Biodynamic Farming

Louis Mc

Member
Location
Meath, Ireland
If your neighbours thought you were mad for establishing crops through no-till...... what will they think when you start burying cow horns full of sh!t in the ground to harness cosmic forces???

 
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Gilchro

Member
Location
Tayside
If your neighbours thought you were mad for establishing crops through no-till...... what will they think when you start burying cow horns full of sh!t in the ground to harness cosmic forces???


It does have a spatter of pure madness and bullsh!t through it.

But if you step back and look, all they are really doing is developing humus in the buried dung filled horns and then creating compost tea with the mixing and oxygenation. The underlying principle isn't that daft, it's the garbage that is overlaid that is the problem
 

martian

DD Moderator
BASE UK Member
Location
N Herts
I remember a farm I worked on in NZ was plagued by thistles and they'd tried spraying and mowing and all sorts, when the farmer's brother-in-law hoved into view and said 'you're doing it all wrong, man' and he plucked a few thistle heads and burned them under a new moon and scattered the ashes across the farm at dawn. The thistles went and were never seen again. The farmer, who wasn't a big fan of the hairy Rudolf Steiner disciple who'd married his sister, was furious (albeit delighted to improve his grazing).

As Gilchro says, there's some good principles in there and they certainly get some good results, but there's too much Getafix the druid in it for me. Splendid way to wind up your neighbours though Louis!
 

Louis Mc

Member
Location
Meath, Ireland
Some of the base irl guys were at a byodynamic workshop with hugh Lovell last week. He was big on compost. Also he talked about "peppering" to control slugs in a similar way to the thistles.
 
Location
Cambridge
Potentially some good stuff in there. It it's the attempt to mystify the effects that irritates me. I'd prefer if they said "it works but we don't know exactly why" rather than going on about crystals etc etc
 

llamedos

New Member
Some of the base irl guys were at a byodynamic workshop with hugh Lovell last week. He was big on compost. Also he talked about "peppering" to control slugs in a similar way to the thistles.

So is it suggested that the weed (thistle) or the slug, are collecting whatever the soil is deficient in, and by burning it, and spreading the residue you are correcting, or going some way to correct the imbalance?
 

Andy Howard

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Ashford, Kent
Went to see Friedrich Wenz on my travels who is biodynamic but very practical. He says it has been shown the cow poo in horn is rammed with enzymes once finished and acts as a kick start for soil biology. Think it has some merits. Apparently 3 million hectares of Australia used some preps even though a lot not biodynamic. They have just found it works. Though 3 million hectares could just be one farm down under
 

kernowcluck

Member
Location
Cornwall
A lot of very interesting stuff in that. now who's going to try it???
My dear late Dad farmed a 350 acre mixed farm biodynamically for most of his life. As kids some of the practices were a source of great amusement to us but farm produced well, the animals were healthy and the soil was in great order. He sowed crops using the lunar calendar for maximising production, vigor etc and harvested, weather permitting, using the same principles. If anyone doubts this try sowing successions of radishes and see the differences.

It's easy to laugh at alternative methods but bullsh*t aside there are many biodynamic farmers quietly getting on with it, as are organic farmers and others. Sadly as ever with something a bit different it attracts the nutters and those that mock. I tried farming biodynamically and just couldn't make it on my own as it was too labour intensive - but I am organic and do my best.
 

Louis Mc

Member
Location
Meath, Ireland
I'm d
My dear late Dad farmed a 350 acre mixed farm biodynamically for most of his life. As kids some of the practices were a source of great amusement to us but farm produced well, the animals were healthy and the soil was in great order. He sowed crops using the lunar calendar for maximising production, vigor etc and harvested, weather permitting, using the same principles. If anyone doubts this try sowing successions of radishes and see the differences.

It's easy to laugh at alternative methods but bullsh*t aside there are many biodynamic farmers quietly getting on with it, as are organic farmers and others. Sadly as ever with something a bit different it attracts the nutters and those that mock. I tried farming biodynamically and just couldn't make it on my own as it was too labour intensive - but I am organic and do my best.
I'm definitely not laughing or mocking. I think it's fantastic. I wonder if its not working to be fully fledged biodynamic can you just take bits of it onto your organic/conventional farm and reap the rewards?

I think it's probably a lot more scientifically grounded than the "nutters" would allow us to believe.
But obviously if you start talking about magic and sh!t you're going to turn a lot of people off
 

kernowcluck

Member
Location
Cornwall
I'm d

I'm definitely not laughing or mocking. I think it's fantastic. I wonder if its not working to be fully fledged biodynamic can you just take bits of it onto your organic/conventional farm and reap the rewards?

I think it's probably a lot more scientifically grounded than the "nutters" would allow us to believe.
But obviously if you start talking about magic and sh!t you're going to turn a lot of people off

As with organic farming you may choose to take parts of the systems into your way of farming because you want to do the best for the land but, as you know, if you want accreditation you have to comply with Soil Association standards. There is nothing to stop you taking parts of BD principles either but again if you want to benefit from selling under the Demeter certification for BD produce you will need to conform to their standards. I think if you're interested it is better to do something positive than nothing. The results from sowing at the optimal times, for example, can be a question of your crop producing the outcome you want or that encouraged by the elements influencing the planet.

My Dad was no fool-he was an RHS judge, lectured well into his eighties and grew certified seed for the big seed companies. Back to my radish experiment; if you wanted a good crop you need to sow when it is the optimal time for root production and you can see that if you sow for flower or seed production you will get a plant that wants to go to seed. This is fine if you want seed eg peas but you don't want a crop of bolting radishes. Therefore you might just as well do yourself a favour and sow at the right time. That's the sort of thing I can add to the organic methods.
 

Tim W

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Wiltshire
Go see Tablehurst Biodynamic Farm , Forest Row, Sussex

A very well run and professional farm selling all produce through a busy and thriving shop----you will be impressed ---500 acres
 

kernowcluck

Member
Location
Cornwall
Go see Tablehurst Biodynamic Farm , Forest Row, Sussex

A very well run and professional farm selling all produce through a busy and thriving shop----you will be impressed ---500 acres
I know it well, an excellent community project and they would be only too pleased to welcome any of you there.
 

Tim W

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Wiltshire
Tablehurst is great but they get a huge amount of free labour from the residents of Forest Row to help them along.
Not been for a few years but they needed the community to make it pay.
I think that the last time I was there I was told that the business pays for itself and all labour but that capital improvements are paid for by their extended community ?

Mind you all farmers (landowners) get some help from the local community ----they collect farmers dole which is raised from the communities taxes
 
I think that the last time I was there I was told that the business pays for itself and all labour but that capital improvements are paid for by their extended community ?

Mind you all farmers (landowners) get some help from the local community ----they collect farmers dole which is raised from the communities taxes
Could be so now as I was last there a while ago. Cant get my head around planting with the moon stuff though, especially on land like they/we have. Takes more balls than I have to wait if conditions are right.
 

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quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

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