Farm Individuality at Millton Vineyard by James Millton

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Harvest Article – Spring 2018

“Seek the truly practical material world. But seek it so that it does not numb you to the spirit, which is active in it.” – Rudolf Steiner

I live near Gisborne on the East Coast of the North Island, close to the sea and therefore subject to a maritime influence of the morning mists and afternoon sea breezes. Our soils are young. We don’t irrigate. The air is enveloping, and the sun? Well, in terms of time, they say that it’s the first place on Earth to see this event each day, and it pleases us. People have trodden this piece of earth for a very long time. The family of my wife and business partner Annie have tilled this dirt for many generations. We live in a mild and pleasant climate.

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If at first you don’t succeed…

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Harvest Article – Summer 2016

Angus Thomson of Urlar Wines tells how he finally made the leap from organic to biodynamic growing.

My journey to organics had a seed sown about 20 years ago.

My wife and I were farming the family farm in Scotland. We had a friend who owned an organic brewery, and he asked if we would consider growing organic barley for him.

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Applying for Demeter Certification

Biodynamics, Cow Dung and Best Practice: A Viticulturist Journey by Jared Connolly

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Harvests Article – Summer 2016

My biodynamic journey began in 1999 while studying organic growing with Holger Kahl at Seven Oaks in Christchurch. We were fortunate to have Ian Henderson teach our class the basics of animal husbandry at Milmore Downs, and I had the opportunity to plough paddocks and dig soil pits at Terrace Farms with Geoff and Ira Wilson. We also picked chamomile flowers at Hohepa Farm in Halswell with Marinus La Rooij.

All three of these occasions in my two years of learning ignited a very strong desire to create a life working and learning with this approach called biodynamics.

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Ancient Grains for Optimal Nutrition

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Harvest Article 2017 – Spring

Rachel Rose talks with Ian Henderson of Milmore Downs, the oldest continuously- certified Demeter farm in New Zealand, about growing nutritious biodynamic grains and flour.

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Farm Individuality – New Perspective for Urban Farm Growers

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Harvest Magazine Article – Spring 2018

Farm individuality is an important principle in biodynamic food growing. Individuality can also be applied in urban food growing spaces of any scale, but there are some changes needed in how to work with individuality, some new perspectives. Article by Peter Kearney.

I had the pleasure of running a workshop recently at the global centre for biodynamics in Dornach, Switzerland at the Goetheanum. It was the 2018 international biodynamic conference. The workshop I ran was focused on working with biodynamic preparations in the urban food growing context. Farm individuality was discussed and a number of the perspectives described below evolved from our conversations. 

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Farm Identity

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Harvest Magazine Article – Spring 2018

Biodynamic farmers frequently talk about the need to consider the farm as an individuality or organism – but why is this important, and what does it mean? In a series of articles, this issue of Harvests explores that concept from multiple perspectives.

Here, long-time biodynamic practitioner and guide Peter Bacchus explores the original foundations underpinning the concept of farm as organism.

Ninety-four years ago, biodynamic agriculture was born at a conference in what is now northeastern Germany. It is now 96 years since the first biodynamic preparation was made and demonstrated by Dr Rudolf Steiner. When the first biodynamic course was given, it was a series of lectures given to mostly farmers and was called Lectures for the spiritual renewal of agriculture.

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Bringing Forgotten Soil To Life

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Harvest Magazine – Autumn 2018

Jen Speedy tells the tale of transforming soil at Taikura Rudolf Steiner School in Hastings, using biodynamic practices.

Six years ago, our school grounds expanded with the purchase of the neighbouring property – a commercial four-story building surrounded by asphalt car parking areas. On two sides of the newly acquired grounds, edging the building and edging the street, were very sorry, pale, baked, unloved and lifeless strips of gardens supported by a couple of Acer negundo maple trees, a eucalypt and that thorny stalwart, the Eleagnus hedge.

On the third side sat an additional very large asphalt carpark. A contracted company ripped up the asphalt for us. On half the area, topsoil was smoothed out and grass seed blasted on – and presto, the existing playing field had been extended.

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Farming Empathy

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Harvest Magazine Article – Spring 2018

Dairy farmer Laura Beck describes how farm individuality arises out of a farmer’s integration with her animals, land and community.

I’ve been playing with the idea of what farm individuality means for a few years now and letting the idea slowly evolve in my head and my senses.

When I first started this farm almost five years ago, I was whirring with the different, varied and many needs to get the farm and the business up and running. I didn’t give myself much space to sit and be present in the farm. But, slowly over the years, the daily rhythm has crept into the pulse of my body and there are times that I can see things in a new, fresh way. These times happen mostly when I am entirely present with the cows that live on the farm.

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Making Compost at Schools and Farms

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Harvests Magazine Article – Autumn 2015

Andrew Seager speaks from experience

Over the past 25 years, I’ve worked in many different agricultural and horticultural situations. They have ranged from a 500-acre mixed biodynamic farm on the Kaipara, to the two-acre Demeter market garden that I’ve developed south of Hastings since 1991.

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Biodynamic Gardening In An Urban School

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Harvests Magazine Article – Summer 2016

Jen Speedy manages the gardens at Taikura Rudolf Steiner School, and assists with the Taruna Certificate in Applied Organics and Biodynamics.

It’s a busy bustling life, that of the school garden.

The school year begins in late summer, after a six week rest for the garden from the activity of children, teachers and school people. I’m sure our school gardens rejoice when term begins, with the renewed activity and the return to rhythm.

We use the biodynamic calendar in our gardening activities and our general work over the three-acre grounds, as well as when we work alongside the children of the lower school in their gardening.

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