Biodynamic® farming is receiving more attention every day. And for good reason. As a sustainable practice with the smallest carbon footprint of any agricultural method, Biodynamic® farming is also producing lush, robust, nutrient-rich plants whose health and vitality are surprising even the farmers growing them.

"It's really remarkable," says Randy Buresh, founder of Oregon's Wild Harvest, an organic herb farm and manufacturing plant in Sandy, Oregon. "We've been certified organic for more than fifteen years, but it's only in the process of becoming Certified Biodynamic® that I've seen plants the size of these. The roots are strong; the soil is richer than ever, and crops are easily 20% bigger than ever before. It's amazing."

Biodynamic® farming: A definition.

What does it mean to be Biodynamic®?

Biodynamic® farming methods are considered a form of organic farming, but Biodynamic® principles expand on organic's sustainable and natural approach with a holistic, farm-as-an-organism philosophy. The concept of Biodynamic® farming is as the word itself would suggest: a combination of biological and dynamic practices, "bio" meaning life and "dyn" meaning force. Like organic farming, Certified Biodynamic® farms stress biological methods in regard to humane treatment of animals, soil health, and food quality. The use of green manures, cover crops and composting are all essential.

However, Biodynamic® farming takes the standard organic practices at least a step further. Farmers who practice a Biodynamic® approach consider the life force of the farm. In essence, conventional farming is to Biodynamic® farming as conventional medicine is to holistic. With homeopathic medicine, the entire person is taken into account, not just the physical symptoms they exhibit. In Biodynamic® farming, the entire farm is a life force, and every aspect of it is considered. The farm is not merely a piece of land whose purpose is to produce food. It is a closed-loop eco-system, and every part of it, from the animals to the soil to the farmer, plays an integral role.

Sustainability

A guiding principle of Biodynamic® farming is that the key to good health--of people and of the planet-- is total sustainability in agriculture. Nutrient-rich soil is the foundation of this sustainability and superlative quality produce. Biodynamic® proponents contend that it is simply not possible to grow nutrient-rich produce from nutrient-deficient soil. Further, the nutrients, like everything else needed to sustain the plants, come from the farm itself. Nowhere else.

Organic vs. Biodynamic®

Since a farm must be organic to be Certified Biodynamic®, the two really are not in competition. Biodynamic® farming is arguably the origin of organic farming. But many organic farms have incorporated industrialized methods to keep up with demand, such as importing fertilizers and other materials. Even if these materials are organic, Biodynamic® farmers believe that the resulting produce will not meet the quality of Biodynamic® produce. The quality will be compromised, usually in an effort to produce more.

In general, Biodynamic® principles takes organic to the next level. A Biodynamic® farm is always organic as well, but an organic farm is not always Biodynamic®.

Becoming Certified

Not surprisingly, there is considerably more involved in becoming Certified Biodynamic®. When a farm is organically certified, it is inspected and evaluated by a third-party certifying agent to determine if it meets organic standards. Basically, the farm must practice organic methods for at least three years. This includes objectives like choosing only all-natural (nonsynthetic) fertilizers and pesticides, using sustainable processes such as crop rotation and composting, and feeding livestock 100-percent organic feed, as well as treating animals humanely (no hormones or antibiotics). If the farm meets criteria established by the government's National Organic Program (NOP), it's allowed to use the USDA Certified Organic seal (or call itself an organic producer without using the logo) to identify the organic integrity of its products.

Certified Biodynamic® farms do all this, and then some. Maintaining large-scale composting, prohibiting the use of treated seeds, hormones or synthetic substances and permitting only plant-derived pest controls are examples of Biodynamic® standards. Biodynamic® certification is offered through the Demeter® Association and the process is similar to becoming certified organic: The farmer submits an application for biodynamic certification and the farm is inspected and evaluated. Based on the evaluation, a farm may be certified as Demeter® Certified Biodynamic, In-conversion to Demeter® Biodynamic®, Aurora Certified Organic and/or Stellar NOP Organic (for when a farm is on its way toward becoming Biodynamic®). In most cases, a farm that is already certified organic can become Certified Biodynamic® in two years.

From the Demeter® Association (the only certifying agency for Biodynamic® farming):

Demeter's mission is to improve the health of the planet and its people by providing certification of products whose ingredients are grown and processed according to the highest agricultural and environmental standards. From farm to market, only those companies that consistently meet these standards are permitted to display the Demeter® certification mark.. - Demeter®-USA.org

Basic Biodynamic® Principles and Practices:

• Farmers manage the farm as a self-contained, living organism with its own ecosystem. Pests are managed using the farm's own materials and by-products - nothing is imported.
• The farm's organic materials are recycled back into the farm
• Water is cycled through the system to prevent waste
• Fermented herbal and mineral preparations are used to enhance soil
• Astronomical calendar determines planting and harvesting
• Natural plant matter and animal materials are composted together to feed the soil

As noted above, methods unique to the Biodynamic® approach include the use of fermented herbal and mineral preparations as compost additives and field sprays and the use of an astronomical calendar to determine times of planting and harvesting.
The preparations vital to Biodynamic® farming are solely for the purpose of enhancing soil quality and stimulating plant life. They consist of mineral, plant, or animal manure extracts, usually fermented and applied in small proportions to compost, manures, the soil, or directly onto plants, after dilution and stirring procedures called dynamizations.

What does all this mean to the consumer?

Nutrient-rich soil means nutrient-rich plants, which translates to higher quality produce for the people who are buying and consuming the products.

The food that results is very true to its essence and provides deeply penetrating nutrition that is medicinal as well as delicious. (Demeter® Association)

Research at Washington State University (WSU) by Dr. Lynn Carpenter-Boggs and Dr. John Reaganold found that Biodynamic® compost preparations have a significant effect on compost and the composting process. Biodynamic® treated composts had higher temperatures, matured faster, and had higher nitrates than control compost piles inoculated with field soil instead of the preparations.

The WSU research is unique for two reasons: it was the first Biodynamic® compost research undertaken at a land-grant university, and it demonstrated that Biodynamic® preparations are not only effective, but effective in homeopathic quantities.

In the case of Oregon's Wild Harvest, the farm is really seeing the figurative and literal fruits of the extra labor. Oregon's Wild Harvest recently completed the second full growing season using Biodynamic® methods, and the results are quite convincing: crops of Ashwagandha, Echinacea, and Astragalus harvests were the most plentiful and healthy ever! Plants were bigger, had stronger roots, and the flowers and seeds were much more bountiful than they've ever been before. "If our goal is to produce the highest degree of quality, purity, and efficacy available with our herbs, it just makes sense to grow them using the Biodynamic® methods." says Randy Buresh. "I'm still a proponent of organic farming, but I wanted to take my herbs a step further. Biodynamic® practices are labor-intensive, but they helped us achieve that ever-elusive goal of superlative quality. The farm has never been so healthy and productive."

Especially in a day and age when the term "organic" has become rather diluted, it's reassuring to many that there is an alternative - one that will ensure, by mere definition, that the produce is pure, nutritious, and ecologically sustainable. As good for the earth as it is for the body.