Biodynamics
Biodynamics is a science of life-forces, a recognition of the basic principles at work in nature, and an approach to agriculture which takes these principles into account to bring about balance and healing. Biodynamics is an ongoing path of knowledge rather than an assemblage of methods and techniques. Biodynamic agriculture is part of the work of Rudolf Steiner known as anthroposophy - a new approach to science which integrates precise observation of natural phenomena, clear thinking, and knowledge of the spirit.
Working with nature, rather than against it, is the central tenet of sustainable, organic and biodynamic farming. This includes utilizing nature’s army of beneficial life forms, rather than fighting against them. Insects, invertebrates, birds and mammals are all surprising little helpers in the production of healthy, wholesome crops of grapes and cider apples.
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Besides food, you might have seen the term “biodynamic” creep up on the ingredient lists of your beauty products, wine, and even eggs. But if you’re still scratching your head over what it means—and if it’s worth seeking out—consider this the ultimate primer. (And bonus! There’s also a list of five biodynamic food picks to try now, because seeing—eating?—really is believing.)
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The sad truth is that when the world became industrialized, our food system became industrialized too. This might sound like a good thing. (Hey, it means we can get avocados year-round, whatever specific apple hybrid we want, and enough beef to satisfy our burger cravings, right?) But nowadays, most farms look more like factories than like sources of freshly grown nutrition.
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“You have to be absolutely fearless to be a winemaker in Quebec—you have to be fucking ballsy. It’s hard to make wine anywhere in the world, but it’s especially tough here, with this ridiculous climate.”
Emily Campeau does not mince words when she talks about wine, or anything else, for that matter. A native of Sainte-Thècle, a town of 2,500 some 200 kilometers away from Montreal, Campeau was destined for the bright lights of Paris, where she worked in
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GUELPH, Ont. — The art of agriculture or, for some, its spiritual essence, should be valued as much as the science, says a farmer from Ontario.
“We have to realize everything is interconnected and we cannot live in isolation,” Chris Boettcher told the Guelph Organic Conference Jan. 29.
“It may be that we’re entering the second age of enlightenment.”
Boettcher and his wife, Gabi, have lived what he describes as two different farming lifestyles.
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Pope Francis today blew out 79 candles on a giant “biodynamic” lemon cake made especially for his birthday and delivered to his St. Marta residence.
The low-calorie dessert, made from free-range eggs, Italian cream and Calabrian lemons, was the fruit of painstaking work by pastry chefs at Hedera, an ice cream shop nearby on Borgo Pio.
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In the mid-twentieth century, chemicals like DDT almost wiped out our birds. Now, on the dawn of the twenty-first century, in 2015, American scientists are reporting that pesticides are inflicting "irreparable harm to all beings on this planet, including the planet herself."
For example, the weed killer glyphosate is causing substantial harm. "Epidemiological evidence," a recent study shows, "supports strong temporal correlations between glyphosate usage on crops and a multitude of cancers that are reaching epidemic proportions."
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Greenwashing is the practice of paying lip service to environmental issues, and for the record, millennials loathe it.
As Forbes magazine put it in a recent story, “They are always on the lookout for corporate hypocrisy.”
At Sonoma County wineries, green comes in countless flavors: biodynamic farming, organic certifications, solar panels, environmental fundraisers, donations to environmental foundations and even parking lot charging stations for electronic cars.
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Current resident columnists on Cook magazine Jane Scotter and Harry Astley farm at Fern Verrow, a patch of 16 acres on the border of England and Wales. They are led by the principles of biodynamic farming, pioneered by Rudolf Steiner in the 1920s, to address dwindling soil fertility and degenerating crop quality. Judging by the quality of their produce, it works...
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"For 6,000 years, the original Danish Red Dairy cattle was the dominant cattle breed in Denmark. Now there are only 200 cows left of this race."
In an age of growing awareness of the sustainable farming methods, director Phie Ambo's up-close look at humane agronomy is both inspiring and thought provoking.
The film's message is told through the story of Niels Stokholm, an 80-year-old farmer from Denmark who mans a biodynamic farm.
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