Anna Helmer We’ve had some cow horns stuffed with manure buried at the foot of the garden since Christmas. We dug them up in May to check, but the manure was still pretty sloppy. I expect they are now ready and I intend to dig them up and prepare some BD-500. I am doing that… Keep Reading
Anna Helmer Gosh, I am having enormous trouble focussing my brain on writing. There are any number of reasons why this is so, but basically, I haven’t made time to get to my computer and once there, commence writing. I get to the machine all right, but my attention is quickly pulled into other areas… Keep Reading
Anna Helmer The sunny weather is persisting, but the shortening days are denying the heat a chance to build beyond a most pleasant warmth. Even the drought, which is also persisting, has its work cut out for it now that the morning dew is so heavy. We are gunning hard to get through these last… Keep Reading
Anna Helmer I guess everyone knows the main claim to fame of a perfectly-run Biodynamic farm is that it is a closed loop system. Everything needed by the farm is produced within the farm. Going outside the gate, especially for fertility, indicates a problem with farm health. Biodynamics, and particularly the preparations, are intended to… Keep Reading
Stacey Santos Since 2012, Niki Strutynski and her husband Nick Neisingh have grown organic mixed vegetables at Tatlo Road Farm, located south of Crofton on southern Vancouver Island. With years of experience working on other organic vegetable farms throughout BC, plus Niki’s degree in Agroecology from UBC, they have created a robust nutrient and nitrogen… Keep Reading
By Anna Helmer I am under more pressure than you might realize to produce another one of these articles called “Biodynamic Farm Story.” The problem is that my understanding of the concepts of Biodynamic farming is limited, and by now everyone must know that. I cope by dropping disclaimers to remind people to keep their… Keep Reading
By Anna Helmer Misty rain on wet snow. This is the image I conjured for myself last summer every time it went to 40 degrees, which was many times. As a cooling vision, it is recommended. Mind you, now that I seem to encounter it every day, I find it a less enchanting experience. I… Keep Reading
Microbially Friendly Farming By Dr. Judith Fitzpatrick [Originally published in Heart & Soil Magazine] Imagine that you were intelligent enough to diagnose a disease, prescribe the correct antimicrobial, and manufacture it. Plants with a healthy microbiome do this! The plant and microbes work together to perform this miracle. Organic farmers need 97% less of any… Keep Reading
Anna Helmer The Biodynamic baseline regeneration mission: replace the vitality of the soil—successfully drawn into the plants and then removed along with the crop, for consumption. In Biodynamics, the way to do this is through composting—the creation of humus that supports soil to regain its power. The Biodynamic Compost Preparations are the fertility tools of… Keep Reading
Empowering the Human Micronutrient Supply Chain from the Soil Up Marjorie Harris I have long accepted that the saying “Healthy Soil, Healthy Plants, Healthy people” fully explained the human nutrient supply chain. Turns out, this is not entirely accurate. In fact, the mineral requirements for healthy plants, animals, and people are quite different. During organic… Keep Reading
