By Kenzo Esquivel and Patrick Baur [This article originally was originally published with the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) and is shared here with gratitude.] Looking out across his 20 acres in California’s Central Coast, a farmer reflected on his journey: “One of the things I’m probably the proudest of in our tenure here on… Keep Reading
Anna Helmer The title of this column is borderline pretentious and potentially misleading. We are not a certified biodynamic farm. I am certain we do not meet the requirements and have faint hope of doing so because we fall well short of the ideal farm Rudolph Steiner describes in his lectures: we have no cattle,… Keep Reading
Andrew Adams Trees, shrubs, and seeds all wait to begin a lifetime or two of photosynthesizing sugars for human and animal consumption and enjoyment. The road where Walter’s backhoe broke in a muck of two summers of nonstop rain is now ditched and has a new layer of gravel. Part of me broke in that… Keep Reading
Anna Helmer I have found it too cold to even consider applying Biodynamic Preparations so far this year. There’s no rule about it being too cold—it’s just a feeling I have. A shivery one. Instead, I have been contenting myself Biodynamically with further fiddling in our forested areas. The idea is to open things up… Keep Reading
By Ron Berezan This article was first published by The Canadian Organic Grower magazine in Summer 2011, and is reprinted here with gratitude. “When the well is dry, we know the worth of water.” – Benjamin Franklin, 1746 Turn on the tap and there it is; that shimmering, miraculous substance that flows through our rivers… Keep Reading
Our Best Case for a Climate-Changed Food System Brian MacIsaac and Rebecca Kneen Fifty years ago, the combination of climate crisis, income inequality, and environmental toxification led to a massive change in North America. The polar ice melt raised the ocean by several feet, drowning cities all over the coast, including all the coastal agricultural… Keep Reading
By Anna Helmer Alas, alak. Which is to say, phew. My self-celebrated cull potato Biodynamic compost pile is not available to evaluate in time for this article deadline: the snowpack beneath which it languishes lingers still. Truth be told, I am relieved. I have not been shy about leading us all to believe I am… Keep Reading
A Farm and Foodlands Owner’s Guide By Michael Marrapese The Foodlands Cooperative of BC has a bold vision—to secure farmland for farming for future generations. While the Agricultural Land Reserve offers some protection by restricting the allowable activities on farmland, it has had only a modest effect on the selling price and accessibility of farmland… Keep Reading
Atmospheric Rivers Niklaus Forstbauer – Forstbauer Farm, Chilliwack How do I even begin to describe the month of November for those of us who live in the path of catastrophic weather systems that unleashed flooding, landslides, and washouts throughout our region? It is difficult to express the dread: the rain falling, water rising around houses… Keep Reading
By Anna Helmer Well, I am thrilled to discover that the likely theme for this edition of BC Organic Grower magazine is: Composting Chaos. The suggestion that chaos may be composted is encouraging and practical…and it is always a treat to find something compostable that is in such good supply. Further thrills at the possibility… Keep Reading
