The BIODYNAMIC® Vineyard Part 1

"Now a farm comes closest to its own essence when it can be conceived of as a kind of independent individuality, a self-­contained entity. In reality, every farm ought to aspire to this state of being a self-­contained individuality.” Rudolf Steiner

Biodynamics follows the teachings of Austrian anthroposophist Rudolf Steiner. Steiner (a noted scientist, philosopher, and founder of the Waldorf School) spent his life studying the forces that regulate life and growth. In 1924, the basic principles of biodynamic farming were created. Since then, it has gained more and more popularity among wineries as people are taking notice that the methods can make a real difference in the vineyard with high quality fruit harvests and lowered farming costs over time.

In 1924, a group of European farmers approached Steiner after noticing a rapid decline in seed fertility, crop vitality and animal health. "In response, Steiner held a series of lectures that presented the farm as a living organism: self-contained and self-sustaining, responsible for creating and maintaining its individual health and vitality. This was in sharp contrast to the current view of the farm as factory, boosting production by importing chemical pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, that was largely responsible for the observations of depleted vitality noted by the farmers who sought Steiner’s guidance. Steiner was one of the first public figures to question the long-term benefits of this manufacturing view of agriculture and to warn of its environmentally destructive practices.'*

Steiner envisioned the farm to work in the same manner as a wilderness forest does. That forest is completely self-sufficient and utlizes a natural water cycle along with natural pest control through biological and genetic diversity of the land. In 1928, following Steiner’s lectures, Demeter was formed in Europe to certify his agricultural methods in practice, The idea of Demeter Certified Biodynamic agriculture is that the farm is managed as a eco-system in its own right. The goal is to create a farm system that is minimally dependent on imported materials, instead meeting its own needs from the living dynamics on the farm itself.

Read more on biodynamic farming in part two of this series here.

*quotation taken from the Biodynamic Farm Standard