WEAVING A GLOBAL FABRIC OF BIODYNAMIC CONNECTION THEA MARIA CARLSON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
for efficiently cleaning out manure, and a shaded side My trip to India to attend the Organic World area with netting reaching the ground to offer safe cover Congress and visit biodynamic farms and projects from raptor predators. After the field visits, we met for with biodynamic practitioners from around the several days at Hertzberg, an ecological hotel and retreat globe in November 2017 was an entry point to many center, and I got to see the democratic process by which new relationships and richer participation with the Demeter International operates, including motions by international biodynamic community for me and the member countries to amend the standards which are Biodynamic Association (see my article in the Spring the basis for Demeter/Biodynamic certification. I also 2018 issue of Biodynamics for more on that trip). Shortly contributed to several strategy sessions with a group of after I returned, I received two invitations to travel overseas: first, to be a keynote speaker at the New Zealand international leaders in biodynamic training and capacity building to identify needs and priorities for Demeter Biodynamic Conference, and then to participate in a International in supporting the global community—and training and capacity working group at the Demeter especially countries where biodynamics is relatively International Members Assembly. These two events new—in developing and implementing training for those happened to be scheduled a week apart in June, and so who wish to practice biodynamic agriculture. I ended up literally circling the globe, from California to Traveling on from the first days of summer in Switzerland via Iceland, from Switzerland to New Zealand Europe to the first days of winter in New Zealand, I arrived via Hong Kong, and then from New Zealand back home. just in time for the full-day introduction to biodynamics In Switzerland, I joined with delegates from pre-conference Demeter certification taught by Su Hoskin organizations around and Rachel Pomeroy the world and other (partner of the late guests to visit several Peter Proctor). key biodynamicHosted at Domaine related farms and Thompson Vineyard, projects throughout where Su had set the country, including up a gorgeous the FiBL research and functional institute and the biodynamic work DOK trials, where space, a group of 40 conventional, participants braved organic, and intensely chilly biodynamic weather to learn agricultural about the principles of practices have been biodynamics and get compared side by hands-on building a side on randomized compost pile, making controlled plots barrel compost, and continuously for stirring and spraying the past forty years; preparations. Sativa biodynamic During the main seed initiative and the conference, I offered farm, Demeter store, Su Hoskin’s beautiful biodynamic work shed, two presentations, and education center coDomaine Thompson Vineyard, New Zealand one on growing located in Rheinau; and the biodynamic movement in North America, and a the exemplary family biodynamic farm Randenhof, with second on communicating biodynamics with depth and the most impressive pastured laying hen setup I’ve ever breadth in modern times. I also met with the council of seen, featuring mobile coops with solar power, nesting boxes filled with grain hulls to keep the eggs protected and the Biodynamics New Zealand and the organization’s new leader to share my experiences and offer advice clean, a perforated floor with a conveyor belt underneath SPRING 2019
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