excitable.

Temple Grandin’s work is very informative on breed

temperament and general behaviour. Grandin focused

mostly on beef cattle when she compared breed

behaviour. Her books Humane Livestock Handling and

Animals in Translation have useful parts regarding cattle.

Another writer, Marthe Kiley-Worthington, has further

explored the capacity for large animals, including cattle,

to develop cooperative relationships with humans. This

concept may be of interest to biodynamic farmers, and the

book Exploding the Myths: Mammal Welfare, Handling

and Teaching is available through contacting Marthe.

Both of these authors actively consider what animals think

and feel, and Marthe especially has noticed how large

mammals are observant of and receptive to human body

language and voice. Voice is a key communicant to dairy

cows to dissuade them from horning. We have sometimes

stopped a horning here by telling the cow not to; it works

because these cows know us well.

Handling in the cattle yards is the main area of concern, as

the biggest danger to avoid is being trampled accidentally

by a cow that is dodging the horns of another. The yards

need to be larger with more pens, so cows are not so

tightly penned. Circular pens are best to avoid ‘corner

traps’ where a cow can’t escape being horned by another.

Horning in the race is avoided by putting dominant cows

up the race first, or putting a board or two between cattle

to stop one horning the next in front. When putting a cow

in the headbail in the race, the horns are helpful – the cow

slows down to fit her horns through, making it easier to

lock her head in.

Trucking cattle usually means packing them tightly into the

truck pens, so tightly that they cannot horn one another.

If they are to be loosely penned in the truck, choose cows

that get along; this requires knowing your cattle. Their

personalities are distinct, and you will soon know which

ones are friends or not!

Break feeding is another area where horns have an

influence. Breaks need to be bigger so non-dominant

cows get a share; competition for food increases horning

behaviour. Fights are seldom of duration with horned

cattle; the stoush is usually quickly over, and more time

is spent in running/avoiding conflict. Fights between

dehorned cattle tend to last longer. Either way, give them

plenty of room and get out of the way! Weight, strength

and attitude give dominance; horns may help but they

are not determinant.

We have not seen any of our cattle bleeding from horning.

The thicker hide of the Welsh Blacks may prevent this;

there have been swellings under the skin after a serious

horning, but not bloody wounds. Our cows have decent

horns. They are a good size for filling with cow manure

and turning into 500; not thickwalled and long like

Highland, nor short and stubby like Jerseys.

Our cows are beautiful, and the horns give them an

added grace and awareness. Standing in the field with

the cows, of a quiet evening in their companionship, can

bring about the strongest feeling of contentment that we

have experienced anywhere, a feeling of wellbeing that

somehow flows from cow and cosmos to us.

Brand new comfortable holiday accommodation on small working Bio-Dynamic farm in the rolling hills at the North West Coast of Tasmania. Close distance to many natural attractions and National Parks like Cradle Mountain/Lake St. Clair and The Tarkine.

Well equipped kitchen Spacious deck Outdoor barbeque Sleeps five Reverse cycle heat-pump Wheelchair access

Utes Cabin

‘

www.biodect.com/cabin.html


A good range of techniques for handling may be needed.

Sometimes one has to find a different approach. Good

design was a factor too, and the work of Temple Grandin

was mentioned.

Discussion moved to health and safety issues. Kate

McDonald said that she had conducted a number of health

and safety audits and one should start with what we want

to do. If the horn is critical for the operation, then we

need to look at what deaths or incidents have occurred

with horned cows. What are the emergency preparations?

What information is exchanged about what to do when?

How do we go about minimising harm? What are people’s

likely behaviours? We need to work out the building

blocks for this and record them, and record how we have

attended to them, for example in a diary. We have to find

ways to engage people in the safety management in any

work situation, and it is no different with horns. It has to

become second nature. These things need to be thought

through using all the available information, from statistics

from organisations such as ACC and WorkSafe NZ, to local

information. This discussion itself is a reasonable step

forward. Some of the things discussed, such as feeding

and handling, could be built into training.

The discussion did not reach any conclusions but did

produce a lively exchange of information.

Horned DebatesDavid Wright recaps a discussion at this year’s Biodynamic Conference on the management of horned cattle.

About 60 people gathered in the main conference room

on the second evening to discuss issues around horns

on cattle.

The discussion opened with mention that in biodynamic

agriculture, the horn is considered to be part of the cow’s

digestive system, and that for this reason international

Demeter standards require horns to be left on cattle,

though national Demeter certifiers (such as the Bio

Dynamic Farming and Gardening Association in NZ)

can give exemptions if they can be justified. While there

appear to be plenty of beef cattle carrying horns, there

appear to be very, very few horned dairy herds in New

Zealand. If horns are part of the digestive system, then

one might expect there to be differences in the milk.

Imaging methods such as chromatograms and sensitive

crystallisation suggest that there are differences, but the

nature of them is not yet clarified.

A speaker from the floor said that in the herd he worked

with, 10 percent of cows have horns and some take up

some time, but most do very little damage. He thought that

to have a fully horned herd there would need to be more

space in the yard, which means more infrastructure. Good

stockmanship and good feeding are also necessary, and

cows can be more aggressive if not fed well. Most farmers

prefer not to have to manage horns, and so would need

a premium for their produce to pay for the extra costs.

Another speaker said he’d had a small horned dairy

herd for many years and agreed. Not only would

horned cows need more yard space (maybe three

times as much in the yard although no more in the

pasture), but they’d also need an individual bale,

such as in an old style walk-through shed. Another

contributor suggested the need for about 10m2 per

cow. Cows sometimes poke each other and in

confined spaces they can do damage.

If the pecking order (rank) is well established, management

can be simpler. But there are particular conditions that

need attention. One is when the cows have calves. Another

is transporting them – for example to the run-off – which

stresses them and may require them to be packed in.

Generally there is a need to be careful and to avoid stress.

For example, use a holding paddock before milking so they

have a chance to get into their order. Raising calves on

cows helps keep them quiet and creates no problem when

they come into milk. The above speaker has found that

stock transporters will accept horned cows if they are by

themselves.

Another speaker said that he had run a 100-cow horned

herd and that it took a lot more time to get them into

the milking shed. He wondered if there were solutions in

selecting cows for calmness. Another said, yes, that he’d

observed that quiet cows generally have quiet calves.

A contributor spoke of difficulty in getting horned

cattle accepted by abattoirs, but another said he had

no difficulty.

Visitors can be a problem. One farmer had experienced

that visitors sometimes stand in the wrong place because

they don’t understand cows; another observed that

the herd tester had difficulty with his horned cattle.

A comment on this was that a particular cow that could

be placid towards people and could be aggressive towards

other cows, and vice versa.

A dairy farmer said that he thought that good handling

could overcome a lot of the problems with facilities, but

the right arrangements made things easier. In Poland

there are horned herds of 400 cows and they are generally

broken up into 100 cow sets. A large herd can be difficult

because cows are meeting others they don’t remember

and need to re-establish the rankings, which can cause

struggles and damage. Several people suggested that

research at Ruakura had confirmed this size, but another

speaker said he’d observed a herd of 280 cows where

the rankings were maintained without difficulty.


A Journey into Dairying

Laura Beck reflects on the first year of her new adventure: starting a small biodynamic raw dairy farm.

Last year I bought six in-calf heifers. I took on a nine

year lease for 22 hectares of dryland pasture on

the northwest corner of Banks Peninsula, built a

small dairy shed and yard, and started talking with my

community about their interest in drinking biodynamic

raw milk. It’s almost been a year, and now I milk eight

cows, have six young stock, six more in-calf heifers and

165 weekly customers. I know a bit more about concrete,

gravel, pumps, filters, accounting, and the joy of working

with animals and nature.

I started growing food as a response to climate change.

I wanted to know how to grow food in a changing climate

and how to feed my family and community. This impetus

hasn’t changed. Luckily I found that I really like growing

food for people, I adore working with animals and I love

learning how to work in and with nature.

I’ve been growing food now for eight years, but only had

a year’s past experience on dairy farms. I figured I knew

enough to ask the right questions and knew enough folk

to ask them of. Hopefully I’m right.

In setting up the farm, I did a significant amount of

thinking, planning and talking to people. But in practice

there has been so much to learn that I have had to let it

all just unfold and work with what presents itself first. It

has been a massive lesson in faith and fear. Having faith

that it will work and accepting the fear that it may not.

It has been a real challenge to trust in the hard work and

my choices. What has helped is my own internal feedback

loop that reliably reminds me that this is exactly what I

want to be doing.

It has been both thrilling and very hard to hold such a

project on my own. To do the bulk of the work and to be

able to make all the decisions is deeply rewarding, but

also deeply tiring. It’s only been able to happen because

of the incredible amount of support I’ve had from a whole

community of people – at least 40 family, friends and

strangers. I don’t know if that’s how all businesses begin

Ph

oto

s: L

au

ra B

ec

k

It has been a massive lesson in faith and fear.

“

and succeed, but it feels fitting that this farm is born from

such generosity of knowledge, time and energy.

I’ve learnt a lot of quick, hard lessons from my first season,

but was lucky to have a gentle summer that buffered some

of my mistakes, particularly around pasture management.

I found out that my 10 hectare milking platform is a lot to

manage with five cows, no mower and no irrigation. After

a perfect spring of good moisture and soil temperatures,

we received six weeks of no rain and hot weather. I hadn’t

been able to keep the grass cropped well, and most of it

quickly went to seed. Its quality reduced, meaning milk

production took a steep decrease.

Lef t. Mia and I

Top. Locals seeing how cows are milked

Middle. A formal ‘ family’ portrait

Bottom. Lua & Big Mama in the milk ing stalls

It is important to me that the farm has community connection, that the people who buy the milk have the opportunity to know and understand a bit about how the milk is produced.

“

Because my place was so small, the contractors weren’t

too fussed about cutting my five hectares of baleage

on time, so when I came to supplementing feed in

December, it made the cows happy but it also wasn’t of

reliable quality. From Christmas though we got some

unseasonably good rains which kept some paddocks green

and even growing, stabilising milk production. I was then

blessed with early autumn rains, all 870mm of it. This has

given the farm some beautiful grass growth that will see

the cows well into winter.

With the 870mm of rain came four large storms, three

lengthy power cuts, two flooded creeks and one broken

tank. In one of the worst storms, I had to cut myself out

twice from the nearby bay where I live (with help from a

friendly arborist), as pine trees had fallen across the road.

Then I had to cross the cows across a flooded creek to milk

them; the creek bed had been dry the day before. Now I

know better how the land and animals respond to such

conditions and what to do differently.

It is important to me that the farm has community

connection, that the people who buy the milk have the

opportunity to know and understand a bit about how the

milk is produced. I am really excited about the possibility

of the farm becoming part of the cultural life of the


Lef t. Bar rels for st ir r ing 500, and my newly dug cow pat pit

Top. This one is just very cute

Top Right. Par t of the milk ing platform, with Mount Herbert in the background

Bottom Right. The farm is in Orton Bradley Park , which is in Charter is Bay, Banks Peninsula . The park was created by Orton Bradley in the early 20th century, when he g if ted his farm to the people of New Zealand. Bradley was arguably one of the f irst sustainable farmers . His love of t rees can be seen in the number of large trees around the park .

community. To encourage this I put out a seasonal newsletter

and will be holding events on the farm. The farm is also open

for anyone to come and hang out with the animals or help

with a milking.

This spring I will be sowing more drought-resilient pasture to

help me better manage pasture quality. I’ve bought a Massey

Ferguson 178 to help manage spring growth with mowing and

will be applying more preparations and compost teas to help

get the soil humming.

I’ve always considered the dairy to be the cornerstone of the

farm, providing fertility and reliable income as building blocks

for diversifying. So, I will be turning in ¼ hectare for growing

vegetables, and am looking at bringing in some chickens to

run behind the cows for meat and eggs.

I’ve had a joyful, exciting and hard first year. The cows have

been very good to me, the calves are constantly delightful and

I’m excited about turning some more attention to enhancing

the soil and practising biodynamics.


Turning Sand into Soil

BD Council member Anne Dodds reflects on three years at her coastal property in the Wairarapa

When I describe myself to people who don’t know

anything about me, I usually say that I’m an organic

gardener who uses biodynamic practices and perma-

culture principles. We get a lot of visitors to the garden

from the Tora Coastal Walk; therefore I get an opportunity

to talk about my garden and biodynamics with a diverse

range of people.

I feel if I talk to enough people, it will help as many people

as possible become aware of biodynamics. Even if it

doesn’t become mainstream in the field of farming and

gardening, it would be wonderful if the majority of people

have at least heard about it and maybe even understand

it, because then it has a chance to be taken up by future

generations. If a greater number of the population are

aware, eventually you’ll have even more people start

practising it – power in numbers.

Feeding the Soil

When I first started at my property three years ago, the

most important job was establishment of a vegetable

garden. Because it was very new and there wasn’t a lot

of material for compost, we started with seaweed and

the rank grass that had been cleared. I experimented

with different seaweed infusions and extracts, rather than

brews, keeping them for 3-5 days and then using them to

water the plants. The seaweed came from the shore –

a short walk from the house – and we would collect fresh

samples at low tide rather than the material washed up by

storms. I played around with a couple of them; some were

more gelatinous than others, and I eventually settled on

one that seemed most effective.

We started brewing up fish guts (from my partner Ed’s

successful fishing trips) and various liquid manures,

including kelp and comfrey. I’d also collect the storm-

washed seaweed and local cow manure and then use what

we’d cleared from the land as inputs for compost. It started

the cycle of using and keeping the nutrients on the land.

It is very evident now, as I look at the soil, that we’ve begun to turn sand into a lovely loam with nice stable humus. It’s only taken three years.

Amazingly, when I got home and went into the garden, there were hundreds – maybe thousands – of ladybirds. They had come from somewhere – something had called – and they had responded.

It is very evident now, as I look at the soil, that we’ve begun

to turn sand into a lovely loam with nice stable humus. It’s

only taken three years, compared to my Northland clay-

based garden that took seven years. However, it’s also very

fragile, so I have to be gentle with it as the harsh climatic

conditions here would destroy it very quickly.

It’s got to the stage now where I have enough garden

plots that I can give some of them a rest. This year I’m

using plots of oats and mustard prior to planting my

potatoes in spring (I’ve heard that mustard helps with the

ground grubs that attack root crops), along with lupins as

a precursor for heavier feeding crops.

I do most of my composting in rotation around the

garden, in situ. I find that works really well, because

you’re intensifying what’s happening in the soil below

the compost. I did a lovely experiment where I had built

a compost right at the end of a garden bed and was

desperate for space, so I kept rolling it over and adding to

it. I rolled the compost over four or five times, each time

planting directly into the compost. It really transformed

the worst of the sand beds. Now, that bed is silky, light

and fluffy.

I’ve got a couple of worm farms which struggle a bit,

because of insufficient shade, but I’m hoping to pursue

this again. When the worm farms are working, I use the

juice and add it whenever I’m giving things a liquid feed.

Bringing Bugs into Balance

When it comes to pest control, I am a big fan of biological

agents, where I think the intent helps a great deal. I had

an experience recently that drove this home, even when

I wasn’t conscious of what I was up to. At the time we

were experiencing unseasonably hot weather. I had

sown some carrots and parsnips that were growing and

seemingly doing well. But I went out one day and they

were absolutely covered in a grey aphid – you could

almost hear the plants screaming, weighed down by this

terrible burden. I was flabbergasted. But I couldn’t do

anything because I had to go away for three or four days.

Amazingly, when I got home and went into the garden,

there were hundreds – maybe thousands – of ladybirds.

They had come from somewhere – something had called

– and they had responded. They gobbled up all the aphids,

and then they left. I believe there was a calling by the

plants for help; there had to be higher energies working.

Later on, I had a terrible problem with white fly in the

greenhouse, and I actually brought in the Encarsia formosa

wasp, which parasitises the third and fourth stage of the

white fly nymph. You can buy them from Bioforce. I call it

biological warfare when I talk with the kids at the school

– using other mechanisms to control pests. At first, I didn’t

have the numbers of the Encarsia; the white fly burden was

too great, I’d got them in too late. So I gave up and pulled

the bulk of the tomato plants out, but I left four plants in

there that hadn’t seemed to have suffered quite as badly.

What I discovered one day, when I went out at dusk, was

the Encarsia hatching out of the white fly nymph. It was an

amazing experience. Then they kept on hatching and the

cycle was in place; the white fly population plummeted. To

ensure I kept them there, I left things to flower, so that the

adult Encarsia could feed off the nectar and survive. It’s not

just about having a population that can kill or parasitise the

white fly, but you have to provide food for them too. And

I’m hoping that I can attract other biological controls so

that the garden is balanced.

Working with the Preps

As far as the biodynamic preparations are concerned,

I found it was a bit of a struggle in the beginning to get the

500 on – a mental hurdle as much as anything. The first

year I got one lot on, then a couple in the second year, and

now in the past year I’ve made sequential applications of

500 and 501 at moon opposition Saturn, as well as just 500

at times that it was not suitable to use the 501. I have also

made CPP (Cow Pat Pit) and use the compost preps in our

liquid brews and composts.

I’m making my own 500 and CPP. I brought the horns

with me from my previous property, and I joined with my

friends the Atkinsons to bury a couple thousand horns at

their property in the Wairarapa. I brought my horns home

and buried them here, so I am now using 500 that has

been buried with the influence of this place. I have about

25-30 horns, and although I haven’t tried capping with clay

yet, it is something that I am very interested in, as I want to

Wil

d N

ati

ve

sP

ho

tos:

An

ne

Do

dd

s

“

“


see how it works with the sandy soil. I suspect it will be

a good thing.

For the CPP I source basalt from a place in Hawke's Bay

(which John Ridout put me onto), and the eggshells from

neighbours who have free range chickens. I source the 501

and compost preps from the Biodynamic Association, as

I feel it’s important to support the Association.

Cosmic Rhythms

I have been asked what I do when it comes to using the

biodynamic calendar. For seed sowing, I use 48 hours

before full moon for very difficult seeds like carrots and

parsnips. I do that on a pretty much monthly basis so that

I have a succession of crops maturing – except when

the weather is not appropriate in the winter months and

the heat of summer. I also use 48 hours before moon

opposition Saturn, for my greens especially, which are

more susceptible to fungus and so forth.

If I miss the best seed sowing day on the calendar, because

I’m away, busy or whatever, I will still sow on alternative

days, because I just need to do it. However, I also ensure

that I take into account the weather at the time as well.

What aspect of the rhythms that I adhere to, depends on

what I’m doing. If I’m wanting to bring the watery element

in, because it’s very dry, then working at full moon is going

to give better access to moisture.

I use the ascending/descending rhythms for the

appropriate activities. For instance, if I’m just doing a

501 for enhancing fruit ripeness, or prior to harvest, etc.,

then I would use an ascending moon on the appropriate

constellation; but when I’m doing my main 501s it’s really

been for plant health, and I’ll do them as a synergistic

pairing with the 500. If I’m doing my 500 spread and I can

do it on an earth day with a descending moon, I will, but

I’ll do it any other day if it doesn’t fit.

The overriding principle I use if I can’t do something at the

optimum time, is that you still just have to do it. I love John

Ridout’s quote – “you can’t let the perfect become the

enemy of the good.”

The vegetable garden is now at a stage where we are

pretty much self-sufficient, which was the original goal. But

the garden’s not just about the food. There’s food for the

body, and there’s food for the soul. So I love to have colour

in the garden, and I have some flower beds that make the

environment warm and colourful.

I’ve also got a large area in the front of the house that’s

open to the sea and the environment, and I’ve tried

to reflect the wider environment in that garden. It’s

predominantly natives, planted in such a manner that

should the garden go wild – and it may happen one day

when we leave – it should blend right back into the natural

environment. It’s about putting them together in a way that

is pleasing and works with the lay of the land.

Establishing the garden here is an amazing experience.

People struggle to believe that it could be done; but the

important thing about working in a wild environment as

we have here on the South Wairarapa coast is to work with

the land, not against it. Accepting its limitations, and your

own, and above all loving and respecting it.

The overriding principle I use if I can’t do something at the optimum time, is that you still just have to do it. I love John Ridout’s quote – “you can’t let the perfect become the enemy of the good”.

•NeemInsecticide(CertifiedOrganic)•NeemGranules(CertifiedOrganic)•LiquidFertiliser(Organic)

www.greentrading.co.nz•[email protected]•GlenEden•Auckland0641

Year Two

Year One Year Three

Red Chard


SAVING YOUR OWN VEGETABLE SEEDS

A how-to guide from Waimate biodynamic grower John Guthrie

Why save seeds? Over the last several decades, old varieties of open

pollinated vegetable seeds have been replaced by new

and often hybrid varieties. Most of our seed production

now is concentrated in the hands of a few multinational

corporations. The Dutch and the Japanese have large

interests in this area. Increasingly, though, in the last

decade the chemical giants of the USA and Europe have

bought up many seed companies throughout the world,

so that now they control much of the world’s seed

production. When one looks at the ethos of genetic

modification, the reasons become clear to the inquiring

mind. Very little seed is now grown commercially in

New Zealand for home use.

Seed SourcesWhen saving seed, you’ll want to grow only open pollinated (i.e. non-hybrid) varieties to breed from. In New Zealand, Ecoseeds and Koanga Institute are good sources of these. There are also local seed savers’ networks operating in various parts of the country.

If you were to read some of the gardening books from the

late 19th century, you would realise that not only was the

variety of vegetables quite extensive, but that most seed

was selected and produced if not locally, then at least

regionally or nationally.

Control of a seed source gives political and social power

that can be misused to control the production of food.

It takes power away from the grassroots population, and

nowhere is this more evident than in some so-called

developing countries where hybrids and GM seeds have

replaced traditional varieties.

Ph

oto

: C

lair

e F

lyn

n

cob. Do not use those that are not well formed. Dry the

cobs further indoors in a dry climate, preferably in a heated

room or close to a fire, but not in direct heat or sunlight.

I have been told that Maori gardeners on the East Cape

only took the seed from the centre of the cob to sow. But

I have never had any verification of this.

Lettuce

Choose a variety you wish to keep. In our climate, I have

needed to sow the original seed early in the growing

season, i.e. August. Transplant at least six plants (probably

at the end of September or early October), and when they

are mature, select one or two to save for seed. Choose

those which show no tendency to “bolt” early. As these

plants begin to go to seed, they may need staking.

Lettuce flowers are very small and indiscreet. Do not be

in too much of a hurry to harvest the seeds. The down of

the flower really needs to be ready and falling so that you

can see the seed contained within the seed head. Though

some will inevitably fall to the ground, you will end up with

a lot of down and little seed if you harvest too early.

Garlic

I refer here to the annual garlic which we have been

growing for 30 years. It is often called a Spanish garlic. As

it grows, this garlic develops a hard central stem. Atop the

stem grows a seed head that contains little bulbs of garlic.

In the ground, the actual garlic bulb waits to be picked.

You can plant the cloves of garlic from the underground

bulbs, or the little bulbs from the seed head, and both will

produce a bulb of garlic.

To keep the garlic rejuvenating, it is a good idea to keep the

best seed heads to plant, and then keep the bulbs of these

plants for planting next season.

You will not need to keep all the seed heads, so cut most of

them and leave only what you need to keep for seed. That

way the plant puts its energy into the bulb. You can also

eat the young seed heads and stems.

Potatoes

My only experience here is using the method indicated by

Rudolf Steiner. Seed potatoes are normally grown at higher

altitudes, as there is less risk of disease. Steiner indicated

that if one wished to rejuvenate the potato seed, then cut

individual eyes out of the potato and plant these. One

then repeats this the following year and these become the

actual seed to plant. This does take organisation, but it is

interesting to do.

Saving some of your own seed is the beginning of a

journey into understanding the plants which you grow.

There is more to a plant than meets the eyes.

I can only describe my own experience here. I am sure

that each district will hold its own unique story for seed

saving. The more widespread that seed saving is, and the

more people that do it, then the better we will all be for it.

How to Go About ItIt is not necessary to save seed from every plant type

each year; seeds do keep for some years, but how long

can depend on the variety. Save seed from strong, healthy

plants.

Some vegetables produce their seeds in the year they are

grown (annuals); others take two seasons (biennials). Apart

from some of the brassicas (radishes, mustards), most

seeds take a while to reach maturity and will be ready to

harvest from midsummer to mid-autumn.

For most small seeds, once it is in a container, leave the

lid off for a few days in a dry environment so that there

is no possibility of moisture being maintained.

Annuals

Peas and Beans

These are relatively easy to do. For peas and beans, pick

the first sowing lightly, then leave the rest of the pods to

mature. It is preferable to leave the mature pod on the vine

to dry. The regular picking of snowpeas can be difficult

to keep up with, and you are likely to miss some, so if you

leave those pods, which become swollen, on the stems,

you will generally have enough seeds to gather. (But if you

purposefully choose strong, healthy plants to save seed

from, you’ll have stronger seed.) Dry the seeds further on

racks, trays or newspaper before finally podding them on

a sunny day to store in containers.

Do not gather seed pods that are not properly formed

or have a poor shape.

Sweet Corn

Sweet corn needs to be treated differently than those

above. First, select an area of your sweet corn patch that

you will not pick. Then at the end of the season, usually at

the end of April or early May, pick these cobs and take off

the husks. Select those for seed that have the best form

and that have a good even spread of kernels around the


In the home garden, you can keep the seed going by

always keeping the smaller potatoes from very well

yielding plants.

Orach

A wonderful vegetable in this part of the country. We

originally were given a plant by an elderly gardener in the

autumn and were told to let it go to seed in the spring.

Well, it was well into summer before the seed was ready

to gather. This has provided a wonderful addition to the

garden. I leave it to dry further in the garage that gets the

afternoon sun, but do not let the sun shine directly onto

the seed.

Spinach

Here we kept a section of plants from seed sown in

August. It was an open pollinated variety. Here it was

early summer before the seed was ready to gather. Easy

to gather and then left to fully dry like the orach.

Biennials Selection and timing is the key to the following vegetables.

Carrots

After the shortest day, dig up some carrots (or all of them if

you intend to store them), and select two carrots for shape

and length. Choose carrots that show no sign of disease

and that have not shown a tendency to regrowth. Plant

the carrots in well worked soil, where they will be readily

accessible for easy tending during the coming season.

Place a good strong stake in the ground near the carrots

at the time of planting.

The flowers here begin to come out in mid-December,

though it is March before the seed is ready to gather. When

the seed head is ready, it is better to cut each head directly

into a box and then rub the seeds of the head indoors.

Make sure you only plant one variety for seed; otherwise

they will probably cross-pollinate.

Parsnips

Do the same as for carrots, though parsnips flower and

mature earlier.

Onions

Here these will have been picked to store around February.

In August, we select two to four onions that have kept

well and are of a good size and shape. Plant them in the

ground, but leave half of the onion above ground level.

Before flowering the onions will need to be staked.

It is important to wait until the seed is really dry before

collecting. It may seem that the slightest wind will cause

them to fall out, but most will stay in place. You need to be

able to see the black seed in the open pod, which should

by preference be dry before collecting the seed. Cutting

the seed head too early will result in poor quality seed with

low germination. I grow PLK, or if you like, Pukekohe Long

Keeper.

Red Onions

I only grow Californian red onions. These are ready earlier

than the brown onions. So I select the best onions for

shape size and plant in April. Generally these onions will

flower before the PLK, so the risk of cross-pollination is

low. But they can cross-pollinate, so it may be better if you

are not sure to alternate the years you plant each variety

for seed.

Beetroot

It is best to keep an early sown beetroot (August/Sept) to

harvest for seed. Because beetroot grows mainly above the

ground, it is important to leave the one you wish to keep in

place. It will grow very tall and definitely needs staking, as

it does not have a strong or deep root structure to support

it. Beets produce a long stem with the seed attached along

it. So it is quite easy to harvest when it is mature.

Silverbeet

Saving silverbeet seed is very much the same as beetroot,

though it would be fine to have a late sowing of silverbeet

to keep for seed. Choose the plant which is taking the

longest to begin going to seed. If the seed of the existing

plant was sown in December, it will probably be getting

ready to go up to seed in October/November.

Do not keep both silverbeet and beetroot for seed in the

same year, as they cross-pollinate very easily.

Brassicas

This is an area I do not have a lot of experience in. I have

attempted Brussels sprout and cabbage in the past but

failed both times, as I did not look after them properly.

However, with all the hybrids coming in now, this is a

crucial area to save seeds.

Over the last two years I did try again with an early

cabbage and Brussels sprout. The cabbage acted like

a biennial, taking two seasons to be ready to give seed.

The seed germinated quite well and gave reasonable

cabbages, but nothing like the parent plant had. Bear in

mind it has, like many seasons of late, been far from the

norm weather-wise.

The Brussels sprout seeds were harvested at midsummer

and I shall sow them this spring. These Brussels sprouts

were from seeds that we brought back from France two

years ago – finally we found a good open pollinated

Brussels sprout. Not as vigorous as the hybrids for sure,

but perfectly good for our home garden.

Pak choi is possibly the easiest of brassicas to save. I kept

several plants from those sown in August to harvest.

Note that many brassica varieties will cross with each

other if they are allowed to flower at the same time, so if

you’re intent on saving seed, make sure that you only have

one variety of brassica flowering at once.

John Guthr ie was a Demeter grower for many years , producing vegetables for the domestic market at Karuna Gardens near Waimate, where cattle were integrated into the production system. John was also a member of the Biodynamic Associat ion’s adv isory panel and later a consultant-member of the Biodynamic Consultancy Society.

Editor’s note:

Seed saving is a vast subject. One

topic not covered in this article is

the minimum number of plants

required for seed saving, in order

to maintain the genetic strength

of your seed line. The required

number of plants for this varies

according to the plant variety, and

can also depend on whether you

are saving seed just for your own

use the next season, or to keep a

population alive in the long term.

Information on number of plants

required, as well as information on

saving seed types not covered in

this article, is available on Koanga

Institute’s website: http://www.

koanga.org.nz/knowledgebase/

seed-knowledge/seed-saving/seed-

saving-instructions.

TARUNAESSENTIAL EDUCATION Part-time course starting April & September 2014

Additional intake with viticulture focus planned for Winter, call Taruna for more details.

All of these courses are seminar based & NZQA accredited

For more information see our website www.taruna.ac.nz

or call 06 8777 174

Certificate in Applied Organics & Biodynamics


eyes and feelings to make decisions with. If you already

have the three elements of earth, wind and water but you

need some fire, [biodynamics] lets the farmer be the fire,

to ignite his land, if you like. You see so many farms that

are well-farmed but don’t have any spirit or life to them.

They’re just… ordinary.

What challenges you most about BD?

(both laugh)

L: The Association?

M: I have some issues with the Association. They keep

asking what we can do to increase interest in biodynamics

and I think it’s very simple: be professional and sell

biodynamics as a professional tool to professional

people. This is how we can help you save money on

your farm, increase your soil biology [and] develop some

observational tools that will increase and improve the

quality of your livestock.

It’s not about hippiedom, it’s not about being weird, it’s

not about mysticism – if they want more people to come

along. Yes, retain the mysticism and all the spirituality

– that’s so valuable – but to get people interested and

involved, you have to put aside the gnomes and the

sylphs and the undines. That’s for later, if people want it.

There seems to be a resistance within the organisation

to separate out the spirituality bit from the tools that will

bring more people in.

What’s your biggest biodynamic goal?

L: At the moment, to use the 500 and 501 regularly and to

follow the calendar… to do the basics and do them right,

to the point where it’s just what you do in your life, it’s not

another thing to put on your list.

M: Professionally, to return the work farm from its non-

certified status back to a biodynamic farm. It’s had a lot of

problems and it needs to go through a rebuilding phase.

I think our goal together would be to have a small

biodynamic farm. One day.

If you could summarise biodynamics in five words or

less, what would they be?

M: A tool in our toolbox.

L: Matthew has learned a lot about conventional farming,

and so much good has come out of that. It’s a valid strand,

but so is organics, biodynamics, permaculture, holistic

management… So for us, biodynamics is another tool.

Ph

oto

: M

att

an

d L

isa

Lisa Blaker and Matt Oliver with their pumpkin harvest

Meet a Member: Matt Oliver and Lisa Blaker

What are your day jobs?

Matt: Estate manager for a large organic vineyard.

Lisa: Nurse at Wairau Hospital.

What do you grow on your property?

M: Pears and apples, peaches, raspberries, boysenberries,

blackcurrants and tomatoes. We produce salad vegetables

most of the year round. Although we can grow our

tomatoes outside, we cultivate a lot of the really

heat-loving stuff like capsicums, chillies and basil in

a glasshouse.

L: We also use cloches to extend the growing season. We

are very lucky that the people who owned the property

before us had it for 50 years and the wife was a gardener,

so the topsoil is magic.

What are the soils generally like where you are?

M: Very heavy clay silt loams, low-lying and quite damp.

The region would have historically been freshwater

estuary into swamp, but with some air and some organic

matter [the soils] grow really well.

Do you sell BD produce?

L: No, just for ourselves and to share with our next door

neighbours. We have a neat community around us.

How and why did you become interested in biodynamics?

M: I was working for an organic vineyard and we had our

first year of conversion, which didn’t go very well. So I

went to the Taruna course, and that showed me that there

was more to growing and to life than just science – that

there was some spirit involved as well.

It was part of a journey that had started a few years

beforehand, in terms of trying to find a softer way to live

on the planet, to grow and earn a living.

L: I’d spent much of the previous ten years working for

humanitarian organisations in various countries around

the world, and that level of chaos and conflict in my head

left me feeling very burnt out. So I did the biodynamic

course that Matt and I met on, as a way of learning more

Lisa and Matt own a quarter-acre property on the outskirts of Blenheim. They recently shared their biodynamic experiences and thoughts with Niki Morrell.

about gardening. But that then led to a journey that

[showed] there’s more to biodynamics than just tools

for gardening… and we ended up getting married!

How do you use BD on your quarter acre?

M: The most common use we have is the observation

tools we’ve developed over time and through Taruna. We

use the preps in a small-scale way, mostly 500. We make

our compost in a biodynamic fashion. Occasionally it

gets prepped, sometimes it doesn’t. We also use the BD

calendar in a very basic way – the waxing and waning, and

ascending and descending lunar rhythms to help us with

seed sowing, planting and transplanting. It’s not hard-core

full biodynamics by any stretch of the imagination, but a

gentle use of it to help things along.

L: For us, biodynamics is not [just about] using preps

because if you’re a biodynamic practitioner, of course

you use the preps. There’s a whole lot more to it than just

buying preps from the organisation – it’s the observation,

it’s the stillness...

M: The spiritual aspects, gratitude...

What changes have you noticed as a result?

L: Better strike rates with seeds, more vigorous plants.

M: More disease resistance in those plants as well. The soil

has recovered from a herbicided sort of wasteland (L: It

wasn’t quite a wasteland!) – but you could also attribute

that to enormous amounts of compost and some very

smelly comfrey tea.

What do you most like about biodynamics?

L: The rhythms, the cycles, the patterns. That’s what

attracted me to biodynamics in the first place; it was the

slowing down, the observing, and seeing these recurring

rhythms.

M: I like that it shows a softer side of agriculture. As a

farmer, you’re expected to be science-based, neutral,

secular, independent… whereas this says you’re allowed to

use some spirit, to have some emotion, to feel something

about your land, and it’s okay to use the evidence of your


Urban Biodynamic Journeys #1

Rachel Devlin: A late-blooming gardener dives in, wide-eyed“There is so much to do in the house, that I just spend

my time in the garden,” said Rose, as she plucked some

furry caterpillars off the swan plants in the garden. She

transferred them onto a limb to take into the house, where

they could transform into monarchs in peace, without

further hassles from the marauding wasps.

This life-changing conversation led to my purchase of a

new home and the beginning of a biodynamic journey

that I had not anticipated.

Having avoided anything that had resembled a plant for

the first 40 years of my life, I became the owner of an

old villa on a 1300 square meter section in the middle of

Ellerslie. The house in its time had been home to a family

with five children, hosted numerous social gatherings of

various groups and served as a venue for personal and

spiritual growth and anthroposophical conversation. It was

a place of much laughter, and from what I am told, a place

of many parties. It was a house that seemingly everyone

in the community had been to, slept over at, worked on or

enjoyed at some stage over the years.

The land had also been the recipient of much biodynamic

energy, and as the new guardian, I felt compelled to

continue this journey and make sure the place thrived.

The land came complete with a significant patch of rather

nasty nettle, an abundance of comfrey patches, borage

and overall pretty good soil. Unfortunately, for the sake of

a new puppy who danced in the nettle patch and a number

of small children and adults who made their way to the

abundant grapefruit tree in the middle of it, the nettle

had to go.

So off to Central Otago I went to commence a course

in organics and biodynamics. It was an extremely good

excuse to participate in a program run primarily for the

winegrowers and makers of Central Otago, an added

benefit that I am extremely grateful for. I found it incredibly

refreshing to be discussing moon phases, lunar rhythms

and elemental beings in a room full of earthly and worldly

men and women, as opposed to talking about restructures,

reducing costs and redundancies, which filled most of

my work days. This breath of freshness filled my soul with

a longing for cow poo, crushed quartz, early morning

rituals followed by hearty breakfasts, hot compost and

community gardening.

Now the gardening novice was armed with biodynamic

preparations, a passion for experimentation, a stronger

connection to the cosmos and a desire to throw off the

black work threads, put on her gumboots and get that

cow poo slurry going.

I am still new to putting the right plants in the right place,

dealing with the unsightly worms that ate my purple

cabbage trees, managing the influx of fluffy white bugs

on the organic kale, and removing endless amounts of

wandering dew and nasturtiums from the back garden.

But I have embraced the challenge of trial and error, trying

to remain connected to the garden and its rhythms and

listening to its call.

I found it incredibly refreshing to be discussing moon phases, lunar rhythms and elemental beings in a room full of earthly and worldly men and women, as opposed to talking about restructures, reducing costs and redundancies, which filled most of my work days.

This has been a journey for the soul, one where I have

learned to give it a go, stop doubting that I know enough

(a typical human trait), and realise that I can just check

the planting calendar, get out the CPP, give it a stir and

embrace biodynamic gardening with enthusiasm.

So enthusiastic am I, that to help increase the knowledge

of the budding gardeners in the community, there will be

a hot compost making day at our home to pass on the

knowledge obtained so far. This is doubling as a fundraiser

for the MPS School Class 5 camp. There will be many little

hands eager to stir cow poo I am sure! That’s my idea of

community!

One doesn’t have to be an experienced gardener or

horticulturalist to embrace the biodynamic principles and

bring them into your garden space, while creating healthy

and fun gardening communities.

My motto is to try and do the basics well and “keep the

edges straight!” (advice from dear Peter Proctor whilst

making a hot compost). Probably pretty good advice for life

I feel. My journey is really one of a budding gardener who

is a late bloomer (excuse the gardening pun), trying

to encourage others who may see BD as confusing, or

who may not naturally be a green fingered expert. I

want everyone to realise that soul connections, personal

learning and the experience of being connected to cosmic

rhythms, is just as rewarding and meaningful to some, as

soil quality, humus and vegetable quality is to others.

My journey is really one of a budding gardener who is a late bloomer (excuse the gardening pun), trying to encourage others who may see BD as confusing, or who may not naturally be a green fingered expert.

“

“


Learn from the expertsStart a career in organicsReduce your footprint and produce a regular supply of your own fruit and vegetables

Courses• OrganicDistance

ProgrammePart time 1 year, enrol anytime

• Year1IntroductiontoOrganics37 weeks, starts August 2014(Lincoln Campus)

• Year2AppliedOrganics37 weeks, starts August 2014(Lincoln Campus)

Allfeesunder$500

Programme [email protected] www.bhu.org.nz03 3253684

BHU

GROWING ORGANIC

S

Organic Training College

Urban Biodynamic Journeys #2

Vicki Stevenson: A career gardener finds her landscapes transforming

My biodynamic interest and journey began around six

years ago, prior to enrolling in the Taruna Certificate in

Biodynamics in 2012. My interest just grew and grew every

time I came across information or someone talking about

biodynamics, especially my good old school friend Julie.

At the time, she was studying various horticulture courses

so that she and her husband Andrew could manage their

lovely lifestyle block in Muriwai. She always supplied me

with biodynamic prep tea to try on my garden, and I had

also purchased CPP to use at home and work.

We often talked about the possibility of venturing down

to Taruna College in Hawkes Bay to do the biodynamic

course, and then sure enough, after yet another

conversation about us doing the course, I received an

email advertising the course to be held in Central Otago.

It felt like the time was right, so I enrolled and just did it.

I have a small townhouse with a modest piece of land

in Ellerslie, Auckland. My gardens have all tropical and

native plants in them, and I have a raised vege bed and

a prolific lemon tree. I always have a fresh supply of

greens and various herbs, and I’ve been using mainly CPP

supplemented with homemade BD prep tea with seaweed,

fish and nettle. I also build my own biodynamic composts

and apply 500, though I am yet to apply 501. It’s been more

of a timing factor than anything else, but now I get a sense

that my place could really do with one, and plan to do

one when the timing is right. I have two cow horns buried

for my own horn manure, and I plan to make a CPP pit at

some stage – I have some old bricks that stare at me

every day.

I sourced the cow horns in 2012 from a highland cattle

farm in Kaukapakapa, 50 km northwest of Auckland; the

farmer exchanged them for a nice bottle of wine! I had a

super dodgy ride on the back of a quad bike through some

scary, rough terrain to source the horns and the cow’s skull

(which I wanted more as a keepsake because the cow had

died on the farm), along with a sack full of manure from

one of their lactating cows.

By the time I left the farm, the farmer and his neighbours

were leaning over the fence with their eyebrows raised,

looking at me strangely as if I was off to perform some

satanic act. It felt like the more I tried to explain what I

was doing, the bigger the hole I dug myself into! They just

couldn’t get their heads around the biodynamic concept...

oh well, I tried!

What I have noticed over time is the resilience that the

plants now have and the disappearance of diseases and

pests. Prior to implementing these biodynamic practices, I

found that as the ground became drier (usually in summer),

By the time I left the farm, the farmer and his neighbours were leaning over the fence with their eyebrows raised, looking at me strangely as if I was off to perform some satanic act.

Vick i Stevenson

the plants exhibited more stress and would become

inundated with vine hopper bugs. They would pick on host

plants, suck the life out of them and eventually work their

way around the garden. Now this no longer occurs in my

garden, and the plants look stronger and are healthier, for

longer, throughout all the seasons.

I’ve been a horticulturist by trade since the 1980s. I worked

for the council as a leading hand gardener in addition to

working and living on vineyards and orchards in Australia

and New Zealand. I have had my own small business

since 1995, creating beautiful gardens at private dwellings,

be it in any form of hard or soft landscaping, design,

consultancy and troubleshooting. I absolutely love what I

do. Every day I am usually somewhere different, tending

to different tasks, sometimes with my off-sider Alistar,

who is great to have around and helps me out with all the

hard landscaping.

My work has become more exciting now that I use

biodynamic practices. I feel like before, there was a thread

loosely connecting everything I did, but now, biodynamics

has laced it all together to form a lovely tight weave.

Everything just makes so much more sense. I have always

used organic products – compost, worm juice and so forth

– but some things feel a lot simpler now. Biodynamics

creates a nice flow, from a practical, planning and spiritual

aspect, and I know that I can rely on the results. Flower

plants produce better flowers, fruit trees produce better

fruits and cycles happen more naturally. Everything now

has order and seems to know its place.

I was recently called to help at a property that had a

mixture of fruit trees (apple, peach and various citrus)

that were very unhealthy. Apart from requiring some light

pruning, the trees showed signs of a long history of toxic

chemical sprays. I applied tree paste to the wounds and

lichen and also spread some CPP.

In just ten weeks, it’s astonishing to see the difference that

small biodynamic input has made. The trees have a lot of

new growth and wonderfully healthy fruit beginning to

ripen. The colours were bright and vibrant and they were

literally glowing. The rest of the property had also been

sprayed with a cocktail of toxic chemicals, with various

issues including scale, buxus blight and thrip. Everything

lacked lustre and was visibly sick, but my clients were so

thrilled with the turnaround in the fruit trees that they have

asked me to come on board permanently and apply what

they call “my magic” (=biodynamics!) across the entire

property. Awesome!

I always try to be conscious of respecting the elemental

world, asking them for permission and apologising for any

disturbance I might cause. What might be creating some

form of order in our world might be creating total chaos

and upheaval in theirs, especially when pruning or moving

the soil around. I’ve found that timing can sometimes be

a challenge with certain BD practices, planning around

certain lunar cycles and planetary rhythms, trying to work

it all in at the most appropriate time. But as long as my

intent is for the best possible outcome and greater good,

I trust that the best results will always manifest.

Lastly, a poem to close out my story:

The cosmos, the elements, the seasons, the cycles

Weaving their magic around me they dance

Forever unfolding my essence

My dreams show me windows for a new opportunity, today – in every breath....

...my clients were so thrilled with the turnaround in the fruit trees that they have asked me to come on board permanently and apply what they call “my magic” (=biodynamics!) across the entire property...

What I have noticed over time is the resilience that the plants now have and the disappearance of diseases and pests. Prior to implementing these biodynamic practices, I found that as the ground became drier (usually in summer), the plants exhibited more stress...

“

““


out a connection with their land at Poverty Bay, and were

drawn to organics as a way of achieving this. Once they

had been exposed to biodynamics from a Dutch friend, “it

was a like a fish to water,” James says. So began their 30

year connection with the life energies surrounding Millton

Vineyards.

According to James, these life energies – or bio-dynamics

– are channelled through what he calls “the spirit of

winegrowing… which is identifying the relationship

between the earth, the air, the water and the light, and

how these four elements are harnessed and balanced

with our daily activity throughout the four seasons.” This

four-way balance then extends through each plant itself,

through the roots, the leaves, the flowers and the seeds. It

is the balance and harmonising of these life energies that

combine to ultimately grow and create great wine.

There are four essential life elements – earth, water, air

and light. There are four seasons – spring, summer, winter

and autumn. There are four components of a plant – roots,

leaves, flowers and seeds. There are four primary taste

sensations – sweet, sour, salty and bitter. There are four

main vineyards at Millton Vineyards – Te Arai, Riverpoint,

Opou and Clos de Ste Anne. Within these vineyards there

are four white wine varieties – Riesling, Chenin Blanc,

Viognier and Chardonnay.

There are, quite literally, a balance and harmonisation

from the vineyard to the glass.

James emphasises that one way in which to best harness

these life energies, and therefore create great wine, is

through the prevention – rather than control – of disease.

If you have a headache and you immediately reach for

the paracetamol in order to cure this dis-ease, rather than

being pro-active, you are reacting. There is a reason that

the headache exists, and it’s not because your body needs

paracetamol. Most likely, you are dehydrated and simply

need more water in order to replenish the fluid that is

missing, causing your brain to press up against your skull.

You might also be distressed about something, which

has manifested itself as a physical pain. If you remove

the cause of the distress, or simply rehydrate yourself,

you are less likely to experience the physical pain, i.e. the

headache.

As James explains, “With conventional viticulture practices,

the winemakers and vineyard managers spend a lot of time

trying to combat the ‘dis’, as opposed to standing back and

looking at how to make the ‘ease’ work.”

The Spirit of Winegrowing Inside the mind of New Zealand’s original biodynamic winemaker. By Daniel Honan

“It’s not about being far out and groovy, and not using any

chemicals,” says James Millton. “There are a whole lot of

other tangents involved.” Practicing biodynamics since

1986, he’s one to know.

James, along with his wife Annie, have been custodians

of the land at Poverty Bay, Gisborne since 1984. After

acquiring and accumulating the requisite knowledge

needed for winemaking in some of the world’s most

famous wine regions in France and Germany, they

returned to New Zealand and established Millton

Vineyards.

Back in the early days of James Millton’s biodynamic

adventure, ridicule (and scepticism) may not have been

obvious, but were apparent, says James, “in the smirks on

people’s faces, most likely because they wondered when

we were going to fail.”

He resolved not to fail because of that particular

philosophical approach they’d taken. “We might fail

because of bad business decisions, or interest rates, or

market fluctuations… but we don’t want to fail because

of our philosophy,” says James.

James cites a pathway of intuition as inevitably leading

the Milltons to biodynamics as a way of engaging with

the land before them. Both he and Annie wanted to seek

This four-way balance then extends through each plant itself, through the roots, the leaves, the flowers and the seeds. It is the balance and harmonising of these life energies that combine to ultimately grow and create great wine

“

Ph

oto

s: M

ax

Ma

rrio

tt


ComfreyBOTANYSPOT

Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) is a vigorous, easy to grow perennial herb. It’s

been long recognised in herbal medicine for its therapeutic effects in healing and

strengthening bones and associated tissue (muscles, tendons, ligaments, cartilage).

It has large soft leaves with fleshy stems and pink or purple flowers, and can grow to

be over a metre tall.

Every winter we harvest the roots, which are then processed in the factory to make

a tincture. At Weleda we use this tincture in a variety of medicines, notably Arnica

Symphytum Comp (used for healing broken bones), and Tendonitis cream (used for

sprains, strains and sore muscles).

One of the challenges of growing comfrey is ensuring it doesn’t spread, as the vigour

of the plant is such that a sliver of root left behind in the soil will quickly re-establish

itself as a healthy plant.

A second complication is that all comfrey growing wild in New Zealand is a hybrid

(Symphytum uplandicum), so we take care (by cutting the flowers off) to ensure no

cross pollination takes place with our designated Symphytum officinale plants.

Weleda gardener David Millin on a vigorous – and vigorously healing – herb

He exposes the wine to quartz crystals as it is passed through the bottling line, “to give it the final tick of its life energy process

Soluble fertilisers are a salt-derived product, which destroy

the fungi that inhabit the soil. By using these products,

says James, “You disrespect the habitat of the fungi,

and therefore the fungi diminish, which then leads the

water permeability of the soil to decrease, so the water

flows through the soil faster – meaning it is not absorbed

properly, thereby creating a drought situation, which leads

to distress and an increase in insect and fungal attack.”

If you encourage and support the ease of fungi habitats

within the soil, using composting, mulching and the

various biodynamic preparations, then you shouldn’t need

to reach for the paracetamol, or the bandages, in order to

control the disease.

James uses all of the biodynamic preparations (500-507)

available to encourage the ‘spirit of winegrowing’ to be

present in every bottle, and every glass. He exposes the

wine to quartz crystals as it is passed through the bottling

line, “to give it the final tick of its life energy process.” He

says that “biodynamics is not a game of half measures.

It’s like a plate of bacon and eggs; the chicken only has

a passing interest, but the pig had to be totally committed.”

Preparations 500 and 501 are like “the bass lines and high

notes” that James relies upon to “connect the ethereal

with the astral.” They are essential tools in the biodynamic

arsenal, and are crucial when starting out, but “you need

to use each and every one if you are to be committed

to biodynamics, because you cannot substitute one for

another,” says James. You need to be the pig.

The “spirit of winegrowing,” says James, “presents itself

in the joy and happiness of being at one with everything

around you.” It is connectivity and openness, and

recognition of the essential relationship between the land

and the privileged farmer that gets to work upon it.

Cyclone Soils

www.chaossprings.co.nzwww.chaossprings.co.nzwww.chaossprings.co.nz 07-863-7975

Are you Creating on Farm Fertility?

“


Association Information and Services

Contact DetailsP 0 Box 39045, Wellington Mail Centre,

Lower Hutt 5045

ph 0-4-589 5366 fax 0-4-589 5365

Email: [email protected]

Web: www.biodynamic.org.nz

SubscriptionsSubscriptions $113 or $72

Students (of related courses) $36

Institution libraries $41 (magazine only)

See page 5.

Biodynamic PreparationsGlynis Anderson dispatches preparations from Hawke’s Bay

by post or Fastway Courier to members of the Association.

All orders go through the Association office, and if received

by midday Monday will be dispatched that week. To be sure

of them reaching you by a particular time allow another week.

I.e. order on Monday morning at the latest to ensure delivery

by the end of the following week. Please specify in orders the

amount needed, membership name, delivery address and

phone number. Send orders by post, fax or email, or phone

to the office (24-hour message recorder). Only emailed

orders are acknowledged.

Checking your preparations

Please check your preparations as soon as you receive

them, and transfer them to storage suitable for the length

of time you need to keep them (See instructions in Using

the Biodynamic Preparations). If you have any queries

about them, please contact the office within two

working days.

Preparation Charges

Preparation 500 $7 per portion

Preparation 501 $3 per portion

Compost preparations 502-507 $8.40 per set of six

Equisetum $8 per portion (100g)

Cow pat pit $7.50 per portion (100g)

GST, postage or courier and handling charges extra.

Please pay on invoice - do not send cash with order.

The size of the equisetum portion has been reduced

as it was too large for most people. The price has been

increased to recover costs.

Rates for preparation use

See the booklet Using the Biodynamic Preparations

(Members who do not have a copy can request one

from the Association office)

CouncilThe Bio Dynamic Farming and Gardening Association,

an incorporated society since 1945 and registered charity,

is governed by an elected council of up to six members.

Current councillors:

Bert Johnston

Northland

Ph 09-434 3120

[email protected]

Max Marriott

Central Otago

Ph 027-713 9633

[email protected]

Anne Dodds

Wairarapa

Ph 06-307 8833

[email protected]

David Wright (Secretary)

Wellington

Ph 04-589 5366

[email protected]

Wendy Tillman

Marlborough

Ph 03-570 5339

Mob 021-802 318

[email protected]

DemeterDemeter inspections $512

($50 discount for prompt renewal applications)

Extra time $60/hr + GST

Demeter Inspectors:

Ian Henderson (Convenor)

Milmore Downs

RD 3, Amberley

Canterbury

Ph 03-314 3712

Dieter Proebst

P0 Box 211, Motueka

Ph 03-528 8718

Fax 03-528 8454

Bert Johnston

Mamaki Farm

316 Clements Road

RD 3, Whangarei 0173

Ph 09-434 3120

Andy Black

4 Memorial Park Avenue

Haumoana, Hawke’s Bay

Ph 06-875 1297

Marinus La Rooij

35a Aynsley Tce

Christchurch

Ph 03-331 7677

Fax 03-331 7678

David Wright

PO Box 39045

Wellington

Ph 04-589 5366

Fax 04-589 5365

From the Association Harvests Markets

Biodynamic PreparationsSee next page

Books (prices include postage)Bio Dynamic Farming and Gardening Calendar

(June – Aug prices, calendar year ends 31 May 2015)

Non Members $32.00

Members (extra copy) $17.05

Grasp the Nettle - P Proctor $36.10

A guide to the how-to-do it of biodynamics

Biodynamic Perspectives - Ed: G Henderson $16.50

Wide range of articles on useful practical topics

Biodynamic Farmers Handbook - N Pearce $13.90

Biodynamic practices in a condensed guide

The Sustainable Dream - J Pearce $13.90

Choosing and using your land

Review of Organic Land Management Research

Association R&D Group survey of world

scientific literature $30.80

Biodynamics in Home Garden - P. Proctor $26.70

Fifty Years Practice of Biodynamic Agriculture

How to apply it in the Vineyard - F Bouchet $60.00

One Man, One Cow, One Planet (DVD) $25.90

NZ Organic Production Standards for Biodynamic

Agriculture (Demeter Standards) $29.10

Biodynamic Pasture Management - P Bacchus $27.00

Food Full of Life - G Bacchus $35.00

Books are supplied as orders are received

Resource GuidesReports by experienced NZ farmers and growers on the

conversion of enterprises to organics and biodynamics,

and their on going management.

Organic Pastoral Guide $30.00

Organic Avocado Resource Guide $20.00

Organic Citrus Resource Guide $25.00

Organic Summerfruit Resource Guide $25.00

Members order by post, fax or email, or phoned to the

office or 24-hour message recorder. (Orders received by

email are acknowledged.) Non members cash with order

please or email for invoice with bank transfer details.

Buying Biodynamic Products Direct from Growers

Beef. All cuts of organic beef and German style

sausages from full Demeter livestock. Couriered

frozen (with chilled courier) to your doorstep.

From 10 kg. Ask for price list and order form:

Ursula & Erwin Eisenmann, Waima Hill,

RD 3, Kaikohe

Ph/fax: 09-405 3833

[email protected]

www.organicbeef.co.nz

Olive Oil. Demeter certified.

Contact: Bill and Kay Chapman

Green Ridge Estate, P0 Box 27, Blenheim

Ph/fax: 03-572 9111

[email protected]

Grains and Grain products available as flour,

kibbled or flakes. Demeter certified.

Contact: Ian or Matt Henderson

Milmore Downs, RD3, Amberley

Ph/fax: 03-314 3712.

Fresh Fruit. Demeter. Available January to June.

Contact: Treedimensions Orchard,

P0 Box 211, Motueka.

Ph: 03-528 8718. Fax: 03-528 8454.

[email protected]

www.treedimensions.co.nz

The “apple meadow”. Orchard fresh fully Demeter

certified apples, small amounts of pears, plums

and other fruit from Jan to June.

Ph: 04-235 6275 or 06-364 3451

[email protected]

Woodhouse Farm Organics. Demeter certified

raspberries, boysenberries and black currants,

plus small quantities of other seasonal fruit and

vegetables. Visit us at

www.woodhousefarmorganics.co.nz.

Harvests offers Association members who

direct supply products that carry an appropriate

certification a free listing in this section.


Since 1921

New

The way to healthy hair is all natural.

Give your hair back its natural beauty and make it shine, like a sun-kissed field of grain. Just as grains need fertile ground to flourish, a healthy scalp is vital for beautiful, smooth hair. The natural oat hair care range with Replenishing Shampoo, Conditioner and Treat-ment nourishes the scalp and smoothes the hair’s surface for healthy, beautiful hair. In harmony with nature and the human being. www.weleda.co.nz

Turning Sand Into Soil Urban Biodynamic...

Documents

Transcript of Turning Sand Into Soil Urban Biodynamic...