Those of you who are really into the organic and green worlds are probably familiar with a growing-in-popularity agricultural practice called Biodynamic Farming. Some of you have most likely come across this when buying wine - as the wine industry has made tremendous strides in advertising their biodynamic alternatives and touting superior wines with stronger flavors, as well as a significantly longer shelf life.
Wines are arguably the most noticeably affected by farming techniques, and wine-makers across the globe go through great pains to control and adjust every aspect of the growth, cultivation, fermentation and aging aspects of their grapes and wines. Oftentimes, they are controlling pH balances, as well as composte and fertilizers (which I understand, they try to use as sparingly as possible). It's no secret that the same wine varietal from the same region can taste vastly different from one vineyard to the other, with only a few yards distance between them.
The biodynamic agricultural movement, to overly simplify, is like the organic movement on steroids. The biodynamic movement is centered around the insights of Rudolf Steiner, a spiritual philosopher. The main focus on biodynamic agriculture is the organic approach to farming with the idea that farms and plants are unified and individual organisms. There is much stress and emphasis on maintaining a holistic balance between the plants, soil, and animals as a sort of micro-eco-system onto itself. The overlap into organic farming is on points like using manure and composte instead of artificial or chemical additives to the farming experience. However, biodynamic farmers even go so far as to following astronomical calendars to determine their planting and cultivating seasons.
Surprisingly, biodynamic agriculture has been around since 1924, and according to wikipedia had its début in a series of eight lectures given by Rudolf Steiner in Silesia (now in Poland, then was a part of Germany). This lecture series was actually given in response to degraded soil conditions, and local farmers were in search of a viable solution.
In 1938, the Biodynamic Farming & Gardening Association was founded in New York State, which marked the official beginning of biodynamic agriculture in the United States.
As for the verdict on whether biodynamic agriculture really is much better...well, there seems to be a bit of controversy around that. There are measurable and significant benefits like soil with higher biological and physical quality; the soil had a marked increase in organic matter, as well as the content and microbial activity. There was a greater number of earthworms and the overall quality of the soil structure was better. However, the differences between biodynamic farming and organic farming was not significant.
As for what the carbon footprint on biodynamic farming is, I do not know, although given what I've read about the philosophy and methods, it seems to be relatively low in terms of carbon emissions. Biodynamic farming may actually be the best balance between Organic vs Being Green. In the end, I think that biodynamic farming is another great and "natural" form of agriculture. Those who align themselves with the spiritual philosophy behind it are sure to truly appreciate the fruits of the farmers' labor.
Wines are arguably the most noticeably affected by farming techniques, and wine-makers across the globe go through great pains to control and adjust every aspect of the growth, cultivation, fermentation and aging aspects of their grapes and wines. Oftentimes, they are controlling pH balances, as well as composte and fertilizers (which I understand, they try to use as sparingly as possible). It's no secret that the same wine varietal from the same region can taste vastly different from one vineyard to the other, with only a few yards distance between them.
The biodynamic agricultural movement, to overly simplify, is like the organic movement on steroids. The biodynamic movement is centered around the insights of Rudolf Steiner, a spiritual philosopher. The main focus on biodynamic agriculture is the organic approach to farming with the idea that farms and plants are unified and individual organisms. There is much stress and emphasis on maintaining a holistic balance between the plants, soil, and animals as a sort of micro-eco-system onto itself. The overlap into organic farming is on points like using manure and composte instead of artificial or chemical additives to the farming experience. However, biodynamic farmers even go so far as to following astronomical calendars to determine their planting and cultivating seasons.
Surprisingly, biodynamic agriculture has been around since 1924, and according to wikipedia had its début in a series of eight lectures given by Rudolf Steiner in Silesia (now in Poland, then was a part of Germany). This lecture series was actually given in response to degraded soil conditions, and local farmers were in search of a viable solution.
In 1938, the Biodynamic Farming & Gardening Association was founded in New York State, which marked the official beginning of biodynamic agriculture in the United States.
As for the verdict on whether biodynamic agriculture really is much better...well, there seems to be a bit of controversy around that. There are measurable and significant benefits like soil with higher biological and physical quality; the soil had a marked increase in organic matter, as well as the content and microbial activity. There was a greater number of earthworms and the overall quality of the soil structure was better. However, the differences between biodynamic farming and organic farming was not significant.
As for what the carbon footprint on biodynamic farming is, I do not know, although given what I've read about the philosophy and methods, it seems to be relatively low in terms of carbon emissions. Biodynamic farming may actually be the best balance between Organic vs Being Green. In the end, I think that biodynamic farming is another great and "natural" form of agriculture. Those who align themselves with the spiritual philosophy behind it are sure to truly appreciate the fruits of the farmers' labor.
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