Biodynamic farming is a term we see more and more each day. In Australia, biodynamics is a rapidly growing niche, while in Europe and the UK (and, to some extent, the US) it’s much more widely accepted and practised. To define biodynamics means going into its history and giving some explanation of its modern-day interpretation. To suggest it is a rigid code of farming is to miss the point of biodynamic agriculture.

In the early 1900s, many European farmers were experiencing a loss of production. Years of conventional agriculture using artificial inputs had stripped the soil of nutrients and the loss in vigour had become a run-away situation. Crops were failing, seed strains were so weak as to prevent re-seeding from a previous year’s crop and the yields were too low to support the farmers.

Rudolph Steiner was approached for help by a group of German farmers and in 1924 he gave a series of eight lectures on “Bio-dynamics” at Schloss Koberwitz in Germany (now in Poland). Steiner’s Bio-dynamics were a combination of agricultural methods and spiritual concepts that formed a holistic approach to farming.

Steiner suggested that farms should be treated as entire eco-systems, within a greater eco-system, with positive links to and influences on each other. So, if the vigour of one plant within the eco-system suffered, it was a symptom of a problem with the whole system, not just that particular plant.

Further, Steiner went on to suggest that, since all the components of the eco-system contributed to the eco-system’s health, any missing components would lead to imbalances in the soil and the plants growing within it. For example, a soil growing only one plant type would use only one specific set of nutrients and minerals, which would become rapidly depleted. Over time, the only plants to flourish in this unbalanced soil would be weeds, which would compete with the desired crop for nitrogen, minerals and water.

Steiner’s lectures make difficult reading. Between the translation from German to English and some of his wilder concepts, they can be a real challenge to understand. It takes some time working with his basic principles and seeing the results before they begin to make sense.

Biodynamic farming is open to personal interpretation , which, from a modern perspective, makes it hard to define. Although initially overwhelming to a beginner, biodynamic principles are the tools with which farmers can revitalise their own farms.

There are no magic recipes, exact numbers or strict rules to offer an instant perfect solution. Biodynamics encourages farmers to look at their own situations, read the symptoms presented by their farms and apply the appropriate means to achieve a healthy eco-system.

Certification

In defining biodynamic farming, it’s necessary to discuss certification. This is a contentious issue, though, with many valid arguments for and against. Certification bears a certain cost, which is usually built into a higher-priced product. This covers a fee for the certifying label, a fee for membership of the certifying agency and a fee for audits of the farm.

It’s up to you as the end consumer whether you are prepared to pay the extra. I personally feel it’s important to label a biodynamic product as such because it has been farmed and made differently, with a greater focus on quality (usually with a trade-off in cost ) and may have significant health and allergenic benefits to the consumer.

However, if a product is to be labelled “Biodynamic”, I believe it is then very important to adhere to a basic standard for the term to have any market integrity. To achieve this, a certifying agency gives an unbiased guarantee that the product has been farmed and made according to that agency’s standards. Usually, this refers to chemical inputs and the use of 500/501 preparations, which we will get to shortly.