Biodynamic Articles
Bee news from Bellingen
John Hodgkinson This spring is proving to be one of the best bee seasons in the Bellinger Valley for many years. Not since 1984 when a truckload of my beehives encountered a flood of Pattersons Curse nectar near Cowra NSW, have I witnessed a similar bonanza – but this time …
Beauty and Biodynamics
John Hodgkinson One concept not frequently addressed in agriculture is ‘beauty’. That is, apart from the scenery and views from the farmhouse windows or from various vantage points around the property, or the cloudscapes, rainbows, birds in flight etc. Because of the fact that most of what is produced on …
Tree pruning workshop at Bellingen’s Northbank Community Garden
John Hodgkinson About 25 local folk and garden committee members turned up to the half-day pruning workshop on Fathers Day 2024. The community garden is a verdant springtime treat at present, heightened by the sublime aroma of citrus blossom. Joe and I the facilitators shared the two and a half …
This is an exceptional pinot noir
Max Allen, Australian Financial Review, 20.6.24 (reprinted with kind permission) It’s Sunday morning and there are plenty of cars parked outside the striking redbrick church in Tarrington, a small town in south-west Victoria. Constructed in the 1920s in a gothic revival style, the church’s tall, narrow steeple towers over the …
Supercharge your garden with Valerian flower extract
John Hodgkinson Valerian flower extract, in biodynamics known as Preparation 507, wakes things up in garden, horticulture and farm settings. Spraying the stirred preparation over a garden, market garden, nursery, orchard or vineyard, acts like a “match” that lights up the fire of life in the soil and plants. This …
Toxic chemicals in urban water
Rob Gourlay, PHI’ON, Elements of Life This week’s national news about the presence of a very toxic chemical in urban drinking water across Australia has sent alarm bells ringing among people and at all levels of government. The community conversation is about the impact of chemicals in the environment on …
Celebrating 100 years of biodynamics in New Zealand and Australia
Ueli Hurter, 06/04/2024 Ueli Hurter was invited as a guest speaker to various anniversary events in Australia and New Zealand from 1 to 16 May 2024. Learn about how biodynamics has developed “Down Under” in recent years and the challenges it currently faces in the following travel report. New Zealand …
How to make biodynamic compost
The difference between “ordinary” compost and “biodynamic” compost is the insertion of the biodynamic compost preparations into the heap when it is fully built. These preparations, developed by Rudolf Steiner, amplify Earth and cosmic energies, enlivening the decomposition process and leading to much richer compost.All crops need soil that will …
Biodynamics for Viticulture
Wherever we look in wine literature these days, it is hard not to notice the increasing prevalence of the words “organic “and “organically grown”. If we look a little harder we might also notice the words “biodynamic” and “biodynamically grown” appearing more frequently, especially overseas. From the perspective of one …
The Essence of Biodynamic Agriculture
John Hodgkinson Many people are unaware that biodynamic and organic agriculture are viable alternatives to conventional (chemical) agriculture, and many do not know what differentiates them from each other. While organics may involve the importation of many farm fertility inputs, biodynamics is based on a farm being as much a …