WELCOME Dear Friends, It is a joy to welcome you to the 2018 Biodynamic Conference, Transforming the Heart of Agriculture: Soil. Justice. Regeneration. The Biodynamic Association is celebrating our 80th anniversary this year, and organizing conferences has been a central part of our work since we began in 1938. For eight decades, the Biodynamic Conference has been a place where farmers, gardeners, land stewards—and so many others who are drawn to the deep wellspring of biodynamics—travel from near and far to learn, teach, connect, and inspire. This conference has also become a place where we lift our heads from our day-to-day work on the land and consider the broader significance of our endeavors. At a time when society is grappling with ecological, social, and spiritual divides—deep disconnects between humans and the Earth, humans and other humans, and humans and ourselves—this conference gives us an opportunity to energize our work to co-create a more vibrant, regenerative, and just future. We have an amazing lineup of keynotes and workshops addressing the practical aspects of stewarding soil and seeds, tending plants and animals, and nurturing the individualities of each of our farms and gardens to generate health and abundance. We also have a wide array of sessions exploring the spiritual, cultural, social, and economic dimensions of agriculture. Some of the questions we will live into during this conference include: How can we develop truly co-creative relationships with our fellow humans and with the earth? What can we do to build justice, dignity, and respect for all who inhabit this planet? How can biodynamics, indigenous land stewardship, regenerative agriculture, permaculture, and the many movements for positive change work in synergy, and what unique contributions can biodynamics bring? What is the heart of agriculture, and how does it need to be transformed? What do our hearts want to tell us? These are deep questions, which cannot be fully answered in these few days we have together. They may not be fully answered in our lifetimes. But in this ephemeral community—this unique convergence of hundreds of souls who have come together right here and right now—we have an amazing opportunity to activate our hearts and minds, and to sense into new possibilities. May this experience resonate deeply in your heart, and may you leave with new ideas, connections, and inspiration to nurture the transformative work you do. Warmly, Thea Maria Carlson Executive Director
Red Lion
CONTENTS Welcome
1
Map
2
Schedule
4
Keynote Speakers
10
Workshops at a Glance
12
Workshop Descriptions
14
En EspaĂąol
38
Children’s Activities
42
Workshop Tracks
44
Special Events
48
Research Poster Session
51
Presenters
52
Exhibits
62
The Biodynamic Association
64
Farmers & Producers
68
Anniversary Celebration
69
Biodynamic Scholarship Fund Donors
70
Membership
72
Practical Information
74
Business & Community Partners
76
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SCHEDULE Wednesday, November 14 7:30 - 8:30 am 8:30 am - 5:30 pm
12:30 - 1:30 pm 6:30 - 8:00 pm 7:00 - 9:00 pm
7:30 - 9:30 pm
Breakfast Full-Day Pre-Conference Workshops Agriculture and Social Health: Empowering Each Other to Live Well in Our Tasks Biodynamic Seed for North America: How to Build International Cooperation to Strengthen a Coordinated North American Biodynamic Seed Movement Field Day at Malibu Compost: Building Living Soils Field Day at Our Table Cooperative and Native Gathering Garden at Cully Park Field Day at Mineral Springs Ranch and Momtazi Vineyard: Growing Grapes and Making Estate Wine within a Diverse Farm Organism Field Day at Mt. Hood Organic Farms and Analemma: Biodynamic Fruit Lunch Dinner In Anticipation of the 100th Anniversary of Biodynamic Agriculture, How Do We Responsibly Present Its Spiritual-Scientific Foundations to the World? - Part 1 Film Screening of “Modified: A Food Lover’s Journey into GMOs”
Clark/Washington Multnomah Clackamas
Malibu Compost Our Table & Cully Park Mineral Springs & Momtazi Vineyard Mt Hood & Analemma Clark/Washington Clark/Washington Multnomah
Clackamas
Thursday, November 15 7:30 - 8:30 am 8:30 am - 12:00 pm
8:30 am - 4:30 pm
12:00 - 1:00 pm 1:00 - 4:30 pm
4:00 pm 5:00 - 6:30 pm
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Breakfast Half-Day Pre-Conference Workshops Collaborative Strategies for the Emerging Food Economy, Part 1 Ecosystem Mimicry in Perennial Biodynamic Systems In Anticipation of the 100th Anniversary of Biodynamic Agriculture, How Do We Responsibly Present Its Spiritual-Scientific Foundations to the World? - Part 2 Full-Day Pre-Conference Workshops Biodynamic Winemaking Intensive at Montinore Estates Core Principles and Practices of Making and Using All of the Preparations Lunch Half-Day Pre-Conference Workshops Advanced Biodynamics Biodynamic Beekeeping The Biodynamic Principles Collaborative Strategies for the Emerging Food Economy, Part 2 How Inner Development Affects Our Tasks on the Farm and in Community Life Look Up to the Sky, Before You Look Down at Your Calendar! Silent Auction Open Conference Opening and Welcome Keynote: Transforming the Heart of Agriculture, with Ueli Hurter and Narendra Varma
Grand Ballroom East Weyerhaeuser Clackamas Clark
Montinore Estates Multnomah Grand Ballroom East Crown Zellerbach Clackamas Overton Weyerhaeuser Washington Clark Grand Ballroom Mt St Helens Ballroom Mt St Helens Ballroom
SCHEDULE 6:30 - 8:00 pm 8:00 - 9:30 pm
BDA 80th Anniversary Celebration “SEED the STORIES” Short Film Premier and Panel
Grand Ballroom East Mt St Helens Ballroom
Friday, November 16 7:30 - 8:15 am 7:30 - 8:30 am 8:00 am - 9:00 pm 8:30 - 10:30 am 11:00 am - 12:30 pm 12:00 - 6:00 pm 12:30 - 2:00 pm 12:30 - 2:30 pm 1:00-2:00 pm 2:00 - 3:00 pm
3:00-3:30 pm 3:30 - 4:30 pm
4:30 - 5:00 pm
Qigong Eurythmy Breakfast Bookstore Open Keynote: Biodynamics in Practice: Stories of Regeneration, with Nadine Basile, Anna Jones-Crabtree, and Wali Via Building a Vivid Picture for the Future of Biodynamics Exhibits Lunch Advance Screening of “The Biggest Little Farm” Connecting Farms and Land Opportunities with Farmers and Apprentices Workshop Session 1 Achieving Belonging in a Culture of Race and Racism Australian Biodynamic Approach Biodynamic Nursery Management Biodynamics in India Growing Vegetables in the Context of a Biodynamic Farm The Hidden Half of Nature: New Science of the Microbiome Quantum Physics for Biodynamic Farmers Soil Value Exchange: Biodynamic Approaches to Soil Healing and Rural Economics Sowing the Seeds: Foodscapes of the Four Corners Understanding Consciousness-Altering Substances: Cannabis, Opiates, Alcohol, and More Break Workshop Session 2 Apis Arborea — Rewilding Honeybees Beyond Voodoo Vintners: The Next Generation in Biodynamic Wine Biodynamic Agriculture: The Renewed Hope for Kenya’s Soil Biodynamic Production in Germany and the Beginning in Farms from Mexico and Guatemala Esoteric Disease Control and Farm Health Farming Water: Whole Farm Keyline Water Systems George Washington Carver and the Biodynamic Movement Growing Biodynamic Certification with Integrity Integrating Biodynamics and Landscaping The Nature of the Beast: Integrating Animals on a Biodynamic Market Farm Yahowt! Indigenous-Led Permaculture Design and Indigenous Foods Break
Hayden Washington Grand Ballroom East Grand Ballroom Grand Ballroom West Grand Ballroom West Hayden and Café Grand Ballroom East Clark Washington
Overton Clackamas Multnomah Glisan Grand Ballroom West Crown Zellerbach Lovejoy Weyerhaeuser Pettygrove Pendleton
Lovejoy Clark Glisan Crown Zellerbach Pendleton Clackamas Overton Weyerhaeuser Multnomah Grand Ballroom West Pettygrove
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SCHEDULE 5:00 - 6:30 pm
6:30 - 8:00 pm 8:00 - 9:00 pm 8:00 - 9:30 pm 9:00 pm
Workshop Session 3 Biodynamic Cannabis Biodynamics and Urban Agriculture: A Match in the Soil Connecting to Spirit Culinary Breeding Network: Building Community among Plant Breeders, Farmers, Chefs, and Eaters to Create Better Varieties for All FaithLands From Farm Organism to Farm Individuality Marketing Your Biodynamic Venture Original Aims and Ideals of the CSA Model as Embodied in the Temple Wilton Communmity Farm in New Hampshire and the Slow Hand Farm in Portland, Oregon Results and Reflections from the International Biodynamic Research Conference Rudolf Steiner and Social Justice The Seven Life Processes and the Farm as Living Organism Dinner Next Generation Biodynamic Farmers Tasting Oregon’s Terroir Music and Dancing
Clark Clackamas Glisan Washington Pendleton Grand Ballroom West Weyerhaeuser Multnomah
Crown Zellerbach Overton Lovejoy Grand Ballroom East Grand Ballroom West Washington JB’s Nightclub
Saturday, November 17 7:30 - 8:15 am 7:30 - 8:30 am 8:00 am - 9:00 pm 8:00 am - 6:00 pm 8:30 - 10:30 am 10:30 - 11:00 am 11:30 am - 12:30 pm
12:30 - 2:00 pm 2:00 - 4:30 pm 2:00 - 4:30 pm
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Qigong Eurythmy Breakfast Bookstore Open Exhibits Keynote: Biodynamics, Indigeneity, and Social Justice, with Orland Bishop, Jim Embry, and Rowen White Introduction to Open Space Workshop Session 4 Aiming for a New Generation in Finca Irlanda, Mexico Biodynamic Composting: Spreading Nature’s Network Biodynamic Farming Results in Mexico after Seven Years of Research Combating Climate Change with Biodynamics The Evolution of Natural Wine: From the Ancient Wine of the Ancestors to the Contemporary Concept of Natural and Biodynamic Wine The Farmer’s Twelve Senses: Nourishing Our Senses as a Foundation for Healing Our Land and Creating Our Farm Individuality From Here to Everywhere: Building a Regenerative Biodynamic Food System How to Invite Elementals onto Your Farm Rigor and Restlessness: Whither Biodynamic Practice? Thinking in Indian: Biodynamics at the Pine Ridge Reservation Lunch Open Space Sessions Research Poster Session
Hayden Washington Grand Ballroom East Grand Ballroom Hayden and Café Grand Ballroom West Grand Ballroom West Overton Grand Ballroom West Crown Zellerbach Clackamas Clark Multnomah Glisan Flanders Lovejoy Pettygrove Grand Ballroom West Various Crown Zellerbach
Since 1972, Hawthorne Valley Farm has been committed to the understanding, practice,and advancement of Biodynamic agriculture. FARMER TRAINING | SUMMER CAMP GROWING SEASON & WINTER CSA ORGANIC/NATURAL FOODS & GROCERY STORE CREAMERY | BAKERY | SAUERKRAUT & MORE!
Biodynamically sourced grapes from our Alexander Valley Estate.
Learn more at www.ecoterreno.com
900 ACRE DEMETER CERTIFIED BIODYNAMIC ® FARM USDA CERTIFIED ORGANIC | ANIMAL WELFARE APPROVED
HAWTHORNEVALLEY.ORG | GHENT NY
BIODYNAMIC: THE MOTHER OF ORGANIC ®
Our Biodynamic tonics were created to heal you and the planet. We use this beautiful form of regenerative farming to reduce our carbon footprint and to grow robust, potent plant material for these one-of-a-kind herbal remedies. Whether it’s stress, inflammation, immunity, stamina or the desire to sleep better, we’ve got you covered.*
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
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SCHEDULE 2:00 - 4:30 pm 5:00 - 6:30 pm
6:30 - 8:00 pm 8:00 - 9:00 pm 8:00 - 9:30 pm 9:00 pm
Lightning Talks Workshop Session 5 A Biodynamic Understanding of Trees Community Seed Systems: Connecting Soil to Table and Vase Through Seed Creating a Biodynamic Garden Ecosystem Expanding Biodynamic Grain Acres: Farmer-to-Farmer Education and Advancing Associative Relationships across the Supply Chain Introduction to Round Filter Chromatography and the Soil Food Web as Qualitative Assessment Tools for Soil and Compost Permaculture and Biodynamics Sacred Seed Stewardship Social Understanding, Gender, and Sexuality in Agriculture The Spiritual-Scientific Foundations of Biodynamic Agriculture, Part I Understanding the Spiritual Heart of Biodynamics Dinner Seed Swap Eurythmy Spring Valley Performance Music and Dancing
Multnomah Flanders Glisan Clark Clackamas Lovejoy Multnomah Pettygrove Overton Pendleton Grand Ballroom West Grand Ballroom East Main Lobby Grand Ballroom West JB’s Nightclub
Sunday, November 18 7:30 - 8:15 7:30 - 8:30 am 8:00 am - 1:00 pm 8:30 - 10:00 am
10:00 am 10:30 am - 12:30 pm 12:30 - 1:00 pm 1:00 - 2:00 pm
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Qigong Eurythmy Breakfast Bookstore Open Workshop Session 6 Biodynamic Preparations: A Dance between Community and Individuality Biodynamics and Latinos: Healing Pathways from Farm Workers to Farm Owners Ceremony for the Healing of the Earth Farming with Empathy Integrating Sheep into Biodynamic Vineyard Management Mid- to Large-Scale Sustainable Medicinal Herb Farming Reclaiming the Urban Forest for Food, Medicine, and Healing: Indigenous Cultural Collaborations in the Portland Metro Area The Spiritual-Scientific Foundations of Biodynamic Agriculture, Part 2 Wise Words from Biodynamic Pioneers of the Pacific Northwest Working with a Biodynamic Planting Calendar Silent Auction Closes Keynote: Regenerating Soil, Food, and the Economy, with M. Karlos Baca, Bruno Follador, and Alisa Gravitz Conference Closing Lunch
Hayden Washington Grand Ballroom East Grand Ballroom Weyerhaeuser Overton Washington Glisan Flanders Lovejoy Pettygrove Pendleton Crown Zellerbach Grand Ballroom West Grand Ballroom Grand Ballroom West Grand Ballroom West Grand Ballroom East
2019 North American
BIODYNAMIC CONFERENCE Lake George, NY
JOIN US November 20-24 in Upstate New York! WED: on-farm field days & in-depth workshops THUR: intensives, opening keynote, & celebration FRI-SUN: keynotes, 40+ breakout workshops, interactive conversations, music, art, & delicious local Biodynamic® & organic food
November 20-24
EXPLORE biodynamic farming & gardening * soil seeds * social justice * animal husbandry * economics research * health & spirit * community & culture
www.biodynamics.com/conference
Hawthorne Valley Farm - photo by Laurie Rhodes
Don’t miss the many great items in our
Silent Auction
Thursday 4:00 pm - Sunday 10:00 am in the Grand Ballroom
Apricot Lanes Farm Exclusive VIP farm tour for five guests with farmers John and Molly Chester.
WildCraft Cider Works Gift basket highlighting artisanal dry hard ciders inspired by traditional and wild methodology.
Supracor
Wellness lounge mat, bath mitt, and gardener’s kneeling pad.
Wine
Bottles and full cases. Shipping from the conference to your home available for an extra cost.
Choose Biodynamic wine from Brick House Vineyard, Brooks Winery, Chateau Bellevue, Cooper Mountain Vineyards, Cowhorn Vineyards, Keeler Estate Vineyard, King Estate, Maysara, Soter Vineyards, and Winderlea Vineyard and Winery. Browse our silent auction tables to see the many other items.
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KEYNOTE SPEAKERS Transforming the Heart of Agriculture Thursday, November 15, 5:00 - 6:30 pm
Biodynamics is transforming the heart of agriculture on every continent and in every climate. Ueli Hurter will bring highlights of biodynamic initiatives from around the world, and Narendra Varma will ground us in Portland by sharing the agricultural, social, and economic transformation happening at Our Table Cooperative. Moderated by Daphne Amory.
Ueli Hurter
Narendra Varma
Co-Head of the Agriculture Section at the Goetheanum and Executive Board Member of the International Biodynamic Association Neuchâtel, Switzerland
Founder and Executive Director of Our Table Cooperative Portland, Oregon
Biodynamics in Practice: Stories of Regeneration Friday, November 16, 9:00 - 10:30 am
Biodynamics is a holistic, ecological, and ethical approach to farming that brings renewed health and vitality to soil, plants, animals, and people. With vibrant visuals and specific examples, three biodynamic farmers will share stories of how they are incorporating regenerative principles and practices to create biodiverse and self-sustaining farm individualities. Moderated by Beth Hoinacki.
Nadine Basile
Anna Jones-Crabtree
Wali Via
Ranch Manager and Viticulturalist at Soter Vineyards and Mineral Springs Ranch Carlton, Oregon
Owner, Farmer, and Executive Director at Vilicus Farms and Vilicus Training Institute Havre, Montana
Co-Owner and Farmer at Winter Green Farm Noti, Oregon
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KEYNOTE SPEAKERS Biodynamics, Indigeneity, and Social Justice Saturday, November 17, 9:00 - 10:30 am
Transforming the heart of agriculture means transforming our human relationships. How can biodynamic, traditional, and indigenous farmers and land stewards connect and learn from one another? What steps can we take to build equity, inclusion, and true community in North American agriculture? Orland Bishop, Jim Embry, and Rowen White will share perspectives on these important questions and engage in thought-provoking dialogue with one another and conference participants. Moderated by Megan Durney.
Orland Bishop
Jim Embry
Rowen White
Executive Director, ShadeTree Multicultural Foundation Los Angeles, California
Founder and Director of Sustainable Communities Network Lexington, Kentucky
Seed Keeper from the Mohawk Community of Akwesasne and Founder and Director of Sierra Seeds Nevada City, California
Regenerating Soil, Food, and the Economy Sunday, November 18, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm
What does regeneration look like on the levels of soil, food, culture, and economy, and what are the challenges and opportunities we face in the coming decades realizing this potential? Hear a biodynamic practitioner, an indigenous chef and farmer, and a leader in socially responsible investment share perspectives on these questions and engage in a lively conversation about the future of regenerative and biodynamic agriculture. Moderated by Greg Georgaklis.
M. Karlos Baca
Bruno Follador
Alisa Gravitz
Founder of Taste of Native Cuisine Southern Ute Reservation, Colorado
Director of the Living Soils Initiative at The Nature Institute Brazil and Ghent, New York
President and CEO of Green America Washington, DC
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Working with a Biodynamic Session 6 Planting Sunday Calendar 8:30-10:00 am
Permaculture and Biodynamics
Lightning Talks Expanding Biodynamic Grain Acres
Creating a Biodynamic Garden Ecosystem
Open Space Sessions
The Evolution of Natural Wine
The Farmer's Combating Twelve Senses Climate Change with Biodynamics
Biodynamic Composting: Spreading Nature's Network
Understanding the Spiritual Session 5 Heart of Saturday Biodynamics 5:00-6:30 pm
Saturday Afternoon Events
Session 4 Saturday 11:30 am12:30 pm
Session 3 Friday 5:00-6:30 pm
Beyond Voodoo Vintners: The Next Generation in Biodynamic Wine Biodynamic Cannabis
Farming Water: Whole Farm Keyline Water Systems
Clark
Original Aims Biodynamics and Ideals of and Urban the CSA Model Agriculture: A Match in the Soil
Integrating Biodynamics and Landscaping
Australian Biodynamic Approach
Clackamas
From Farm Organism to Farm Individuality
The Nature of the Beast: Session 2 Integrating Friday Animals on a 3:30-4:30 pm Biodynamic Market Farm
Grand Multnomah Ballroom West Growing Biodynamic Vegetables in Nursery Session 1 the Context of a Management Friday Biodynamic 2:00-3:00 pm Farm
Room
Ceremony for the Healing of the Earth
Culinary Breeding Network
Connecting Farms and Land Opportunities with Farmers and Apprentices
Washington
Biodynamics and Latinos: Healing Pathways from Farm Workers to Farm Owners
Social Understanding, Gender, and Sexuality in Agriculture
Aiming for a New Generation in Finca Irlanda, Mexico
Rudolf Steiner and Social Justice
Sowing the Seeds: Foodscapes of the Four Corners
Pettygrove
Weyerhaeuser
Mid- to LargeScale Sustainable Medicinal Herb Farming
Reclaiming the Urban Forest for Food, Medicine, and Healing
Introduction to Sacred Seed Round Filter Stewardship Chromatograph y and the Soil Food Web
Open Space Sessions
Biodynamic Preparations: A Dance between Community and Individuality
Wise Words from Biodynamic Pioneers of the Pacific Northwest
Research Poster Session
Integrating Sheep into Biodynamic Vineyard Management
A Biodynamic Understanding of Trees
The SpiritualScientific Foundations of Biodynamic Agriculture, Part 1 The SpiritualScientific Foundations of Biodynamic Agriculture, Part 2
Open Space Sessions
Community Seed Systems: Connecting Soil to Table and Vase Through Seed Farming with Empathy
From Here to Everywhere: Building a Regenerative Biodynamic Food System
Faithlands
Connecting to Spirit
Understanding ConsciousnessAltering Substances
Pendleton
Esoteric Disease Control and Farm Health
How to Invite Elementals onto Your Farm
Flanders
Biodynamic Agriculture: The Renewed Hope for Kenya's Soil
Crown Glisan Zellerbach The Hidden Biodynamics in Half of Nature: India New Science of the Microbiome
Biodynamic Production in Germany and the Beginning in Farms from Mexico and Guatemala The Seven Life Marketing Your Results and Processes and Biodynamic Reflections the Farm as Venture from the Living International Organism Biodynamic Research Conference Rigor and Thinking in Biodynamic Restlessness: Indian: Farming Whither Biodynamics at Results in Biodynamic the Pine Ridge Mexico after Practice? Reservation Seven Years of Research
Quantum Physics for Biodynamic Farmers
Lovejoy
Soil Value Exchange: Biodynamic Approaches to Soil Healing and Rural Economics Growing George Apis Arborea – Yahowt! Washington Rewilding Indigenous-led Biodynamic Certification Carver and the Honeybees Permaculture with Integrity Biodynamic Design and Movement Indigenous Foods
Achieving Belonging in a Culture of Race and Racism
Overton
Workshops at a Glance
PLANNING FOR PLANTING
Meadowfark Hearth Seed
BiodynamicÂŽ and certified organic seed www.meqclowlqtkheqrth.org Hardy varieties shown in hials to store well, harvested late, or overwinter For 12-month garden or CSA ((or consultation, contact meadowlarkhearth@gmail.com) 13
WORKSHOPS Wednesday WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 14
Full-Day Workshops, 8:30 am - 5:30 pm Agriculture and Social Health: Empowering Each Other to Live Well in Our Tasks — Orland Bishop, Anthony Mecca, Ronan O’Connor, Lisa Romero (Multnomah) The role of agriculture is central to healthy community life and to helping new forms of community grow. In the face of many challenges, we must find new ways of working together as colleagues and co-workers, mentors and apprentices, teachers and students. As we strive to meet each other as individuals, regardless of age, race, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, culture, or social or economic status, a new exploration of social health is emerging. How can we work to develop our own individuality while working in community? How can we develop the inner clarity and connection to support healing in community and relationships? How can our work in agriculture and developing a connection with the spirit of the earth help us in our social work? We will enter into an exploration of healing conversation, looking at our role in supporting each other to live well in our tasks, in service of the world. With freedom as the guiding principle in this work, we will work to understand what brings about unfreedom and how to meet the other in a way that supports human freedom. Together we will deepen our relationship to agriculture and social health through presentations, experiential exercises, and conversation. This workshop is designed for beginning and aspiring biodynamic farmers who are currently participating in the Biodynamic Farmer Foundation Year or are interested in applying for the 2019 cohort. Others who are interested in these topics are also welcome to register for the workshop on a space-available basis.
Biodynamic Seed for North America: How to Build International Cooperation to Strengthen a Coordinated North American Biodynamic Seed Movement — Beth Corymb, Nathan Corymb (Clackamas ) The history of the biodynamic seed movement in Europe can serve as a model and stimulus for development of Biodynamic seeds in America. The development of a biodynamic seed supply in Europe was established over a generation ago through a great deal of initiative, collaborative effort, and support. In 1985, the Initiative Circle for Vegetable Seeds from Biodynamic Farming formed as a result of a workshop held at the Bingenheim social therapeutic farming community and was established there in
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1987. In order to separate plant breeding from commercial activities, they formed a non-profit organization, Kultursaat, in 1994 to raise funds and coordinate their plant breeding activities. In 2001 Bingenheimer Saatgut AG was formally incorporated as a limited company formed to contract farmers to multiply the varieties developed by the breeders of Kultursaat together with other open-pollinated (OP) vegetable varieties suitable for organic growers. The shareholders of the company include the Kultursaat breeders and seed producers. By 2004 they were producing and distributing a very large and full selection of vegetable crops and varieties and erected a large state-of-theart seed cleaning, testing, processing, and handling facility. In 2007 Kultursaat started a gene bank for the collection and in situ maintenance of OPs, which was co-funded by the German government. The purpose of this workshop is to develop a North American branch of the Initiative Circle and to consider how Biodynamic/organic producers might become part of the growers and breeders network of Sativa and Bingenheim and participate in breeding and production for the benefit of both the European and American Biodynamic seed development. This would strengthen international cooperation and could provide proficient, economic and readily available access for both the wholesale and retail market to the varieties coming out of biodynamic breeding and production, with open lines of communication and clear agreements between breeders, growers, and multipliers on the two continents.
Field Day at Malibu Compost: Building Living Soils — Colum Riley, Clay Wesson (Malibu Compost; bus leaves from Red Lion) There is no greater synergy of all the biodynamic farm principles than that expressed in the role of compost. It is here that animal, plant, and preparations work in harmony to create and provide the fertility, nutrition, and energies needed to produce and sustain superior soils, foods, and medicines. However, the true biological and dynamic expression of one’s compost, crops, and land will never be reached without a properly managed compost pile into which the preparations can function and thrive — resulting instead in wasted time, money, and potential. Workshop participants will spend the day at a Biodynamic compost site and immerse themselves in the composting cycle from start to finish. We will tour one of the premier Organic Valley dairies to explore the role of diet, nutrition, comfort, and pasture management as it relates to manure. Then, back on the farm, we will explore recipe development by examining different animal manures and other feedstock characteristics. Participants will build their own recipes and piles, with emphasis
WORKSHOPS Wednesday on customizing compost to the unique needs of the individual farm’s soil, crops, and other factors. We will demonstrate the differences between using a tractor-pulled compost windrow turner and a front-end loader. Additional topics will include guidance for building rows and piles; monitoring temperature, moisture, and oxygen flow; when to turn and not to turn; assessing quality and progress; and troubleshooting. Specific attention will be paid to the role of biodynamic preparations and other microbial inoculants and how to maximize their effectiveness biologically and dynamically. Whether you are just getting started or are an experienced composter, this workshop will demonstrate how to run a successful composting program for your farm, garden, CSA, vineyard, or other endeavor; lower fertilizer and additional input costs; and increase yields, while also building regenerative soils that add value to your land year after year.
Field Day at Our Table Cooperative and Native Gathering Garden at Cully Park — Judy Bluehorse Skelton, Narendra Varma (Our Table and Cully Park; van leaves from Red Lion) This field day will first visit Our Table Cooperative, a multi-stakeholder coop based on 58 acres raising certified organic vegetables, berries, apples, and pastured chickens and eggs, and working toward Demeter Biodynamic certification. The second half of the day will be spent at the Native Gathering Garden at Cully Park, hosted by Portland Parks and PSU Indigenous Nations Studies Department. Brought to life though community vision, the Native Gathering Garden is a catalyst for strengthening our relationships with plants, while healing places.
Field Day at Mineral Springs Ranch and Momtazi Vineyard: Growing Grapes and Making Estate Wine within a Diverse Farm Organism — Nadine Basile, Moe Momtazi (Mineral Springs Ranch and Momtazi Vineyard; bus leaves from Red Lion) Venture into Oregon’s famous Willamette Valley to experience two Biodynamic vineyards and their wines. We will begin at Soter Vineyards’ Mineral Springs Ranch, whose focus is estate Pinot Noir within a highly diversified Biodynamic farm organism, incorporating vegetables, herbs, fruit, chickens, goats, bees, and more. After a farm-to-table lunch at MSR, we’ll travel down the valley to Maysara Winery and Momtazi Vineyard, where the Momtazi family has developed a thriving and self-sustaining Biodynamic farm organism over the past two decades, incorporating cows, native wildlands, and biodynamic preparations and compost to grow vibrant grapes and make natural estate wines.
Field Day at Mt. Hood Organic Farms and Analemma: Biodynamic Fruit — Brady Jacobson, Steven Thompson (Mt. Hood Organic Farms and Analemma; bus leaves from Red Lion) This field day will begin with a 90-minute scenic drive along the majestic Columbia River Gorge and up into the foothills to reach Mt. Hood Organic Farms, which was the first commercial orchard to be certified organic in Oregon, and is also Demeter certified Biodynamic. Brady and John Jacobson manage 50 acres of orchards with 87 varieties of apples, pears, and quince on the farm’s 205-acre property with stunning landscapes of Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, and Mt. Rainier. The 70 varieties of apples are grown on dwarfing root stocks and planted 3 feet apart in a tall slender spindle trellised system. Compost teas and biodynamic preparations are regularly used to aid in the health of the orchard. After lunch, we will return to the Gorge to visit Analemma, Kris Fade and Steven Thompson’s 52-acre Biodynamic farm, which includes mature cherry orchards, recently planted vineyards, and pasture, as well as an on-site winery.
Evening Workshop, 7:00 - 9:00 pm In Anticipation of the 100th Anniversary of Biodynamic Agriculture, How Do We Responsibly Present its Spiritual-Scientific Foundations to the World? - Part 1 — Ueli Hurter, Sherry Wildfeuer (Multnomah) As we prepare for the 100th anniversary of the Agriculture Course, the Agriculture Section of the School for Spiritual Science is hosting a pre-conference evening and morning meeting. Anyone is welcome who has experience in the practice of biodynamics, is familiar with the Agriculture Course, and feels committed to maintaining and deepening the connection of biodynamics to its source in anthroposophy. We will address the following questions: • What is being asked of those of us in the Americas who feel called to steward and represent the spiritual-scientific foundations of biodynamics? • What sort of inner or outer work do we need to carry out to deepen and evolve these foundations? • How can the Agriculture Section better meet the needs of those who feel especially called to the inner work of the movement? Ueli Hurter, co-leader of the Agriculture Section at the Goetheanum in Dornach, and others will bring perspectives from the world movement to stimulate conversation in small and large groups. Participants are asked to think about the above questions in advance and come with ideas and suggestions. Participants are encouraged to register for both Parts 1 and 2.
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WORKSHOPS Thursday THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15
Core Principles and Practices of Making and Using All of the Preparations — Lloyd Nelson, Jeff Poppen (Multnomah)
Biodynamic Winemaking Intensive at Montinore Estates — Nicoletta Dicova, Rudy Marchesi, Dan Rinke, Adriano Zago (Montinore Estates; bus leaves from Red Lion)
We will summarize chapters 4 and 5 of Rudolf Steiner’s Agriculture Course after a brief introduction. We will then offer a handson demonstration of: 1. Stuffing manure in cow horns and stirring the finished preparation 2. Grinding quartz crystals and packing a cow horn 3. Stuffing a stag’s bladder with yarrow flowers and showing one that has been hanging all summer 4. Stuffing intestines with chamomile flowers and making a few “sausages” 5. Rehydrating stinging nettle, packing it into clay tiles, and covering with a screen 6. Grinding oak bark and explaining how it is put into the skull (using a dry skull for the demonstration) 7. Making dandelion pillows with a mesentery 8. Making the valerian preparation with dry flowers 9. Chopping up horsetail, making a tea, and describing the fermentation process We will describe how and when all of these are buried, show several examples of each of these as finished products and explain how they are used and stored. We do not plan to go into the deeper esoteric ideas or experiments, but instead stay with the simple instructions we read in chapters 4 and 5.
Full-Day Workshops, 8:30 am - 4:30 pm
In this full-day pre-conference intensive, we will delve into practical and creative approaches to making Biodynamic wine. Presentations from leading winemakers and researchers will be complemented by in-depth tours of the vineyard and winery at Montinore Estates.
Collaborative Strategies for the Emerging Food Economy — Erin Sojourner Agostinelli, Bill Day, Greg Fleishman, David Gould, Sundeep Kamath, Robert (Karp) Karbelnikoff, Steffen Schneider, Corinne Shindelar, Charlie Tilt, Julie Tilt (Weyerhaeuser) This workshop will focus on the potential to grow and sustain a new food economy by forging more transparent and cooperative relationships among farmers, distributors, retailers, consumers, and other stakeholders. It will highlight the work of individuals, businesses, and organizations that are successfully innovating in this realm and provide a conceptual framework for understanding and replicating these efforts, drawing on Rudolf Steiner’s associative economics, as well as contemporary research and development in the field of integrated supply chains. The morning session will focus on international examples, including Akshayakalpa, a Gandhi-inspired network of over 150 raw milk dairy farmers in India, and Hansalim, a farmer-consumer co-op in Korea that includes over 2,300 farmers and a half million consumers. The afternoon will focus on domestic examples, including Hummingbird Wholesale, an innovative distributor of local and organic food in Eugene, Oregon; the Independent Natural Food Retail Association, which supports a network of over 350 independently owned natural food stores; and Union, a startup national brand committed to sourcing Biodynamic and regenerative ingredients for their products. There will be ample time for small and large conversations to engage actively with these examples in order to learn from them, give feedback, and incorporate lessons into each of our unique contexts. Participants may sign up for just the morning session, just the afternoon session, or both.
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Half-Day Workshops, 8:30 am - 12:00 pm Collaborative Strategies for the Emerging Food Economy, Part 1 — Erin Sojourner Agostinelli, Bill Day, Greg Fleishman, David Gould, Sundeep Kamath, Robert (Karp) Karbelnikoff, teffen Schneider, Corinne Shindelar, SCharlie Tilt, Julie Tilt (Weyerhaeuser) See description in left column.
Ecosystem Mimicry in Perennial Biodynamic Systems — Mark Shepard (Clackamas) In his Agriculture Lectures, Rudolf Steiner repeatedly charged farmers to create a self-contained farm organism that includes the proper mix of pastures and meadows, trees and shrubs, aromatic herbs, flowers, ponds, fungi, and animals. Such a self-contained farm organism includes all of the processes in nature that create topsoil, improve fertility, and increase biodiversity, and includes ecological disturbance to re-set the system. Learn how to design your farm after the natural plant communities of your bioregion in order to obtain yields with almost as little cost as nature.
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WORKSHOPS Thursday In Anticipation of the 100th Anniversary of Biodynamic Agriculture, How Do We Responsibly Present Its Spiritual-Scientific Foundations to the World? - Part 2 — Ueli Hurter (Clark) See description on page 15.
Half-Day Workshops, 1:00 - 4:30 pm Advanced Biodynamics — Hugh Lovel (Crown Zellerbach) Biodynamic preparations, along with application of the principles underlying their use, are an artist’s palette of colors to create landscapes that give rise to vibrant life as well as food, fiber, and raw materials of amazing quality and abundance. Though often biodynamics is referred to as a practice, its more skilled practitioners may think of it as an art form that produces the nuttiest winter spinach; the most inspiring tarragon, basil, or ginger; the most delicious apples or cherries; and the subtlest fine wines. Problems endemic in organic and biological systems can be avoided before they arise because pests and diseases are messengers telling us what we are doing wrong. The essence of biodynamics is learning to do things the easy way — like leading a herd of cattle with feed rather than driving them with whips and dogs.
Biodynamic Beekeeping — Gunther Hauk, Alex Tuchman (Clackamas) This workshop will delve into a deep exploration of the needs and nature of the honeybee from the perspective of biodynamic beekeeping. Through beekeeping methods that honor the wisdom and instincts of the honeybees, we arrive at the great need to transform the land surrounding the bees into a place of nourishment and vitality. Biodynamically managed land has the potential to offer the honeybees a sanctuary where they can heal, grow, and eventually thrive. In this presentation, broad understanding will be paired with the practical steps that must be considered for you to welcome the honeybee into your farm individuality, to keep the bees healthy and strong, and to create a sanctuary for them on your land.
The Biodynamic Principles — Ueli Hurter (Overton) We will develop a seven-principle-matrix for the biodynamic impulse that leads us from nature to the human to the social. 1. Soil - the breathing Earth 2. Plants - the relation between Earth and cosmos 3. Animals - the farm organism 4. Preparations - the farm individuality
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5. Landscape - the cultivation of nature 6. Food - from Earth, by sharing, for humans 7. Social transformation - freedom, dignity, solidarity
Collaborative Strategies for the Emerging Food Economy, Part 2 — Erin Sojourner Agostinelli, Bill Day, Greg Fleishman, David Gould, Sundeep Kamath, Robert (Karp) Karbelnikoff, Steffen Schneider, Corinne Shindelar, Charlie Tilt, Julie Tilt (Weyerhaeuser) See description on page 16.
How Inner Development Affects Our Tasks on the Farm and in Community Life — Anthony Mecca, Lisa Romero (Washington) What leads our lives? Is it our desires, our intellect — or the most aware part of us? Each of us already has certain capacities, but we need to develop them in order to be able to make use of them. Developing ourselves affects not only our own lives and the decisions we make, but also affects the lives of others around us. Through an active inner life, changes take place that evolve our inner capacities and transform our way of seeing, experiencing, and acting in the world around us. Understanding our individual relationship to the inner work will enable us to hold and further daily practices that strengthen us for our tasks on the farm and in community life. This workshop may be of interest to those who wish to begin an inner practice as well as those that have taken one or many steps on this transforming path.
Look Up to the Sky, Before You Look Down at Your Calendar! — Cynthia Hoven, Harald Hoven (Clark) Before you find yourself looking only at the planting calendar, learn what the planets and constellations are really all about! Study their movements, their orbits, and their dynamic relationships. What is an eclipse? What is retrograde movement? What are the phases of the moon and the lunar rhythms? Be prepared to get out of your seat to move with eurythmy for a deepened experience. Learn about Rudolf Steiner’s comments in the Agriculture Course regarding the moon and the planets, look at the results of various research regarding planetary effects, and gain the tools to develop your own practice.
WORKSHOPS Friday FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16 Session 1, 2:00 - 3:00 pm
Achieving Belonging in a Culture of Race and Racism — Orland Bishop (Overton) Race has been an age-old sense of belonging for humanity and one of the strongest inheritances passing through human consciousness. Race holds for us a riddle for a most important step in the evolution of consciousness and the mysteries of the Earth. We are all called into the initiation of a new Earth Culture born of our higher belonging. Understanding ways of healing this gap between inheritance and creation is the aim of our workshop. Drawing on an extensive study of medicine, anthropology, psychology, and indigenous cosmologies, as well as a deep dedication to human rights advocacy and cultural renewal, Orland Bishop will lead us in this conversation to explore pathways to healing racism individually and collectively.
Australian Biodynamic Approach — David Chal (Clackamas) What temperature should the water be for biodynamic sprays? What is a good technique for stirring? When should we spray? These are simple questions, so simple that aspects of them are often overlooked. That’s not the case in Australia. Due to a harsh climate and poorer soils, everyday farmers have embraced biodynamics because it works. Currently, over two million acres are being farmed biodynamically there. This workshop will look at the philosophy and the basic techniques they have developed to ensure high-quality results.
Biodynamic Nursery Management — Delmar McComb (Multnomah) By using concepts and practices derived from biodynamic agriculture, nurseries of all scales can evolve into using more sustainable and much healthier growing methods. Commercial nurseries often use cocktails of chemical pesticides, fertilizers, artificial growth regulators, and unsustainably harvested, sterile container mix ingredients to produce plants for home gardens and commercial landscapes. While many farmers have transitioned into biodynamic/organic approaches, nurseries have been slower to evolve because of the unique challenges presented by growing plants in containers. In this workshop, novel practices that can be used on a small or large scale will be presented that produce vigorous, balanced nursery plants that better adapt to garden conditions. Areas covered will include the making and use of special brews and ferments for enhanced plant vigor, and how to make “vegetablized” mineral and metal solutions
that quickly increase root and foliage health. Sustainable and specially enlivened soil mix ingredients will be covered, as will fertilization methods for container plants. Use of the biodynamic preparations in this approach will be discussed, along with the concepts of viewing a nursery as a living organism.
Biodynamics in India — Sundeep Kamath (Glisan) This workshop with Sundeep Kamath (Board Secretary of the Biodynamic Association of India and Board Member of IFOAM Asia) will showcase the biography of the biodynamic movement in India and its current transformation to meet the needs of farmers from an emerging future.
Growing Vegetables in the Context of a Biodynamic Farm — Jean-Paul Courtens (Grand Ballroom West) In this workshop, Jean-Paul Courtens will cover all aspects of the biodynamic approach to growing vegetables, including planning, soil preparation, sowing, transplanting, companion planting, crop rotations, weeding, and harvest. As the founder of Roxbury Farm in Kinderhook, New York, a 375-acre farm and one of the largest community supported agriculture programs in the region, Jean-Paul has been growing vegetables for 30 years. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to learn from this distinguished teacher and mentor and get your vegetable questions answered!
The Hidden Half of Nature: New Science of the Microbiome — Anne Biklé (Crown Zellerbach) Microbes are transforming the way we see nature and ourselves. Good health — for people and for plants — depends on Earth’s smallest creatures. In this workshop, co-author of the bestselling book The Hidden Half of Nature, Anne Biklé, will share results of new research into the microbiome and its potential to revolutionize agriculture and medicine, from garden to gut.
Quantum Physics for Biodynamic Farmers — Elad Sadeh (Lovejoy) “As human beings, our task is to bring higher, spiritual realities into a relationship with the physical world. … And the heart organ is precisely what the higher I uses to make the sensory self its instrument so it can use it.” — Rudolf Steiner One of the key concepts of biodynamics is the recognition that substance is more than a combination of atoms, molecules, and chemical processes. Gardeners and farmers constantly work with substance and the physical reality. As the consciousness carriers of the farm organism, it is our role to promote the process of lifting matter into a higher state of being. How we perceive the natural world has a profound impact on our ability to do
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SteinerBooks Publisher and Distributor featuring books on biodynamic agriculture and gardening, food and cooking, sustainable and community living, and much more!
2019 Calendars now available
uriel
Welcome to Uriel
Uriel makes natural homeopathic and anthroposophic remedies by potentizing substances from the mineral, plant and animal kingdoms, based on the insights of educator and philosopher Rudolf Steiner. We use plants grown biodynamically or organically whenever possible, especially plants from our own biodynamic gardens. Uriel processes are intended to make the remedies as dynamic and vital as possible to guide each person’s body toward health.
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Our goal is to respond to real human health needs. UrIeL PHarmaCy N8464 StermaN road, e aSt troy, WI 53120 To learn more visit our website at: www.urielpharmacy.com or contact us directly at: 1.866.642.2858
WORKSHOPS Friday so and, as a result, on the health of our farms and on the quality of the food we grow? Though often dismissed as one-sided and incomplete, advanced scientific theories like quantum physics and relativity theory can give us a valuable glimpse into the workings of the “higher, spiritual realities” within the physical world. In this workshop, we will work with fundamental concepts of quantum physics and the theory of relativity (no prior knowledge of physics or mathematics is needed), alchemy, and anthroposophy. We will explore phenomena and topics such as: • The interconnectedness of consciousness and the natural world • The connection between time (life), energy, and matter • The hidden role of water in biological processes The goal of this workshop is to work toward developing a new perception of the higher dimensions of reality — life and consciousness.
Understanding Consciousness-Altering Substances: Cannabis, Opiates, Alcohol, and More — Ronan O’Connor, Lisa Romero (Pendleton)
Soil Value Exchange: Biodynamic Approaches to Soil Healing and Rural Economics — Catherine Delano, Megan Parks (Weyerhaeuser)
“Protecting the source, inspiring the future” In this workshop, Michael will give an introduction to “Apis Arborea” and share innovative gestures within the biodynamic field of apiculture — among them the framework of an indigenous, arboreal apiculture and LocApiary, a vision of a local watershed apiary. Rewilding and the restoration of natural honeybee nest habitat are part of an effort to further develop a biodynamic paradigm of apiculture. In this context, we will also evaluate the international Demeter Standard for Beekeeping in a historic critical context. The accelerating loss of animal species and biodiversity reflects the urgency needed to move towards preservation and a systems-oriented approach. The framework of Apis Arborea is one of honoring and protecting the essential role of honeybees in sustaining life on our planet while preserving their life and fostering environments conducive to their health and dignity. This workshop attempts to move beyond a binary approach in our exploration of the apian matrix of life and to think literally “outside the box”. Michael will share various aspects of his work, among them examples from current rewilding projects, as well as the craft of arboreal apiculture and bee-centric strategies for a holistic apiculture.
Soil Value Exchange is a social benefit corporation helping farmers and ranchers convert to regenerative practices on a massive scale. By 2030, we aim to convert 25 million acres of land across the US from conventional land management to practices that restore optimal soil health and biodiversity. One of our operating assumptions — based on our experiences working with many ranchers — is that there must be a financial incentive for landowners to move towards regenerative practices. But what if we’re wrong about that? What drives the next generation of farmer and rancher? Are there landowners out there who are ready for a holistic approach and do not feel tied to their grandfather’s practices of tilling, conventional grazing, making hay, large monocultures, GMO seed, and bare soil? How can we harness the spirit and ethos of the biodynamic approach to attract more landowners in “red states” into true land healing? This workshop will engage all participants in a creative discussion to explore what is possible to take the spirit of biodynamics into the mainstream.
Sowing the Seeds: Foodscapes of the Four Corners — M. Karlos Baca (Pettygrove) Join M. Karlos Baca (founder of Taste of Native Cuisine, an Indigenous food cooperative based out of the Southern Ute Reservation in Southwestern Colorado that focuses on pre-colonial Indigenous foodways) to discover the tastes and stories of the wild cultivated foodscapes of the Four Corners region, as seen through an Indigenous lens and the archeobotanical memories that cultivate them.
Consciousness-altering substances have long been a part of ritual, medicine, and social life. As humanity develops, our relationship to such substances has changed and must be explored and seen anew. Understanding how these substances work in the human being allows us to understand their effects on consciousness and inner development. Substances explored as exemplars will include cannabis, opiates, LSD/psychedelics, alcohol, tobacco, and ayahuasca.
Session 2, 3:30 - 4:30 pm Apis Arborea — Rewilding Honeybees — Michael Joshin Thiele (Lovejoy)
Beyond Voodoo Vintners: The Next Generation in Biodynamic Wine — Katherine Cole, Barbara Gross, Kristin Marchesi, Tahmiene Momtazi (Clark) In the biodynamic community, the 2011 publication of Voodoo Vintners: Oregon’s Astonishing Biodynamic Winegrowers, was seen as a mixed blessing. On one hand, Katherine Cole’s excellent writing captured fascinating and unique stories of a dozen Biodynamic practitioners and presented core principles and practices of biodynamics in an approachable way. On
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WORKSHOPS Friday the other hand, the title served to underline and reemphasize prevalent perceptions of biodynamics as occult and unscientific. Seven years later, what has changed in the vineyard, the winery, and public perception? Author Katherine Cole and three second-generation winemakers will explore these questions in a lively panel discussion.
composting process began with the observation and analyses of crop wastes and natural resources availability, in order to improve the management efficiency of those regional resources. It is important not to use extra energy or economic investment in such processes, so it could be possible to adapt and reproduce easily in different farms.
Biodynamic Agriculture: The Renewed Hope for Kenya’s Soil — David Gathuka (Glisan)
Esoteric Disease Control and Farm Health — Philip Lyvers, Laura Riccardi Lyvers (Pendleton)
In 2016 biodynamic agriculture was introduced to the Kenyan smallholder tea and coffee farmers by the Organic Agriculture Center of Kenya (OACK), with support from Demeter International and the GLS Treuhand. The trainers have been Anne and Rolf Bucher from Germany. Farmers viewed biodynamic farming as rescuing them from the day-to-day challenges they face as a result of industrial farming, which has caused anxiety and uncertainty, leaving communities more vulnerable, as everything has become commercialized and inauthentic. They understood, for instance, that beyond eliminating chemicals on their farms, as with organic farming, they can also look at farming as a more comprehensive and interconnected activity. This comes with a broad and attractive possible opportunity for better markets due to improved quality in taste and vitality, as well as increased yields. Special emphasis was placed on farm organization — diversity and interconnectivity of all parts, composting, natural pest control, water efficiency, cropping, and bringing seeds back into farmers’ hands, hearts, and minds. This is just the beginning of a new era in Kenya in which biodynamic agriculture will be instrumental in harmonizing traditional technical knowledge with best practices and interconnectivity of all parts of the universe. Supporting the development of biodynamic agriculture in Kenya and the rest of Africa is a sure way of improving the status and dignity of African farmers, consumers, and landscapes.
Philip Lyvers is working with esoteric science to create health in a large-scale hog herd and fight disease for which the swine industry only has one answer: vaccines. By working with esoteric/occult sciences and consciousness, he has been able to make changes and improvements in the herd — and has 18 years of extensive records to help him describe the changes he sees and why they occurred. After farming conventionally for decades, Philip began making and using the biodynamic preparations and has been working with spiritual science and biodynamic techniques to change his hog herd, corn and wheat crops, and vegetable gardens. Philip will share how he came to understand the approach he uses today, including unconventional biodynamic preparation applications and The Tree of Life as it relates to the farm and consciousness. His aim is to help inspire a way we can all work towards creating abundant health in animal, farm, and human — through the spirit.
Biodynamic Production in Germany and the Beginning in Farms from Mexico and Guatemala — Heberto Antonio Rodas Gaitán (Crown Zellerbach) This workshop will describe and show the different key aspects considered in biodynamic production in Germany and the development of the biodynamic approach in farms from Mexico and Guatemala. Key aspects of crop production are considered, soil fertility and health, plant nutrition, biological control, irrigation systems, co-workers happiness, biodynamic greenhouse production, bio-preparations application, and the effect on the whole system. The farms from these countries, which recently decided to produce under an organic or biodynamic concept, began with establishing a compost process, considered to be the cornerstone for soil health and fertility development. The
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Farming Water: Whole Farm Keyline Water Systems — Don Tipping (Clackamas) Here in the Pacific Northwest, our hydrologic cycles have a dual nature of winter rainforest and summer desert. Forest management, suburbanization, and climate change have exacerbated this feast-or-famine dynamic with water availability. The Keyline water plan developed by P.A. Yeomans in Australia has important tools that farmers in arid growing climates can integrate into their farm design to store winter rainfall and runoff when it’s abundant and then release through ditches, swales, ponds, and canals during the dry summer months to effectively droughtproof the landscape and contribute positive benefits to downstream neighbors. Seven Seeds Farm has nearly 20 years of whole farm and forest water management, which has greatly benefited the farm’s productivity while increasing adjacent streamflow, creating wildlife habitat, helping raise local water tables in summer, and inspiring countless others to “farm water”. This workshop will take participants on a journey through the theory, techniques, tools, and practical experiences to honor water and enliven this vital element as the gift that it is.
WORKSHOPS Friday George Washington Carver and the Biodynamic Movement — Jim Embry (Overton) This workshop will connect the spiritual and scientific dimensions of the work of Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) and George Washington Carver (1860-1943), who were contemporaries and held very similar views about very similar work. We will connect Carver’s work to the conference themes of living soil, agricultural traditions and innovations, and community, economics, and justice, and discuss why it is important for the US biodynamic movement to embrace and study Carver as an important step towards embracing diversity and connecting with other strands of biodynamic thought.
Growing Biodynamic Certification with Integrity — Tarry Bolger, Elizabeth Candelario, Thea Maria Carlson, Patricia Frazier, Rudy Marchesi (Weyerhaeuser) In an ideal world, everyone would know their farmer, all food would be healthy and wholesome, and all land would be treated with respect. In our current legal, economic, and agricultural landscape, this is unfortunately very untrue, and certification plays an important role in creating standards for how farms are managed and food is processed, and verifying that these standards have been met. Established in 1928, the Demeter Biodynamic® Standard encompasses the core agronomic principles and practices of Biodynamic agriculture, and in the United States, “Biodynamic” is a registered certification mark that may only be used in the marketplace by farms and businesses that are certified by Demeter USA. What does this legal requirement mean for the individuality of Biodynamic farms and the freedom of each farmer? How can the certification process be held with the utmost integrity? How can we grow certification to many more than the current 256 certified entities in the United States -- in a way that remains true to the deep roots of the biodynamic impulse? This workshop will include presentations and conversations on these important questions as we look to grow Biodynamic adoption and certification in the United States.
Integrating Biodynamics and Landscaping — Dawn Rains (Multnomah) We will take a visual tour of a year of landscape gardening and talk about how to integrate biodynamic practices into each month of the growing season— including early season greenhouse use (seeding, sequential spraying, the importance of equisetum), calendar use throughout the season, pruning and tree pasting, spraying biodynamic preparations on multiple locations, transplanting, cultivation, harvest, and composting. This lecture will explore ways to merge our biodynamic methods with an industry that is often given to the use of herbicides, pesti-
cides, and chemical fertilizers. Let’s reshape our ideas and, with intention, work toward considerately serving and healing the Earth. Fundamental knowledge of biodynamics recommended.
The Nature of the Beast: Integrating Animals on a Biodynamic Market Farm — Beth Hoinacki (Grand Ballroom West) Goodfoot Farm is a small-scale, certified organic and Biodynamic® market farm in Western Oregon. In addition to blueberries, tree fruits, and diversified vegetable production, the farm is home to flocks of chickens and geese, several sheep, and three horses. In this workshop, farmer Beth will discuss the role of animals on a Biodynamic farm and explore how each of these species is put to work on her farm managing weeds, insect pests, and diseases, and providing fertility. She will discuss how to honor the individual expressions of these diverse animals and how to practice animal husbandry that makes sense in a busy farmer’s life. Also briefly covered will be the management of animals as it relates to the USDA National Organic Program standard and the Demeter Farm Standard, and food safety considerations for keeping animals on a produce farm. This workshop is geared to the small-scale grower and avid gardener; however, principles can also be applied to larger operations.
Yahowt! Indigenous-Led Permaculture Design and Indigenous Foods — Ashley Alvarez, Susan Balbas, Stephanie Leon Riedl, Pah-tu E Pitt (Pettygrove) In this session, we will share information about our Yahowt (“Lift us up, together” in the Coast Salish Lushootseed language) Program. The program includes both a multi-year, multi-generational permaculture cohort who earn professional certifications and design and implement foods and restoration projects in the Native community, and the Indigenous Foods program that utilizes mostly public lands in the Seattle area to increase access and facilitate re-connection to healthy vegetables and traditional foods. The presenters will be Permaculture Program participants who are indigenous women committed to strengthening balanced connections with land and waters to support all of our relations. We place a high value on growing our own food and medicine; we see the land as a living breathing entity and design around this concept. Similar to what we learn from our elders, permaculture uses whole-systems design approaches to create sustainable communities. Rooted in agriculture, it includes concepts from ecology, planning, architecture, and emerging technologies. Specifically we have learned about climate, topography, weather, water, solar, wind effects, soils, plants, and community economies. As we learn and grow, we integrate our
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WORKSHOPS Friday traditional ecological knowledge, using permaculture principles as an organizing framework.
of our inner landscape with the outer world of nature. No experience necessary; all beginners are welcome.
Session 3, 5:00 - 6:30 pm
Culinary Breeding Network: Building Community among Plant Breeders, Farmers, Chefs, and Eaters to Create Better Varieties for All — Lane Selman, Adriano Zago (Washington)
Biodynamic Cannabis — Jim Fullmer, Marjory House, Hugh Lovel (Clark) Cannabis has a long history of human use, with cultivation likely starting in Asia around 500 BC. Most ancient cultures did not grow the plant for its psychotropic effect, but rather as herbal medicine or for spiritual practice. In current times, cannabis is recognized as a potent medicinal and fiber plant, and, for this reason, how it is grown is of great importance to its quality. Biodynamic is an approach to production focused on quality. Growing cannabis using the biodynamic method is a unique adventure, because the agronomic focus is the same as for any Biodynamic crop, essentially focused on the development of a vital whole farm organism. This workshop will outline the regenerative agronomic principles necessary to produce Biodynamic cannabis (biodiversity, regenerative fertility, regenerative pest control, re-integrating livestock, and water and waterway conservation). In addition, this workshop will take a deep dive into the biodynamic preparations and the wider connections that are honored in biodynamic farming and how this can be applied to cannabis production. Biodynamic preparations, along with application of the principles underlying their use, are an artist’s palette of colors to create landscapes that give rise to vibrant life as well as food, fiber, and raw materials of amazing quality and abundance. Having a clear grasp of the fundamental principles of biodynamic agriculture and the science behind them gives beginners and advanced practitioners alike confidence they have chosen the right path by pursuing biodynamics.
Biodynamics and Urban Agriculture: A Match in the Soil — Chanowk Yisrael (Clackamas) Yisrael Family Urban Farm is “transforming the hood for good” in Sacramento through growing abundant and diverse food, education, and advocacy. Chanowk Yisrael will share stories from the farm and delve into biodynamics as a way not only to build a thriving soil biology, but also how to engage, empower, and employ communities.
Connecting to Spirit — Martha Loving (Glisan) Take time to balance stimulating conference content with the healing arts. Introducing simple watercolor techniques in painting and meditation exercises for developing discernment of the heart and cultivating our connection to spirit.Through the arts, we stimulate our imagination and develop a closer relationship
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During this session, Lane and Adriano will discuss how increasing communication between stakeholders in the food community can result in more relevant and desirable cultivars. Lane will present examples of Culinary Breeding Network explorations, conversations, and celebrations that have inspired connection and collaboration throughout the food system. Adriano will share his experience in how biodynamic management affects the quality and flavor of plants. This session will include a tasting of vegetables between different varieties of the same vegetable and between biodynamic and non-biodynamic farming systems.
FaithLands — Severine Fleming, Ian McSweeney (Pendleton) FaithLands Gathering, organized by the Greenhorns, brought together faith-based organizations from around the country under a shared vision of connecting religious traditions, agriculture, and ecological stewardship, inspiring a spiritual and ethical revolution in our relationship to each other and the land. Faith communities with farmland assets, connection to agriculture, and engagement in the food system are uniquely positioned to reengage with a deeper relationship to the communities they serve and to the greater communities within which they are located. The Faithlands Gathering catalyzed intentions and vision and is developing plans, strategies, and actions to address how farmland is owned, stewarded, and transitioned into regenerative diversified agriculture and who has tenure to the farmland. In alignment with this work, Agrarian Trust and Sustainable Economies Law Center are developing new legal models and structures to innovate how farmland is owned and how communities are stakeholders in the ownership. This builds off of and expands a community-supported farmland tenure model developed and carried out with the Temple Wilton Community Farm (featured in Spring/Summer 2016 Biodynamics journal).
From Farm Organism to Farm Individuality — Ueli Hurter (Grand Ballroom West) We will try to develop with an anthroposophical approach an understanding of the relation of the two in the sense that the farm organism is related to the body(s) in the human constitution, and the farm individuality is related to the soul and spirit in the human. How do the two interact? In which way is the one the condition for the other? In which way and with which tools can
WORKSHOPS Friday we foster each? Can we understand the biodynamic preparations in this context as the capacity builders for the individualization of the Earth?
Marketing Your Biodynamic Venture — Peter Littell, Randy Ritchie (Weyerhaeuser) Food. Farm. Skin Care. Remedy. Restaurant. Beverage. Wine. This is a hands-on workshop to help you market whatever it is you want to create and sell that comes from Biodynamic farming/gardening practices. This is not a workshop in how to lecture about biodynamics or what it means. This is about how to communicate the essence of what you are making or providing. This workshop will help you fashion your brand story that resonates with people who need your product or service. Come prepared to do the hard work and not rely solely on the Demeter certification.
Original Aims and Ideals of the CSA Model as Embodied in the Temple Wilton Communmity Farm in New Hampshire and the Slow Hand Farm in Portland, Oregon — Anthony Graham, Alice Groh, Josh Volk (Multnomah) In this workshop, we will describe the original ideals out of which the Temple Wilton Community Farm was founded in New Hampshire in 1986. This model goes beyond marketing and is based on Rudolf Steiner’s social ideal of the farm in relation to the surrounding community. We will pay special attention to Steiner’s description of the farm as a part of the cultural (agriCULTURE) and rights spheres and not exclusively as an economic activity. This implies an understanding of his observation of the threefold nature of social life. The three workshop leaders will be Alice Groh and Anthony Graham of the Temple Wilton Community Farm in Wilton, New Hampshire, and Josh Volk of Slow Hand Farm in Portland, Oregon. The Temple-Wilton Community Farm is one of the original CSA farms in North America, founded with partners Trauger Groh, Anthony Graham, and Lincoln Geiger in 1986. Trauger Groh wrote two books on the CSA concept: Farms of Tomorrow: Community Supported Farms and Farm-Supported Communities and Farms of Tomorrow Revisited (still in print and available from SteinerBooks). He died in July 2016 at the age of 84. Josh Volk is working with the original ideals of the CSA idea in a more recent setting on his Slow Hand Farm. Together, the presenters will lead a discussion of the original core ideals of CSA and where it might go in the future.
Results and Reflections from the International Biodynamic Research Conference — Sundeep Kamath, Marie Mauger, Heberto Antonio Rodas Gaitán, Sarah Weber (Crown Zellerbach) Join BDA Research Program Coordinator Sarah Weber and a panel of biodynamic researchers as they share the what they learned at the first International Conference on Biodynamic Research: “Evolving Agriculture and Food - Opening up Biodynamic Research,” held this September at the Goetheanum in Dornach, Switzerland. Organized by the Section for Agriculture, this new biennial conference gathered academics, scholars, PhD students, graduate students, farmer-researchers, and action researchers from around the world to discuss the latest and most pressing issues in biodynamic agriculture, as well as discussing related fields such as agroecology and food and nutrition and dedicating significant attention to new and alternative research methods. Partners include the Faculty of Organic Agricultural Sciences of the University of Kassel (Germany), the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL, Switzerland) and the Forschungsring (Research in Biodynamic Agriculture, Darmstadt, Germany).
Rudolf Steiner and Social Justice — Cory Eichman (Overton) Rudolf Steiner was at the cutting edge of social justice issues of his day, including sexism, racism, and poverty. In his book, The Philosophy of Freedom, he asks the question: since each human being is born into a particular gender, family, culture, and race, each of which has shared characteristics of others within the respective group, is it possible for an individual to truly be free? His answer is that “the generic features of the human race, when rightly understood, do not restrict [a human]’s freedom, and should not artificially be made to do so.” The fact that society can “artificially” restrict an individual’s ability to find inner freedom was, to Steiner, something worth fighting against. Although Steiner’s ideas were radically progressive during his lifetime, since his death in 1925 a great deal has happened globally to further the consciousness of the effects of patriarchy, ethnocentrism, and colonialism on modern culture. Through presentation and interactive discussion, we will re-examine some of Steiner’s work from the perspective of modern social justice consciousness and explore how Steiner’s insights, brought to the present in a living way, can help guide the biodynamic movement as we work to advance social justice into the future.
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POINTS WINE & SPIRITS
Our 3 Mendocino County ranches (Blue Heron, McNab and Butler) are certified Biodynamic ® by Demeter and are reviewed annually to ensure that each adheres to the Demeter Farm Standard. Look for our single-vineyard wines grown on these special farms for a taste of the inherent quality and vitality of Biodynamic ® farming.
Everything In Balance. Drink Responsibly. © 2018 Bonterra Vineyards, Hopland, Mendocinco Co., CA
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WORKSHOPS Friday - Saturday The Seven Life Processes and the Farm as Living Organism — Bruno Follador (Lovejoy) In this workshop, we will explore the Seven Life Process identified by Rudolf Steiner— breathing, warming, nourishing, secreting, maintaining, growing, and reproducing — and how they can be a foundation for the understanding of our farms, not only as living organisms, but also as farm individualities. We will also inquire how, by supporting and understanding them, our farms can become more resilient, healthy, and creative.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 17
Session 4, 11:30 am - 12:30 pm Aiming for a New Generation in Finca Irlanda, Mexico — Sara González Herrera (Overton) Farming and farmers are still at the end of the production chain, almost invisible to the modern world. Justice is the main idea we want to develop in our project on the farm: social justice, education justice, and welfare justice. In a 300-Ha coffee farm in Chiapas, Mexico that started in the 1920s, there have been a lot of changes and improvements, but there are also things that haven’t changed. The ceibas are still here, the migrant birds are still coming, the fern trees are overwhelming, the rivers are still running, and more than 187 different species of spiders and ants, 50 species of tropical trees, 200 species of tropical birds, and over 800 species of plants have their home in the farm. During the last year, the farm started another effort to improve the education projects. Practically all the farming activities — seeding, planting, trimming, watering, composting, and harvesting — are done by the hands and will of hard-working farmers. We are already experiencing some changes, and our dream is to preserve that enthusiasm and will to keep learning and offer a path for people to become genuine biodynamic farmers.
Biodynamic Composting: Spreading Nature’s Network — Marney Blair (Grand Ballroom West) Six of the preparations that we make and use as biodynamic farmers and gardeners are for the compost heap! The world needs more biodynamic compost. This workshop offers an introductory look at how we produce biodynamic compost on a large scale and how the compost creates a community of people working towards biodynamic farming principles. A detailed outline of how to produce high-quality biodynamic compost on a large scale will be presented. Then we will explore the wonders of compost, which not only works its wonders in the gardens and farms of the community, but also creates social and economic networks. We will share how the compost has helped to create
trade partnerships without money, inspired social activities for preparation ingredients, brought people from various different backgrounds together, and many more stories. We will share in detail how we actually make high-quality biodynamic compost on this scale. Topics will include recipe formation, turning schedules, troubleshooting, and quality control.
Biodynamic Farming Results in Mexico after Seven Years of Research — Jose Ma Anguiano Cardenas, Javier Anguiano Soto, Jose Maria Anguiano Soto (Crown Zellerbach) This workshop will look at a participative research project, conducted from 2010 to 2017, to implement biodynamic farming and integrated management in México in different crops like avocado (Persea americana Mill), Corn (Zea mays), tomatoes (Lycopersicum sculatum), and citrus tree (Citrus aurantifolia). The study was developed in 50 orchards (20 conventional and 30 organic) in Michoacan, Jalisco, and Colima states in México. The following elements were considered: soil (diatomaceous earth, weed’s humus, BD 500, barrel compost, and bio-catalysers), tree (time of pruning, BD tree paste, BD 508, and SiO2 spray), productivity (fruit quality and profitability), and environment (beneficial insects, BD 501 and 507, bio-pesticides, and BD compost). Within the first year of research, results suggest a 20% increase on production and 1.8% in organic matter (OM), and improved fruit quality and tree healing for 21 of the organic orchards. The second year of research suggests an improvement for half of the conventional orchards. The rest showed progress until the third year with no changes in production, but with an increase in fruit quality in 17 of them, and OM in 1.3%. Production costs in both types decreased 48%. The integrated management method and biodynamic farming were considered sustainable alternatives for our region.
Combating Climate Change with Biodynamics — Stewart Lundy (Clackamas) Biodynamics is on the forefront of carbon sequestration and helping to regenerate the Earth. Learn about what you can do on even the smallest of plots to combat the effects on huge stretches of land desecrated by the conventional agriculture of violence. We will explore humus-building, compost, mycorrhizal fungi, livestock rotation, and applied biodynamics.
The Evolution of Natural Wine: From the Ancient Wine of the Ancestors to the Contemporary Concept of Natural and Biodynamic Wine — Nicoletta Dicova (Clark) Take a fascinating journey following the evolution of wine through its millenniums-long history — from its cradle, the Cau-
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WORKSHOPS Saturday casus region where humanity first adomesticaed the vine about 8000 years ago, to the modern concept of natural and biodynamic wine. This workshop will explore: • Wine and spirituality • Evolution of the agricultural practices in the vineyards • Evolution of the vine training systems • Evolution of the winemaking techniques • S02 ( sulphur dioxide) in wine
The Farmer’s Twelve Senses: Nourishing Our Senses as a Foundation for Healing Our Land and Creating Our Farm Individuality — Bruno Follador (Multnomah) In this workshop we will explore how our twelve senses can serve as a foundation for engaging in a more conscious, responsible, and participatory way with our farms. With a greater understanding and awareness of our senses, our experience of our landscape and farm can become deeper, intimate, and more meaningful. Within this context, we’ll also explore questions such as: How do I participate — inwardly and outwardly — in the development of my farm and all that lives in its landscape? How can I become more conscious of the different qualities of my place? How do I create the space and conditions for my farm to realize its perhaps unrecognized potential? How do I foster and contribute to the health of our soils and community?
From Here to Everywhere: Building a Regenerative Biodynamic Food System — John Bloom, William Day, Anna Jones-Crabtree, Steffen Schneider, Erin Sojourner Agostinelli (Glisan) In this workshop, we explore the notion of a thriving biodynamic food system serving a broad and diverse marketplace. We will start by acknowledging where we are, what such a food system might look like, and what some of the stages of development it will take to reach that marketplace. The panelists bring multiple perspectives and years of experience in the field.
How to Invite Elementals onto Your Farm — Jacqueline Freeman (Flanders) In biodynamic agriculture, the role of elementals is often skimmed over or skipped completely. Yet these unseen helpers are eager to participate and increase the health of our farms and communities. We can invite them to come into partnership with us. Jacqueline’s farm is a haven for nature spirits and elementals whose presence on the land is both palpable and visible. Using stories and images from her farm, we see how a relationship begins and how it progresses into a lively and responsive language. Using individual knowledge of our own land, we will initiate connection with the unseen realm and begin our own partnerships. As we develop wonderful practical skills of shared
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consciousness and commitment, you will notice how our bodies become invigorated, we elevate the quality of the ether, and we raise the life force of the land.
Rigor and Restlessness: Whither Biodynamic Practice? — Ted Lemon (Lovejoy) Are we called to move beyond our current understanding of the biodynamic paradigm? Almost 100 years after the Agricultural Lectures, many of us are asking whether we should approach biodynamics differently. Should the practices themselves change? If so, how? If the practices change, how can we be sure they are still faithful to Steiner’s vision? What is the essence of the biodynamic paradigm anyway? Does Steiner’s vision even matter, or are we called to act in new ways? There are many indications that humankind is on the doorstep of a profound shift in consciousness. If so, what are the implications for biodynamic practice? How should we engage with this transformation? Can we use our own consciousness, so different from that of the reductionist scientific mind, in new ways to further the coming transformation to a healthier future? This presentation will review some of the indicators of this shift in consciousness, discuss their implications for our work, and suggest avenues of growth and expansion for our practices, while stimulating discussion and thought in our community about how we interact with the radically changing world around us.
Thinking in Indian: Biodynamics at the Pine Ridge Reservation — Tom Cook, Milo Yellow Hair (Pettygrove) We will share our experience bringing biodynamic methods to gardening in the third poorest census tract in America — the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, where we’ve been growing seedlings and tilling gardens for 33 years. Our highest number was 535 gardens; we average half that each year. The congruency of Native thinking and biodynamics is at the basis, and the need for our people to prosper and thrive is our subject matter. We will include our use of buffalo horns and manure for making biodynamic preparation 500, which was our biggest achievement.
Session 5, 5:00 - 6:30 pm A Biodynamic Understanding of Trees — Joseph Murray (Flanders) In response to the repeated requests from area farmers for Rudolf Steiner to provide guidance on how they could reverse the trend of soil degradation and reduced yields, Steiner gave an eight-part lecture series on agriculture. These lectures outlined principles to improve soil and plant health; afterwards they
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WORKSHOPS Saturday became the basis of biodynamic farming. Steiner offered a perspective on trees that was rather radical for his time in 1924. Still today, a reading of his lectures continues to provide a unique and refreshing understanding of Earth’s largest and oldest life forms — trees. This presentation focuses on two concepts introduced by Steiner: the interconnectedness of trees to their soil environment, and the tree consisting of herbaceous plants “rooted” to the branches and trunk of a tree. An understanding of Steiner’s description of trees can deepen anyone’s relationship with trees. The principles outlined, nearly 100 years ago, are still relevant today for homeowners addressing soil degradation and plant disorders in residential landscapes.
Community Seed Systems: Connecting Soil to Table and Vase Through Seed — Stacey Denton, Don Tipping (Glisan) Within our annual crops, seed saving is quite likely the defining element of agriculture, yet most farms purchase all of their seed in from the outside, often from abstract foreign locales. Through their work with Siskiyou Seeds and the Seed Academy training, Stacey and Don have forged many connections towards fostering community seed systems, which include plant breeding, trialing, varietal adaptation, field days, education, outreach, seed growing, and distribution. The work of creating new regenerative seed systems involves helping people to engage with organic/ Biodynamic seed sourcing in compelling, encouraging ways as regulatory measures have fallen short. There exists tremendous opportunity to help farmers close the loop with regard to incorporating on-farm seed saving and selection, which helps to achieve multiple goals including greater farm resilience, increased climate and pest adaptation, and expression of the farm individuality to the outer world, which can also become a strong marketing asset. This workshop will explore the myriad of ways in which seed saving touches so many aspects of agrarian cuture and can be a powerful vehicle to proliferate socio-cultural change and the betterment of humanity.
Creating a Biodynamic Garden Ecosystem — Frank Holzman (Clark) This workshop will discuss how to emulate nature to develop an intimate relationship with a piece of land. This is done by evaluating amd monitoring all components of the given ecosystem. The idea is to enhance the symbiotic relationship amongst the various species. Finding one’s place in the ecosystem allows coexistence and adapatability with the gardener or farmer. In other words, the garden makes the gardener. The subjects covered will be ecology, agroecology, biodynamics, permaculture design, organic IPM, polyculture, and companion planting, as well as
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regenerative practices of nutrient cycling and soil building. The workshop content is complementary to Frank Holzman’s new book, Radical Regenerative Gardening and Farming, Biodynamic Principles and Perspectives, published by Rowman and Littlefield 2018 and based on his 40+ years of working in organic horticulture and agriculture.
Expanding Biodynamic Grain Acres: Farmer-to-Farmer Education and Advancing Associative Relationships across the Supply Chain — Anna Jones-Crabtree, Fred Kirschenmann (Clackamas) The production of Biodynamic grains, pulses, and oilseeds is not keeping up with the demand in the marketplace. Challenges to expanding acres of Biodynamic production include: • Lack of knowledge to scale Biodynamic practices across larger acreages, and to manage these farms as individual organisms • Inadequate mechanisms for equitable risk-sharing relationships between farmers and the rest of the supply chain that are truly cooperative (versus competitive) • Insufficient networking that enables sharing information and building strong relationships across the grain, pulse, and oilseed production and distribution system from seed to consumer This workshop will share a case study on a project launched to address these challenges and identify ways that spirit and relationship are the basis of a resilient cooperative supply chain, avoiding the tendency to move towards industrialization. Several farmers across North Dakota and Montana are currently forming a Biodynamic Farmer to Farmer Education Hub specific to grain, pulse, and oilseed production. This hub will meet throughout the 2018 growing season and focus on sharing practical ways to implement Biodynamic practices on large acreages through farmer-to-farmer convening. The hub will also explore supply and distribution risk sharing beyond the farm gate by convening farmers with buyers, processors, and food companies. The workshop will present lessons learned from implementing this education hub and offer ideas on how to replicate this model successfully in other production systems and geographic areas. The workshop will be a panel including farmers, buyers, processors, food companies, and educators, with audience dialog about creating an associative economy.
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WORKSHOPS Saturday Introduction to Round Filter Chromatography and the Soil Food Web as Qualitative Assessment Tools for Soil and Compost — Ryan Herring, Thomas Schneider (Lovejoy) Join us for an introduction to Dr. Ehrenfeid Pfeiffer’s Round Filter Chromatography and the Soil Food Web by Dr. Elaine Ingham. This workshop will cover the importance of the beneficial aerobic soil organisms, to build and maintain fertile, healthy, vibrant soils and composts. How can we use and integrate Round Filter Chromatography and the Soil Food Web, Fungal to Bacterial biomass ratios (F:B ratio) as a quality control tool to assess soil and compost? What similarities are there between the formative forces that appear in the chromatograms and the types of soil organisms present in a sample? We will then look at the role and the acquaintance of the biodynamic preparations regarding the cosmic intelligence and soil fertility. Participants will gain insight into a visual, picture forming and scientific approach to understanding soil fertility and quality.
Permaculture and Biodynamics — Marjory House, Lichen June, Tao Orion (Multnomah) This workshop will explore the relationship between biodynamics and permaculture and what each of these concepts offer. We will look at how these concepts are different and how they are similar. What can they learn from each other? We will look at how the realms of biodynamics (etheric, astral, and spiritual) relate to the concepts of zones in permaculture and how they intersect. We will also discuss systems theory and how it informs and inspires both permaculture and biodynamics. This will not be a “how to” workshop. It will be geared more for those already familiar with the concepts of permaculture and/or biodynamics, and a picture of how the two ideas can be woven together to maximize what they both have to offer, creating an ideal in efficient living systems — with permaculture as a closed-loop design system, and biodynamics as a closed-loop fertility system for nutrition and soil health.
Sacred Seed Stewardship — Rowen White (Pettygrove) Seed is a precious common heritage and an essential component to the future sustainability of our food. Our ancestors have faithfully passed us this incredible gift of life over countless generations. Rowen White, in her work with Sierra Seed Cooperative and Indigenous SeedKeepers Network, is revitalizing the human connection to these sacred heritage seeds and honoring their cultural and practical context within our daily lives. She is a part of a growing movement to “re-localize” and reconnect and rematriate the seeds back to into the rich soil of our hearts and the land under our feet, allowing for resilient seeds that will be
ready to meet the challenges of the current conditions. Integral in this seed movement are the cultural memories and stories, and how we regain a sense of who we are as a culture through our foods and seeds. Join us as we learn about the creative ways of re-integrating seed stewardship back into our local community food systems and how we can deepen our understanding of the nourishing cycles of life.
Social Understanding, Gender, and Sexuality in Agriculture — Ronan O’Connor, Lisa Romero (Overton) The social understanding of gender and sexuality is a task for our times. Rudolf Steiner stated that our gender and sexuality are where the human being is most un-free. Our farms, educational opportunities, social and business enterprises, and communities at large are calling for renewed relationships where the capacities of each individual are honored and supported to develop no matter their gender, sexuality, race, culture, or religion. We will explore how the qualities of gender and sexuality live in us and ways to develop ourselves towards freedom from their bounds. Creating a healthy individual inner relationship fosters understanding and care in our communities and contributes to the collective consciousness. Working to overcome our own biases and imbalances will prepare us to awaken more readily to the spiritual wisdom that can bring health and harmony into the evolving reality of gender and sexuality. The insights shared in this workshop will help anyone interested in understanding the various forms of human relationship and how we might work together to build a healthier community life on our farms and beyond. “Our bodies are our gardens, to which our wills are gardeners” — Shakespeare, Othello
The Spiritual-Scientific Foundations of Biodynamic Agriculture, Part I — Malcolm Gardner (Pendleton) Rudolf Steiner intended to inaugurate a rational and scientific, as well as spiritual, method of agriculture. In the first four lectures of his Agriculture Course, he outlined the spiritual-scientific foundations for the biodynamic preparations at the heart of this new method of agriculture. Unless these foundations are understood, the preparations will remain a riddle. We will review these initial lectures with their many difficult-to-understand details and uncover the systematic principles contained in Steiner’s highly condensed indications. This is the first part of a two-part workshop.
Understanding the Spiritual Heart of Biodynamics — Robert (Karp) Karbelnikoff (Grand Ballroom West) This workshop will provide people who are early on in their exploration of biodynamics with a clear and lingo-free understand-
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WORKSHOPS Saturday - Sunday ing of the spiritual-scientific background to biodynamics and how these insights inform biodynamic principles and practices. Though biodynamics can be successfully practiced by anyone, with or without this knowledge, this background is necessary to understand why biodynamics works and to distinguish it from a religious belief system. Understanding these principles can also allow one to better appreciate and respond to the mysteries taking place each day on our farms and gardens.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 18 Session 6, 8:30 - 10:00 am
Biodynamic Preparations: A Dance between Community and Individuality — Adriano Zago (Weyerhaeuser) Adriano Zago will share his experiences about the results that the biodynamic preparations can give to soil, plants, and human beings when they are properly used. As an agronomist, enologist, consultant, and professor of biodinamic agricolture, he considers himself lucky to visit and works with hundreds of companies, in several countries in the world. He has noticed that there is one common denominator to all the companies that correctly apply the biondinamic method — and that is change. Soil, products, people…everything changes because eveything is part of an invisible, yet tangible, evolution. The deepest core of this all is that these preparations become a professional tool, but not just like any other. They are essential, indisputable, and indispensable for him and for his professional mission. As he works with many farmers, he has seen how, all together, on a daily basis, they experience this change, this evolutionary power, this tangible practice that comes from biodynamic preparations and what we ultimately eat. In his perpetual traveling, he has found great masters, like Peter Proctor, Alex Podolinski, and Pierre Masson. The latter, especially, has taught him how biodynamic preparations are a gift that comes from afar, yet bring, still and always, concrete changes. In this workshop, we will see many images from different farms around the world, which will allow us to see the effect of biodynamic preparations in vines, vegetables, fruits, and wines.
Biodynamics and Latinos: Healing Pathways from Farm Workers to Farm Owners — Don Bustos, Joseluis, Ortiz, Thomas Spaulding (Overton) Who will renew agriculture in North America in the future? Historically, we looked to the children of family farmers to become our future farmers. Today, Latinos make up a large and growing percentage of the people who do the vast majority of the day-to-
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day work on US farms. Across the US, among farmworkers for all crops, Latinos comprise more than 80% of the total. More than 75% are originally from Mexico, with an average of ten years in the US. In spite of this growing and increasingly stable population of farmworkers, only 3% of farm owners in the US are Latino. Pathways for Latino farmworkers to become farm owners are often limited by structural barriers, including racism, immigration status, language proficiency, educational background, and lack of access to finance and credit, land, markets, and technical assistance and training. How can the biodynamic movement and Latino farmers join hands as allies to open pathways for Latinos to move from farm worker to farm owner? Hear stories from Latino farmers and biodynamic leaders. Explore your role in the movement to open up healing pathways for Latinos in the renewal of agriculture.
Ceremony for the Healing of the Earth — Wali Via (Washington) This ceremony will be an opportunity for us to collectively recognize our role as healers of the Earth and set our prayerful intention for her renewal. The ceremony will be a variation of one that Wali has been leading for many years throughout the US and Canada, primarily with farmers and others who work with the land.
Farming with Empathy — Jean-Paul Courtens, Crystal Stewart (Glisan) Gain shared understanding of what farming with empathy means. Understand how to cultivate an empathic environment in a variety of settings. Learn how empathy can be used as a tool to create connections with the natural world. Explore viewing plants and animals through the lens of their needs. Jean-Paul Courtens will provide concrete examples of how to practice this and will illustrate how it can impact the farm.
Integrating Sheep into Biodynamic Vineyard Management — Joseph Brinkley (Flanders) As we as humans only exist within the larger frame of other people, animals, plants, rocks, and minerals, so does a vineyard exist only within the scope of a multitude of interacting beings, substances, and processes. It is this similarity of interactions within a greater context that points to the framework of considering a vineyard — or farm — as a “self-contained organism,” which is a fundamental starting point within the biodynamic practice. This farm organism can be seen as a developed and highly organized entity with rhythmically functioning “organs” and “organ systems” working with and toward a purpose. While our purpose, as it relates to the vineyard, is traditionally the highest-quality
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WORKSHOPS Sunday grapes, there is conceivably a higher purpose. One could say this higher purpose is to bring about balance and health to the land, plants, animals, etc. that hold the vineyard and that inhabit the space of the land. This lecture will focus on overall soil health and a balanced farm system, which can be achieved through the following areas: cover cropping and biodiversity, along with the biodynamic sprays. Discussion of cover crops will include the four primary plant types (legume, grass/small grain, brassica, and flower) and the value of diverse plantings within a reasonable scale. Regarding biodiversity, we will look at increasing and encouraging both plant and animal biodiversity in the form of domesticated and/or wild animals, trees, hedges, habitat, windbreaks, etc. — while creating functionality as well as beauty on a farm scale with multiple layers of benefit.
Mid- to Large-Scale Sustainable Medicinal Herb Farming — Gabriel Noard (Lovejoy) Take an in-depth look at the herb industry and what is needed to know to grow herbs on a production scale in a sustainable way. We are currently faced with a lack of domestic herb production and issues of agricultural sustainability. The natural products industry is helping to reshape the national economy. In order to meet new government food safety laws, and increasing demands from informed consumers, millions of workers need to be retrained and many individuals inspired to become trained medicinal herb farmers. Gabriel Noard’s company, Pangaea Plants, teaches students the intricacies of this world, from botany and bacteria to business and the USDA. They will learn modern, production-size herb growing and processing, receive food safety training certifications, and study sales techniques and business management.
Reclaiming the Urban Forest for Food, Medicine, and Healing: Indigenous Cultural Collaborations in the Portland Metro Area — Judy Bluehorse Skelton (Pettygrove) Indigenous Traditional Knowledge-based practices for land, water, and traditional foods are critical to the revitalization of food sovereignty for Indigenous communities and are central to healing from the long-term effects of historical trauma. We recognize the cultural significance and value of connection with the land to heal and build community health and resilience: First Foods and Plant Medicines are essential to restore and reclaim physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. Reclaiming the urban forest for food, medicine, ceremony, and healthy lifeways has found a timely synergy with numerous agencies and community partners working in culturally responsible restoration, education, reclamation, and protection practices, as well as inform-
ing holistic/adaptive land management and policies. With an emphasis on long-term relationship building and prioritizing the collaborative processes, these partnerships acknowledge the interdependence of People and Place so crucial for revitalizing healthy communities and healthy lands. This presentation highlights several collaborative projects and partnerships, including the PSU Indigenous Nations Studies Program, Portland Parks, Metro, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, and Native communities, both urban and tribal. These key practices are part of the larger Indigenous Resurgence movement occurring nationally and internationally. An herbal tea will be served.
The Spiritual-Scientific Foundations of Biodynamic Agriculture, Part 2 — Malcolm Gardner (Pendleton) See description on page 33. This is the second part of a two-part workshop. Prior attendance at the first part is highly recommended.
Wise Words from Biodynamic Pioneers of the Pacific Northwest — Henning Sehmsdorf, Brent Wasser, Ferdinand Vondruska (Crown Zellerbach) We are blessed to have several longstanding biodynamic pioneers here in the Pacific Northwest, including Henning Sehmsdorf of Washington and Ferdinand Vondruska of British Columbia. Each of these pioneers has a rich and unique story and much experience to share. What have they learned over many decades of biodynamic practice, and how do they see biodynamics moving forward into the future? Join us to hear their stories and wisdom and engage in a rich and interactive conversation, moderated by a recent graduate of the Biodynamic Association’s farmer training program, Brent Wasser.
Working with a Biodynamic Planting Calendar — Sherry Wildfeuer (Grand Ballroom West) This workshop will provide an introduction to basic astronomy. Explore the history and context of biodynamic planting calendars and hear a practical explanation of how to work with the charts in the Stella Natura calendar. No previous knowledge of the subject needed.
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EN ESPAÑOL La conferencia biodinámica de 2018 en español Le damos una cordial bienvenida a nuestros participantes hispanohablantes en la conferencia. Tenemos varios eventos bilingües en la conferencia, y damos la bienvenida a su participación en todos los eventos. Los siguientes eventos incluirán la interpretación del inglés al español o serán conducido por un hispanohablante.
JUEVES, 15 DE NOVIEMBRE Bienvenida a la conferencia y Transformando el corazón de la agricultura 5:00 - 6:30 pm Ueli Hurter y Narendra Varma (Mt St Helens Ballroom) La biodinámica está transformando el corazón de la agricultura en todos los continentes y en todos los climas. Ueli Hurter traerá puntos destacados de iniciativas biodinámicas de todo el mundo, y Narendra Varma nos conectará con Portland mientras nos comparte la transformación agrícola, social y económica que sucede en Nuestra Mesa Cooperativa.
VIERNES, 16 DE NOVIEMBRE La biodinámica en la práctica: historias de la regeneración 9:00 - 10:30 am Nadine Basile, Anna Jones-Crabtree, y Wali Via (Grand Ballroom West) La biodinámica es un enfoque holístico, ecológico y ético a la agricultura que nos brinda salud y vitalidad al suelo, plantas, animales y personas. Con buen material visual y ejemplos concretos, tres agricultores biodinámicos compartirán historias de cómo están incorporando principios y prácticas regenerativas para crear fincas biodiversas y autosustentables.
Imagen vívida del mMovimiento bBiodinámico en 2024 11:00 am - 12:30 pm Thea Maria Carlson, Elizabeth Candelario, David Byrnes, Steffen Schneider, y Pat Frazier (Grand Ballroom West) Desde enero, líderes en el movimiento biodinámico de los Estados Unidos han participado en un proceso colaborativo para crear una visión compartida para el futuro. Este “imagen vívida” demostrará qué significa el éxito para el movimiento, así como
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las maneras en que nosotros, como organizaciones e individuos comprometidos con el futuro biodinámico, trabajar y actuar. En esta sesión, compartiremos la ‘imagen vívida ‘ y participaremos en una discusión interactiva para explorar cómo cada persona puede contribuir a hacer la imagen una realidad.
El cultivo de hortalizas en el contexto de una granja biodinámica 2:00 - 3:00 pm Jean-Paul Courtens (Grand Ballroom West) En este taller, Jean-Paul Courtens explicará todos los aspectos del enfoque de la biodinámica para el cultivo de hortalizas, incluyendo la planificación, preparación de suelos, siembra, trasplante, asociación de cultivos, la rotación de cultivos, el deshierbe y la cosecha. El es fundador de Roxbury Farm en Kinderhook, Nueva York, un granja de 375-acres que tiene uno que los mayores programas de agricultura apoyada por la comunidad en la región. Jean-Paul ha estado cultivando verduras durante 30 años. ¡No pierda esta oportunidad única de aprender de este profesor y consejero distinguido para obtener respuestas a sus preguntas de verduras!
La naturaleza de la bestia: la integración de los animales en una granja biodinámica 3:30 - 4:30 pm Beth Hoinacki (Grand Ballroom West) Goodfoot Farm es una granja orgánica y biodinámica® en pequeña escala en el oeste de Oregon. Además de los arándanos, árboles frutales, y la diversificada producción de verduras, la granja tiene pollos y gansos, ovejas, y tres caballos. En este taller, la agricultora Beth discutirá el papel de los animales en una granja biodinámica y explicará cómo cada una de estas especies se pone a trabajar en su granja manejando malezas, plagas de insectos, y enfermedades, y proporcionando fertilidad. Ella discutirá cómo honrar las expresiones individuales de estos animales diversos y cómo practicar la cría de animales que tiene sentido en la vida de un agricultor ocupado. También se cubrirá brevemente la gestión de los animales en relación con el estándar del programa nacional orgánico del USDA y el estándar de la granja Demeter, y las consideraciones de seguridad alimentaria para mantener a los animales en una granja de producción. Este taller está dirigido al cultivador de granjas en pequeña escala y al jardinero ávido; sin embargo, los principios también pueden aplicarse a operaciones más grandes.
EN ESPAÑOL Producción biodinámica en Alemania y el inicio en granjas de México y Guatemala 3:30 - 4:30 pm Heberto Antonio Rodas Gaitán (Crown Zellerbach) [No hay interpretación, presentación puede ser bilingüe si se desea] Este taller describirá y mostrará los diferentes aspectos claves que se consideran en la producción biodinámica en Alemania y en el desarrollo del enfoque biodinámico en las granjas de México y Guatemala. Los aspectos claves para la producción de cultivos se consideran la fertilidad y salud del suelo, nutrición vegetal, control biológico, sistemas de irrigación, felicidad de los colaboradores, producción de invernadero biodinámico, aplicación de biopreparados, y el efecto sobre todo el sistema. Las granjas de estos países, que recientemente decidieron producir bajo un concepto orgánico o biodinámico, comenzaron con el establecimiento de un proceso de la composta, considerado como el pilar para el desarrollo de la salud y la fertilidad del suelo. El proceso de compostaje se inició con la observación y análisis de los residuos de cultivos y la disponibilidad de recursos naturales, con el fin de mejorar la eficiencia de esos recursos regionales. Es importante no utilizar energía adicional o inversión económica en tales procesos, así que podría ser posible adaptarse y reproducirse fácilmente en diversas granjas.
Del organismo agrícolo a la individualidad agrícola 5:00pm - 6:30 pm Ueli Hurter (Grand Ballroom West) Trataremos de desarrollar un entendimiento con un enfoque antroposófico de la relación de los dos en el sentido que el organismo de la granja está relacionado con el(los) cuerpo(s) en la constitución humana, y la individualidad de la granja está relacionada con el alma y espíritu del humano. ¿Cómo se relacionan los dos? ¿En qué forma es la condición para el otro? ¿En cuál camino y con cuál instrumentos podemos criar a cada uno? ¿Podemos entender las preparaciones biodinámicas en este contexto como los constructores de capacidad para la individualización de la tierra?
SÁBADO, 17 DE NOVIEMBRE La biodinámica, la indígenaidady la justicia social 9:00 - 10:30 am Orland Bishop, Jim Embry, y Rowen White (Grand Ballroom West) Transformar el corazón de la agricultura significa transformar
nuestras relaciones humanas. ¿Cómo pueden los agricultores y los administradores de tierras biodinámicas, tradicionales e Indígenas conectarse y aprender unos de otros? ¿Qué medidas podemos adoptar para construir la equidad, la inclusión y la verdadera comunidad en la agricultura norteamericana? Orland Bishop, Jim Embry, y Rowen White compartirán perspectivas sobre estas cuestiones importantes y participarán en el diálogo que provoca la reflexión entre ellos y los participantes en la conferencia.
La composta biodinámica: la difusión de la red de la naturaleza 11:30 am - 12:30 pm Marney Blair (Grand Ballroom West) ¡Seis de las preparaciones que hacemos y usamos como agricultores biodinámicos y jardineros son para la composta! El mundo necesita más composta biodinámica. Este taller proveerá una mirada introductoria cómo producimos la composta biodinámica a gran escala y cómo la composta crea una comunidad de la gente que trabaja para conseguir principios de agricultura biodinámica. Será presentado un proceso detallado de cómo producir la composta biodinámica de alta calidad a gran escala. Exploraremos las maravillas de la composta, que no solo trabaja sus maravillas en los jardines y las granjas de la comunidad, sino también crea redes sociales y económicas. Compartiremos cómo la composta ha ayudado a crear sociedades comerciales sin el dinero, inspiró actividades sociales para ingredientes de preparación, junto a la gente de varios orígenes diferentes y muchas historias más. Compartiremos detalladamente cómo realmente hacemos la composta biodinámica de alta calidad por esta escala. Los temas incluirán la formación de la receta, calendario de rotación, soluciones básicas y control de calidad.
Los resultados de la agricultura biodinámica en México después de siete años de investigación 11:30am - 12:30 pm Jose Ma Anguiano Cardenas, Jose Maria Anguiano Soto, y Javier Anguiano Soto (Crown Zellerbach) [No hay interpretación, presentación puede ser bilingüe si se desea] Este taller se observará un proyecto de investigación participativa, realizado del 2010 al 2017, para implementar la agricultura biodinámica y la gestión integrada en México en diferentes cultivos como el aguacate (Persea americana Mill), el maíz (Zea mays), el tomate (Lycopersicum sculatum), y el árbol de cítricos (Citrus aurantifolia). El estudio se desarrolló en 50 huertas (20 convencionales y 30 biológicos) en Michoacán, Jalisco y Colima en México. Se consideraron los siguientes elementos: el suelo
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EN ESPAÑOL (tierra de diatomeas, humus de maleza, BD 500, composta de barril y biocatalizadores), el árbol (tiempo de poda, pasta biodinámica, 508 biodinámica, y aerosol SiO2), la productividad (calidad de fruta y rentabilidad) y el medio ambiente (insectos beneficiosos, BD 501 y 507, bio-pesticidas, y composta biodinámica). Dentro del primer año de investigación, los resultados sugieren un aumento del 20% en la producción y un 1,8% en materia orgánica (MO), y una mejor calidad de la fruta y la curación de árboles para 21 de los huertos orgánicos. El segundo año de investigación sugiere una mejora para la mitad de los huertos convencionales. El resto mostró avances hasta el tercer año sin cambios en la producción, pero con un aumento de la calidad de la fruta en 17 de ellos, y MO en 1,3%. Los costos de producción en ambos tipos disminuyeron 48%. El método de gestión integrado y la agricultura biodinámica se consideraron alternativas sostenibles para nuestra región.
Aspirando una nueva generación en Finca Irlanda, México 11:30am - 12:30 pm Sara González Herrera (Overton) [No hay interpretación, presentación puede ser bilingüe si se desea] La agricultura y los agricultores están todavía al final de la cadena de producción, casi invisible para el mundo moderno. La justicia es la idea principal que queremos desarrollar en nuestro proyecto en la granja: justicia social, justicia de la educación, y justicia del bienestar. En una finca de café de 300 hectáreas en Chiapas, México que comenzó en los años 20, han hecho muchos cambios y mejoras, pero también hay cosas que no han cambiado. Las ceibas todavía están aquí, las aves migratorias siguen viniendo, los helechos son abrumadores, los ríos todavía están en funcionamiento, y más de 187 diferentes especies de arañas y hormigas, 50 especies de árboles tropicales, 200 especies de aves tropicales, y más de 800 especies de las plantas tienen su hogar en la granja. Durante el último año, la granja inició otro esfuerzo para mejorar los proyectos educativos. Prácticamente todas las actividades agrícolas — germinación, siembra, recorte, riego, compostaje y recolección — son realizadas por las manos y la voluntad de los agricultores que trabajan arduamente. Ya estamos experimentando algunos cambios, y nuestro sueño es preservar ese entusiasmo y voluntad de seguir aprendiendo y ofrecer un camino para que las personas se conviertan en verdaderos agricultores biodinámicos.
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Sesiones de espacios abiertos 2:00 pm - 4:30 pm Esta es la parte de la conferencia en la que damos la programación a ustedes. Durante el Open Space (Espacio Abierto), cualquier persona puede organizar una conversación de cualquier tema que quiera explorar con otros participantes de la conferencia. Habrá dos sesiones de espacio abierto el sábado por la tarde, de 2:00-3:00 pm y 3:30-4:30 pm. El sábado por la mañana después de la presentación principal, invitaremos a los participantes a anunciar las sesiones que deseen acoger. Si no está organizando una sesión, puede elegir las conversaciones que otros han organizado, quedándose con una o moviéndose entre diferentes conversaciones que se interesen.
Entendiendo el corazón espiritual de la biodinámica 5:00 - 6:30 pm Robert (Karp) Karbelnikoff (Grand Ballroom West) Este taller proporcionará a las personas que se encuentran en el inicio de su exploración de la biodinámica con una comprensión clara del trasfondo espiritual-científico de la biodinámica y cómo estos conocimientos informan principios y prácticas biodinámicas. Aunque la biodinámica puede ser practicada con éxito por cualquier persona, con o sin este conocimiento, este trasfondo es necesario para entender por qué la biodinámica funciona y para distinguirla de un sistema de creencias religiosas. La comprensión de estos principios puede también permiten apreciar y responder mejor a los misterios que están ocurriendo cada día en nuestras granjas y jardines.
DOMINGO, 18 DE NOVIEMBRE Trabajando con un calendario de siembra biodinámica 8:30 - 10:00 am Sherry Wildfeuer (Grand Ballroom West) Este taller ofrecerá una introducción a la astronomía básica. Explore la historia y el contexto de los calendarios de siembra biodinámica y escuche una explicación práctica de cómo trabajar con los gráficos en el calendario Stella Natura. No se necesitan conocimientos previos sobre el tema.
EN ESPAÑOL La biodinámica y los latinos: caminos curativos de los trabajadores agrícolas a los propietarios agrícolas 8:30 - 10:00 am Don Bustos, Joseluis, Ortiz, Thomas Spaulding (Overton) [No hay interpretación, presentación puede ser bilingüe si se desea] ¿Quién renovará la agricultura en Norteamérica en el futuro? Históricamente, miramos a los hijos de los agricultores de la familia para convertirse en nuestros futuros agricultores. Hoy en día, los latinos conforman un gran y creciente porcentaje de las personas que hacen la gran mayoría del trabajo cotidiano en las granjas estadounidenses. A través de los Estados Unidos, entre los trabajadores agrícolas para todos los cultivos, los latinos representan más del 80% del total. Más del 75% son originarios de México, con un promedio de diez años en Estados Unidos. A pesar de esta creciente y cada vez más estable población de trabajadores agrícolas, sólo el 3% de los dueños de granjas en Estados Unidos son latinos. Los caminos para que los trabajadores agrícolas latinos se conviertan en dueños de granjas suelen estar limitados por barreras estructurales, incluyendo racismo, estatus migratorio, competencia lingüística, antecedentes educativos y falta de acceso a finanzas y crédito, tierras, mercados y asistencia técnica y formación. ¿Cómo puede el movimiento biodinámico y los agricultores latinos unir las manos como aliados para abrir caminos para que los latinos se muden del agricultor al dueño de la granja? Escucharemos historias de los agricultores latinos y líderes biodinámicos. Explorar su papel en el movimiento para abrir caminos curativos para los latinos en la renovación de la agricultura.
Regenerando el suelo, la alimentación y la economía 11:00 am -12:30 pm M. Karlos Baca, Bruno Follador, y Alisa Gravitz (Grand Ballroom West) ¿Cómo se ve la regeneración en los niveles de suelo, alimentación, cultura y economía y cuáles son los retos y oportunidades que enfrentamos en las próximas décadas realizando este potencial? Escucha a un practicante biodinámico, un cocinero y agricultor indígena, y un líder en inversión socialmente responsable comparten perspectivas sobre estas cuestiones y participan en una conversación vivida sobre el futuro de la agricultura regenerativa y biodinámica.
Inner Work Meets Outer Work A Self Development Course for Farmers and Gardeners
Explore how the activity of agriculture can inform your own personal growth 3-month online course begins December 2018 Wednesdays 2:00 - 3:30 pm ET Steiner recognized that the path of development is different for each person, so he presented many different avenues that could lead to personal growth. In this course, we will delve into the principles of Steiner’s suggested meditative practices, as well as his research into the nature of the human being’s capacity for development. Working with nature and seasonal rhythms provide opportunities for meditative practice, and our work as farmers and gardeners also has social, economic, and vocational aspects that create scenes of potential development.
biodynamics.com/content/inner-work-meets-outer-work
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CHILDREN’S ACTIVITIES Thursday, November 15 Creating a Community of Children — Yumiko East, Lorna Kohler (Jantzen) 8:30 am - 12:00 pm and 1:00 - 4:30 pm Children are valued members of the conference community. This workshop is designed to create a safe space for children attending the conference to meet; share stories, hopes and dreams; paint and draw; connect with the natural world and each other; listen to stories from the Pacific Northwest; participate in a learning circle with singing games from around the world; create hand poems and inspirational verses; and support one another throughout the conference. Children are encouraged to bring something meaningful to them from their home or the natural world where they live to share in the circle, and to listen for songs or stories they might want to share with the conference community.
Friday, November 16 There Are Never Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen — Dov Judd, Kathryn Judd, Sean Sigmon (Jantzen) 8:30 - 11:15 am We will do flavor exploration and simple recipe creation lessons with children to give them ideas of what is possible with fruits and vegetables. We will allow everyone to play and see how cooking together is a way to bring family and friends closer. There are never too many cooks in the kitchen.
Fiber Arts on the Farm, Part 1 — Deanna Perlman (Jantzen) 11:30 am - 12:30 pm In this hands-on, tactile experience, children will learn how to process fiber from raw wool to handspun yarn using age-old techniques such as carding wool, spinning on a drop spindle, and weaving on a peg loom. We will take a closer look at different kinds of fiber produced by animals and plants and traditional dyes that come from nature. Every participant will take home a new skill and even a small sample of handspun yarn. Parents are welcome to join and learn with their children.
Being with the Earth — Ariel-Paul Saunders (Jantzen) 2:00- 4:45 pm This workshop will be an opportunity for young people to immerse themselves in a natural environment and get creative. What we do together will emerge out of the group and our
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relationship to the place we are inhabiting. It could include fort building, fairy house making, wild crafting, dam making, fire making, tracking, and games such as capture the flag, hide and go seek, etc. We will deepen our relationship to the natural world and form supportive relationships with ourselves and other participants.
Engaging with the Hearts and Minds of Future Biodynamic Practitioners — Jack Byrnes (Jantzen) 5:00 - 6:30 pm This workshop focuses on demonstrating the basic principles of biodynamic farming for children, as well as discussing the difference between biodynamic and other types of farming. We will be using Yellow Barn’s Discovering Biodynamic Activity book to both entertain and learn. These fun activities include the cycles of the moon, making a celery straw, drawing your dream farm, and other hands-on activities. The main idea is peer-to-peer sharing and knowledge-building with the future generation of biodynamic practitioners.
Saturday, November 17 Fiber Arts on the Farm, Part 2 — Deanna Perlman (Jantzen) 8:30 - 10:00 am Herbs that Heal: Teas, Salts, and Dream Pillows — Marta Capriles (Jantzen) 9:45 - 11:00 am Have you ever been drawn to a particular plant for its aroma? Or maybe its color and patterns or the feel of its leaves? We will get to know select medicinal herbs through an exploration using our senses and will learn some of the ways these plants can help us. Children will have the opportunity to create their own herbal tea mixtures, herbed salts, and dream pillows to take home.
Elemental Spirits in the Garden — Martha Loving (Jantzen) 11:15 am - 12:30 pm Using watercolor painting and drawing, Martha introduces the elemental beings in the garden to children. Stimulating the imagination through color, we will cultivate the heart’s knowing, connecting to these ever-present spirits that are helping our plants to grow strong, feeding the soul and our bodies.
CHILDREN’S ACTIVITIES Weaving a Future Together, Part 1 — Kelly Hogan, Noah Marquis, Traci Jo Partin, Ariella Sternberg (Jantzen) 2:00 pm - 6:30 pm The Weaving a Future Together program will consist of various workshops, including a biodynamic herb workshop, a nettle workshop, and a biodynamic calendar-making workshop. The Biodynamic Herbs workshop will include collecting seeds from some of the herbs used in biodynamic preparation making. The children will make seed balls with these seeds and will learn how to distribute the seed balls so that, come springtime, they can expect to see these plant allies growing in those locations. The Fun With Nettles workshop will invite the children into a full sensory experience working with nettles. They will learn a nettle song, make nettle tea, and twist cordage with nettle fibers. In the calendar-making workshop, children can make their own calendars to bring home to help them track root, leaf, flower, and fruit days. The calendar provides a visual first step to understanding one of the core principles of biodynamic gardening, which is
the connection of plant growth to the rhythms of the stars and planets. Note: the children’s calendar works together with a biodynamic planting calendar such as Stella Nature.
Sunday, November 18 Weaving a Future Together, Part 2 — Kelly Hogan, Noah Marquis, Traci Jo Partin, Ariella Sternberg (Jantzen) 8:30 am - 1:00 pm
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WORKSHOPS BY TRACK Advanced Biodynamics In Anticipation of the 100th Anniversary of Biodynamic Agriculture - Part 1 In Anticipation of the 100th Anniversary of Biodynamic Agriculture - Part 2 Advanced Biodynamics Quantum Physics for Biodynamic Farmers Esoteric Disease Control and Farm Health The Spiritual-Scientific Foundations of Biodynamic Agriculture, Part I The Spiritual-Scientific Foundations of Biodynamic Agriculture, Part 2
Wednesday 7:00 pm Thursday 8:30 am Thursday 1:00 pm Friday 2:00 pm Friday 3:30 pm Saturday 5:00 pm Sunday 8:30 am
Biodynamic and Regenerative Practices Biodynamic Seed for North America: How to Build International Cooperation Field Day at Malibu Compost: Building Living Soils Field Day at Mt. Hood Organic Farms and Analemma: Biodynamic Fruit Field Day at Mineral Springs Ranch and Momtazi Vineyard: Growing Grapes and Making Estate Wine Biodynamic Winemaking Intensive at Montinore Estates Core Principles and Practices of Making and Using All of the Preparations Ecosystem Mimicry in Perennial Biodynamic Systems Advanced Biodynamics Biodynamic Beekeeping Growing Vegetables in the Context of a Biodynamic Farm Australian Biodynamic Approach Biodynamic Nursery Management Yahowt! Indigenous-Led Permaculture Design and Indigenous Foods Farming Water: Whole Farm Keyline Water Systems The Nature of the Beast: Integrating Animals on a Biodynamic Market Farm Integrating Biodynamics and Landscaping Biodynamic Cannabis Combating Climate Change with Biodynamics Biodynamic Composting: Spreading Nature’s Network Creating a Biodynamic Garden Ecosystem Permaculture and Biodynamics Biodynamic Preparations: A Dance between Community and Individuality Integrating Sheep into Biodynamic Vineyard Management Working with a Biodynamic Planting Calendar
Biodynamic Basics Core Principles and Practices of Making and Using All of the Preparations Growing Vegetables in the Context of a Biodynamic Farm The Nature of the Beast: Integrating Animals on a Biodynamic Market Farm From Farm Organism to Farm Individuality Biodynamic Composting: Spreading Nature’s Network Understanding the Spiritual Heart of Biodynamics Working with a Biodynamic Planting Calendar
Wednesday 8:30 am Wednesday 8:30 am Wednesday 8:30 am Wednesday 8:30 am Thursday 8:30 am Thursday 8:30 am Thursday 8:30 am Thursday 1:00 pm Thursday 1:00 pm Friday 2:00 pm Friday 2:00 pm Friday 2:00 pm Friday 3:30 pm Friday 3:30 pm Friday 3:30 pm Friday 3:30 pm Friday 5:00 pm Saturday 11:30 am Saturday 11:30 am Saturday 5:00 pm Saturday 5:00 pm Sunday 8:30 am Sunday 8:30 am Sunday 8:30 am
Thursday 8:30 am Friday 2:00 pm Friday 3:30 pm Friday 5:00 pm Saturday 11:30 am Saturday 5:00 pm Sunday 8:30 am
Biodynamic Horticulture Field Day at Mt. Hood Organic Farms and Analemma: Biodynamic Fruit Growing Vegetables in the Context of a Biodynamic Farm Biodynamic Nursery Management
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Wednesday 8:30 am Friday 2:00 pm Friday 2:00 pm
WORKSHOPS BY TRACK Integrating Biodynamics and Landscaping Biodynamic Cannabis A Biodynamic Understanding of Trees Creating a Biodynamic Garden Ecosystem Community Seed Systems: Connecting Soil to Table and Vase Through Seed Mid- to Large-Scale Sustainable Medicinal Herb Farming
Friday 3:30 pm Friday 5:00 pm Saturday 5:00 pm Saturday 5:00 pm Saturday 5:00 pm Sunday 8:30 am
Biodynamic Principles and Philosophy Core Principles and Practices of Making and Using All of the Preparations Advanced Biodynamics The Biodynamic Principles Look Up to the Sky, Before You Look Down at Your Calendar! Apis Arborea — Rewilding Honeybees Esoteric Disease Control and Farm Health Biodynamic Cannabis From Farm Organism to Farm Individuality The Seven Life Processes and the Farm as Living Organism Thinking in Indian: Biodynamics at the Pine Ridge Reservation Rigor and Restlessness: Whither Biodynamic Practice? The Farmer’s Twelve Senses: Nourishing Our Senses as a Foundation for Healing Our Land Understanding the Spiritual Heart of Biodynamics A Biodynamic Understanding of Trees The Spiritual-Scientific Foundations of Biodynamic Agriculture, Part I The Spiritual-Scientific Foundations of Biodynamic Agriculture, Part 2 Wise Words from Biodynamic Pioneers of the Pacific Northwest Biodynamic Preparations: A Dance between Community and Individuality Farming with Empathy
Thursday 8:30 am Thursday 1:00 pm Thursday 1:00 pm Thursday 1:00 pm Friday 3:30 pm Friday 3:30 pm Friday 5:00 pm Friday 5:00 pm Friday 5:00 pm Saturday 11:30 am Saturday 11:30 am Saturday 11:30 am Saturday 5:00 pm Saturday 5:00 pm Saturday 5:00 pm Sunday 8:30 am Sunday 8:30 am Sunday 8:30 am Sunday 8:30 am
Biodynamic Wine Field Day at Mineral Springs Ranch and Momtazi Vineyard: Growing Grapes and Making Estate Wine Biodynamic Winemaking Intensive at Montinore Estates Beyond Voodoo Vintners: The Next Generation in Biodynamic Wine The Evolution of Natural Wine: From the Ancient Wine of the Ancestors to the Contemporary Concept Integrating Sheep into Biodynamic Vineyard Management
Community and Culture How Inner Development Affects Our Tasks on the Farm and in Community Life Achieving Belonging in a Culture of Race and Racism Soil Value Exchange: Biodynamic Approaches to Soil Healing and Rural Economics Biodynamics in India Biodynamic Agriculture: The Renewed Hope for Kenya’s Soil Yahowt! Indigenous-Led Permaculture Design and Indigenous Foods George Washington Carver and the Biodynamic Movement Biodynamics and Urban Agriculture: A Match in the Soil Original Aims and Ideals of the CSA Model FaithLands Culinary Breeding Network: Building Community among Plant Breeders, Farmers, Chefs, and Eaters Aiming for a New Generation in Finca Irlanda, Mexico
Wednesday 8:30 am Thursday 8:30 am Friday 3:30 pm Saturday 11:30 am Sunday 8:30 am
Thursday 1:00 pm Friday 2:00 pm Friday 2:00 pm Friday 2:00 pm Friday 3:30 pm Friday 3:30 pm Friday 3:30 pm Friday 5:00 pm Friday 5:00 pm Friday 5:00 pm Friday 5:00 pm Saturday 11:30 am
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WORKSHOPS BY TRACK Thinking in Indian: Biodynamics at the Pine Ridge Reservation Social Understanding, Gender, and Sexuality in Agriculture Community Seed Systems: Connecting Soil to Table and Vase Through Seed Biodynamics and Latinos: Healing Pathways from Farm Workers to Farm Owners Reclaiming the Urban Forest for Food, Medicine, and Healing
Economy and the Marketplace Biodynamic Seed for North America: How to Build International Cooperation Field Day at Our Table Cooperative and Native Gathering Garden at Cully Park Collaborative Strategies for the Emerging Food Economy Soil Value Exchange: Biodynamic Approaches to Soil Healing and Rural Economics Growing Biodynamic Certification with Integrity Marketing Your Biodynamic Venture Original Aims and Ideals of the CSA Model From Here to Everywhere: Building a Regenerative Biodynamic Food System Expanding Biodynamic Grain Acres: Farmer-to-Farmer Education Mid- to Large-Scale Sustainable Medicinal Herb Farming
Gardening and Small-Scale Farming Biodynamic Beekeeping Integrating Biodynamics and Landscaping The Nature of the Beast: Integrating Animals on a Biodynamic Market Farm Biodynamics and Urban Agriculture: A Match in the Soil Biodynamic Composting: Spreading Nature’s Network Creating a Biodynamic Garden Ecosystem Permaculture and Biodynamics A Biodynamic Understanding of Trees
Health and Spirit Agriculture and Social Health: Empowering Each Other to Live Well in Our Tasks How Inner Development Affects Our Tasks on the Farm and in Community Life Understanding Consciousness-Altering Substances: Cannabis, Opiates, Alcohol, and More FaithLands How to Invite Elementals onto Your Farm Understanding the Spiritual Heart of Biodynamics Ceremony for the Healing of the Earth
Indigenous Agriculture and Traditional Ecological Knowledge Yahowt! Indigenous-Led Permaculture Design and Indigenous Foods Thinking in Indian: Biodynamics at the Pine Ridge Reservation Sacred Seed Stewardship Reclaiming the Urban Forest for Food, Medicine, and Healing: Indigenous Cultural Collaborations
Science and Research The Hidden Half of Nature: New Science of the Microbiome Biodynamic Production in Germany and the Beginning in Farms from Mexico and Guatemala Results and Reflections from the International Biodynamic Research Conference
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Saturday 11:30 am Saturday 5:00 pm Saturday 5:00 pm Sunday 8:30 am Sunday 8:30 am
Wednesday 8:30 am Wednesday 8:30 am Thursday 8:30 am Friday 2:00 pm Friday 3:30 pm Friday 5:00 pm Friday 5:00 pm Saturday 11:30 am Saturday 5:00 pm Sunday 8:30 am
Thursday 1:00 pm Friday 3:30 pm Friday 3:30 pm Friday 5:00 pm Saturday 11:30 am Saturday 5:00 pm Saturday 5:00 pm Saturday 5:00 pm
Wednesday 8:30 am Thursday 1:00 pm Friday 2:00 pm Friday 5:00 pm Saturday 11:30 am Saturday 5:00 pm Sunday 8:30 am
Friday 3:30 pm Saturday 11:30 am Saturday 5:00 pm Sunday 8:30 am
Friday 2:00 pm Friday 3:30 pm Friday 5:00 pm
WORKSHOPS BY TRACK Saturday 11:30 am Saturday 5:00 pm
Biodynamic Farming Results in Mexico after Seven Years of Research Introduction to Round Filter Chromatography and the Soil Food Web as Qualitative Assessment Tools
Social Justice
Friday 2:00 pm Friday 3:30 pm Friday 5:00 pm Saturday 11:30 am Saturday 5:00 pm Sunday 8:30 am
Achieving Belonging in a Culture of Race and Racism George Washington Carver and the Biodynamic Movement Rudolf Steiner and Social Justice Aiming for a New Generation in Finca Irlanda, Mexico Social Understanding, Gender, and Sexuality in Agriculture Biodynamics and Latinos: Healing Pathways from Farm Workers to Farm Owners
#BDAconference18 Continue the conversations and help bring the event alive for those who aren’t here
@Biodynamics
@Biodynamic
@biodynamicsbda
Wish you could experience it all? Want to share what you’ve learned? Purchase recordings of conference sessions and workshops $80 for full package of audio and video recordings from all recorded sessions $70 for audio recordings only of all recorded sessions BDA members special: Soil members will receive 10% off above package rates; Seed Sower members and above will receive 20% off $30 for audio and video recordings of all keynote sessions only (no additional discount is given) Purchase today and all recordings will be available online for download by mid-January at www.biodynamics.com/ conference/2018/recordings. Ask for an order form at the BDA table or order online at www.biodynamics.com/ conference.
Recordings of keynotes and workshops available thanks to the generous support of Connoils and Stacy Peterson.
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SPECIAL EVENTS Film Screening of “Modified: A Food Lover’s Journey into GMOs” Wednesday 7:30 - 9:30 pm (Clackamas ) In the award-winning new documentary Modified, the filmmaker and her mother embark on a very personal and poignant investigative journey to find out why genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are not labeled on food products in the United States and Canada, despite being labeled in 64 countries around the world. Interweaving the personal and the political, the film is anchored in the filmmaker’s relationship to her mom, a gardener and food activist who battled cancer during the film’s production. Their intimate mother-daughter quest for answers, fuelled by a shared love of food, reveals the extent to which the agribusiness industry controls our food policies, making a strong case for a more transparent and sustainable food system. A visual celebration of family legacy and the love of food, cooking, and gardening. Winner of 10 festival awards. The screening will be followed by an interactive discussion with producer and executive producer Camelia Frieberg, a biodynamic farmer and an award-winning filmmaker, known for producing Atom Egoyan’s Exotica and Oscar-nominated The Sweet Hereafter.
Silent Auction Thursday, 4:00 pm - Sunday, 10:00 am (Grand Ballroom) Browse a wide selection of Biodynamic® wine, food, services, and experiences generously donated to our silent auction to raise funds for the Biodynamic Association’s work. Place a bid anytime throughout the conference. Winners need not be present: we will ship items for an additional fee.
BDA 80th Anniversary Celebration Thursday, 6:30 - 8:00 pm (Grand Ballroom East ) Join us to celebrate 80 years of the Biodynamic Association, since 1938! Enjoy bites and beverages from local, organic, and Biodynamic producers as well as the company of friends old and new. This celebration is open to all registered for the conference. (See menu on page 69.)
“SEED the STORIES” Short Film Premier Thursday, 8:00 - 9:30 pm (Mt St Helens Ballroom) Join filmmaker Taggart Siegel, creator of SEED: The Untold Story, The Real Dirt on Farmer John, and Queen of the Sun: What Are the Bees Telling Us?, for a series of hand-selected and previously unreleased short films featuring leading biodynamic farmers, seed keepers, and beekeepers, followed by an interactive discussion.
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Eurythmy Friday - Sunday, 7:30 - 8:15 am (Washington) Tired of sitting? Start your day with eurythmy, a movement practice that gives you a direct experience of earthly and cosmic forces through practicing heart-centered, etheric movements.
Qigong Friday - Sunday, 7:30 - 8:15 am (Hayden) Join us and start your day with a light-hearted Qigong practice. Loosen up, relax, and breathe. The mind, body, and spirit naturally coordinate through this sequence of 18 movements.
Building a Vivid Picture for the Future of Biodynamics Friday, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm (Grand Ballroom West) Over the course of 2018, the Biodynamic Association, Demeter USA, the Josephine Porter Institute, and other partners have coled a collaborative process to imagine what biodynamics could look like in 2024, the 100th anniversary of Rudolf Steiner’s lectures to farmers. We have engaged more than 800 members of the biodynamic community through online focus groups, a survey, and an in-person gathering of current and emerging leaders, with the goal of creating a ‘vivid picture’ which inspires and enlivens us, supports us in developing closer collaboration, and reminds us of what is most important as we work to deepen and expand the biodynamic impulse and all that it can offer to the world. In this session we will share elements of the emerging vivid picture and invite all participants to explore how they can help co-create the future of biodynamics. With Thea Maria Carlson, Elizabeth Candelario, David Byrnes, Steffen Schneider, and Pat Frazier.
Exhibits Friday, 12:00 - 6:00 pm and Saturday, 8:00 am - 6:00 pm (Hayden and Café Area) Browse our exhibit hall to find products and information to support your farming and gardening from businesses and organizations from across the continent. The SteinerBooks bookstore will also be open throughout the conference.
Advance Film Screening of “The Biggest Little Farm” Friday, 12:30 - 2:30 pm (Clark) A testament to the immense complexity of nature, The Biggest Little Farm follows two dreamers and a dog who leave behind urban life and begin an odyssey to find harmony in both their lives and the land. John and Molly Chester farm at Apricot Lane Farms, a certified Biodynamic and organic farm in Ventura County,
SPECIAL EVENTS California. “Like fresh air for the soul” — Variety “A gorgeous and often devastating look at good intentions slamming into harsh practical challenges. The rare eco-friendly documentary that reaches beyond the celebratory formula to explore the application of its environmental message in detail. It’s a remarkable educational experience for anyone eager to go back to the basics. “ — Indiewire
Connecting Farms and Land Opportunities with Farmers and Apprentices Friday, 1:00 - 2:00 pm (Washington) Are you looking for a farming or apprenticeship opportunity? Do you offer a mentorship opportunity on your farm or have a farm or land seeking a biodynamic farmer? This session will be organized as an “agricultural career fair,” providing an overview of a variety of opportunities where you can make introductions and ask questions as a starting point for further conversation.
Connecting to Spirit Friday, 5:00 - 6:30 pm (Glisan) Take time to balance stimulating conference content with the healing arts. Introducing simple watercolor techniques in painting and meditation exercises for developing discernment of the heart and cultivating our connection to spirit. Through the arts, we stimulate our imagination and develop a closer relationship of our inner landscape with the outer world of nature. No experience necessary; all beginners are welcome. With Martha Loving.
Next Generation Biodynamic Farmers Friday, 8:00 - 9:00 pm (Grand Ballroom West) Celebrate the newest crop of beginning biodynamic farmers graduating from the Biodynamic Association’s Farmer Training Program and hear from a graduate who is now mentoring, a current program participant, and a longtime mentor about the landscape of becoming a farmer today. Since 2009, over 100 aspiring biodynamic farmers have participated in our North American Biodynamic Apprenticeship Program (NABDAP), learning side-by-side with exemplary biodynamic mentor farmers across the continent. We have celebrated the graduation of 37 new biodynamic farmers, and 12 more are on track to graduate this year. Just as each farm individuality needs to grow and evolve over time, so does our work to train the next generation of farmers. Building on the strengths and accomplishments of NABDAP, we have introduced two new intensive one-year programs that will provide more flexibility, as well as a solid and broad foundation in all of the essentials of biodynamic farming for everyone who participates. Individuals will
have the option to participate in just the first year, or both. For both programs, we are inviting established farmers who want training in biodynamics to participate as well continuing to offer apprenticeship opportunities on exemplary mentor farms. The Biodynamic Farmer Foundation Year offers aspiring biodynamic farmers the opportunity to build a solid foundation in the principles and practices of biodynamic agriculture. Individual support from an experienced mentor farmer and a cohesive, integrated, and interactive learning curriculum bring biodynamics to life. The Biodynamic Farmer Development Year, which will begin in 2019, will develop and deepen the skills needed for biodynamic farm management for those who graduate from the foundation year. This program will allow for specialization in specific farm management and production areas.
Tasting Oregon’s Terroir Friday, 8:00 - 9:30 pm (Washington) Biodynamic farming and winemaking is lauded for its ability to bring a particular place to its full and unique expression, reflected in the taste of the wine as terroir. In this festive evening, we will explore the diversity and individuality of Oregon Biodynamic vineyards — meeting the winegrowers and makers, and tasting the landscape through their wines. Moderated by Katherine Cole, author of Voodoo Vintners: Oregon’s Astonishing Biodynamic Winegrowers.
Music and Dancing Friday and Saturday, 9:00 pm (JB’s Nightclub) Get your groove on with music and dancing at the end of the day.
Open Space Sessions Saturday, 2:00 - 4:30 pm (Various Locations) This is the part of the conference where we turn the programming over to YOU. During Open Space, anyone can host a conversation on any topic that you’d like to explore with other conference participants. There will be two Open Space Sessions on Saturday afternoon, from 2:00 - 3:00 pm and 3:30 - 4:30 pm. On Saturday morning after the keynote, we will invite participants to announce the sessions they want to host. If you’re not hosting a session, you can take your pick of the conversations others have organized, sticking with one or moving between different conversations that interest you.
Research Poster Session Saturday, 2:00 - 4:30 pm (Crown Zellerbach) Review the results of biodynamic research projects and discuss with the poster presenters.
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SPECIAL EVENTS Lightning Talks Saturday, 2:00 - 4:30 pm (Multnomah) Enjoy lively 10-minute presentations on a variety of topics.
Seed Swap Saturday, 8:00 - 9:00 pm (Main Lobby) Build biodiversity and sow seed sovereignty! Bring your heirloom and open-pollinated seeds to share with others, find new varieties to take home with you, and learn about seed saving techniques from experts in the field. Anyone can participate, whether or not you have seeds to share. If you are bringing seeds, please place them on one of the tables on Saturday and label them with variety, date, and location grown.
Eurythmy Spring Valley Performance Saturday, 8:00 - 9:30 pm (Grand Ballroom West) Eurythmy Spring Valley is a constellation of seven young and seasoned eurythmists, along with a speaker, musician, and lighting technician. In our evening program, we follow a path of initiation that winds its way through many landscapes and atmospheres in search of the well-springs of life. In Mary Oliver’s poem “West Wind,” we hear the call to embrace life with all its dangers and pitfalls, to row the boat with all our strength toward the thundering sound of life’s mighty waterfall—for it is only through the torrent of experience that we can discover our higher calling. There are times when our journey leads us through barren regions of arid desert. In the opening line of an excerpt from T.S. Eliot’s twentieth century masterpiece, The Wasteland, we are told: “Here is no water but only rock.” We seek to find our way through this desolate world until we can hear a “spring, a pool among the rock…sound of water over a rock / Where the hermit thrush sings in the pine trees.” This journey through the wasteland is echoed and enhanced through an interweaving of music from composers such as Zoltán Kodály and Peter Sculthorpe. We then begin to find a way forward on our spiritual quest in “Song of a Man Who Has Come Through” by D. H. Lawrence. The poet writes, “Not I, not I, but the wind that blows through me!” If we wish to redeem the wasteland, we must learn to become vessels, instruments of a higher world. Through our work with those higher powers can we can realize our humanity’s full potential. As we hear in the final lines of the poem, “What is the knocking at the door in the night?...it is the three strange angels. Admit them, admit them!” The program will also include a second part with various pieces of a lighter, humorous nature.
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RESEARCH POSTER SESSION Saturday, Nov. 17, 2:00 - 4:30 pm Biodynamic Preparations, Greater Root Growth and Health, Compensation for Stress, and Soil Organic Matter Increases Are Linked Walter Goldstein Chronicling the Knowledge and Experience of North American Preparation Makers Fellowship of Preparation Makers Interview Project Chromatography: A Quality Evaluation of Biodynamic Preparation 500 Chroma Study Group (a group of practicing biodynamic gardeners, farmers, and preparation makers) The Cosmic Knowledge of the Ancestral Mayas Associated to the Biodynamic Calendar in México José Ma. Anguiano, Javier Anguiano-Soto, and Jose Maria Anguino-Soto Creating Cold Hardy Crops Using Potentized Valerian/507 as a Seed Treatment Melinda Bateman, Morning Star Farm How to Attract New Farmers to Biodynamics: Are Pictures of Unseen Forces an Answer? Marie Mauger, Spirit of the Earth Farm, Hawaii Localized Farm Commons 501c2 Farmland Holding Structures Ian McSweeney, Agrarian Trust and Sustainable Economies Law Center Measuring the Planetary Resonance of the Biodynamic Preparations Stewart Lundy, Agrinomics, LLC and Perennial Roots Farm Natural Reources Conservation Service Soil Tests Lloyd Nelson and Brook LeVan, Biodynamic Source and Sustainable Settings Relationship of Use of Biodynamic Preparations and Rainfall Francis Cleland, Spirit of the Earth Farm, Anahola, Hawaii Ritual, Ceremony, and Biodynamic Agriculture Hanna Williams, Naropa University Safe Food from Contaminated Soil? Biodynamic Agricultural Method Shows Successful Field Research Marie Mauger, Spirit of the Earth Farm, Hawaii Soil Chromatograms Ryan Herring This is REALLY a Good Sign! The Earthworm Story Marie Mauger, Spirit of the Earth Farm, Hawaii Why Biodynamics? Research, Observations, and Inspiring Stories: An Unwritten Book That Addresses Issues of Concern in Biodynamic Farming Marie Mauger, Spirit of the Earth Farm, Hawaii
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PRESENTERS Ashley Alvarez
Nadine Basile
Yahowt Program Coordinator for Na’ah Illahee Fund
Ranch Manager and Viticulturist at Soter Vineyards and MSR Ranch
Yahowt! Indigenous-Led Permaculture Design and Indigenous Foods
Keynote: Biodynamics in Practice: Stories of Regeneration
Daphne Amory
Anne Biklé
Advisor and Coach in Regenerative Processes
Biologist and Co-Author of The Hidden Half of Nature
Keynote Moderator: Transforming the Heart of Agriculture
Jose Ma Anguiano Cardenas Trainer, Consultant, and Advisor in Sustainable and Biodynamic Farming Biodynamic Farming Results in Mexico after Seven Years of Research
Javier Anguiano Soto General Manager for BIOTESO
The Hidden Half of Nature: New Science of the Microbiome
Orland Bishop Executive Director of ShadeTree Multicultural Foundation Keynote: Biodynamics, Indigeneity, and Social Justice; Achieving Belonging in a Culture of Race and Racism; Agriculture and Social Health: Empowering Each Other to Live Well in Our Tasks
Biodynamic Farming Results in Mexico after Seven Years of Research
Marney Blair
Jose Maria Anguiano Soto
Biodynamic Composting: Spreading Nature’s Network
Agronomist Engineer for AGROTESO Biodynamic Farming Results in Mexico after Seven Years of Research
M. Karlos Baca Indigenous Foods Activist and Founder of Taste of Native Cuisine Keynote: Regenerating Soil, Food, and the Economy; Sowing the Seeds: Foodscapes of the Four Corners
Susan Balbas Co-Founder and Executive Director at The Na’ah Illahee Community Yahowt! Indigenous-Led Permaculture Design and Indigenous Foods
Co-founder of Fulcrum Farm
John Bloom Vice President of Organizational Culture at RSF Social Finance and Author of Inhabiting Interdependence From Here to Everywhere: Building a Regenerative Biodynamic Food System
Judy Bluehorse Skelton Assistant Professor, Indigenous Nations Studies Program at Portland State University Reclaiming the Urban Forest for Food, Medicine, and Healing: Indigenous Cultural Collaborations in the Portland Metro Area; Field Day at Our Table Cooperative and Native Gathering Garden at Cully Park
Tarry Bolger Director of Certification at Demeter USA Growing Biodynamic Certification with Integrity
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PRESENTERS Joseph Brinkley
Beth Corymb
Director of Vineyard Operations at Bonterra Organic Vineyards
Co-Founder of Meadowlark Hearth Farm and Turtle Tree Biodynamic Seed Initiative
Integrating Sheep into Biodynamic Vineyard Management
Don Bustos Farmer at Santa Cruz Farm Biodynamics and Latinos: Healing Pathways from Farm Workers to Farm Owners
Elizabeth Candelario President of Demeter USA
Nathan Corymb Co-Founder of Meadowlark Hearth Farm and Turtle Tree Biodynamic Seed Initiative Biodynamic Seed for North America: How to Build International Cooperation to Strengthen a Coordinated North American Biodynamic Seed Movement
Growing Biodynamic Certification with Integrity
Jean-Paul Courtens
Thea Maria Carlson
Founder of Roxbury Farm
Executive Director of the Biodynamic Association
Growing Vegetables in the Context of a Biodynamic Farm; Farming with Empathy
Growing Biodynamic Certification with Integrity
David Chal Garden Manager at Greenacres Foundation Australian Biodynamic Approach
Katherine Cole Author of Voodoo Vintners: Oregon’s Astonishing Biodynamic Winegrowers and host of The Four Top on OPB Beyond Voodoo Vintners: The Next Generation in Biodynamic Wine; Tasting Oregon’s Terroir
Tom Cook Founder and Director of Slim Buttes Agricultural Project Thinking in Indian: Biodynamics at the Pine Ridge Reservation
Biodynamic Seed for North America: How to Build International Cooperation to Strengthen a Coordinated North American Biodynamic Seed Movement
Bill Day VP Specialty Products and Solutions for HB Specialty Foods Collaborative Strategies for the Emerging Food Economy; From Here to Everywhere: Building a Regenerative Biodynamic Food System
Catherine Delano CEO of TAO Club Soil Value Exchange: Biodynamic Approaches to Soil Healing and Rural Economics
Stacey Denton Flower and Seed Grower at Siskiyou Seeds Community Seed Systems: Connecting Soil to Table and Vase Through Seed
Nicoletta Dicova Wine Journalist and Communicator Biodynamic Winemaking Intensive at Montinore Estate; The Evolution of Natural Wine: From the Ancient Wine of the Ancestors to the Contemporary Concept of Natural and Biodynamic Wine
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PRESENTERS Megan Durney
Jim Fullmer
Head Gardener at the Pfeiffer Center
Farmer at Hoskins Berry Farm
Keynote Moderator: Biodynamics, Indigeneity, and Social Justice
Biodynamic Cannabis
Cory Eichman
Editor and Translator of Spiritual Foundations for the Renewal of Agriculture
Malcolm Gardner
Co-Founder and Farmer at Saugeen River CSA Rudolf Steiner and Social Justice
The Spiritual-Scientific Foundations of Biodynamic Agriculture, Parts 1 and 2
Jim Embry
David Gathuka
Founder and Director of Sustainable Communities Network
Coordinator at the Organic Agriculture Centre of Kenya
Keynote: Biodynamics, Indigeneity, and Social Justice; George Washington Carver and the Biodynamic Movement
Biodynamic Agriculture: The Renewed Hope for Kenya’s Soil
Greg Fleishman
Greg Georgaklis
Co-Founder and CEO of Purely Righteous Brands
Founder of Farmers to You
Collaborative Strategies for the Emerging Food Economy
Keynote Moderator: Regenerating Soil, Food, and the Economy
Severine Fleming Director of the Greenhorns and Co-Founder of Agrarian Trust, Farm Hack, and the National Young Farmers Coalition
Sara González Herrera
Bruno Follador
David Gould
Advisor to Peters Foundation at Finca Irlanda Aiming for a New Generation in Finca Irlanda, Mexico
FaithLands
North American Representative for IFOAM – Organics International
Director of the Living Soils Initiative at The Nature Institute Keynote: Regenerating Soil, Food, and the Economy; The Farmer’s Twelve Senses: Nourishing Our Senses as a Foundation for Healing Our Land and Creating Our Farm Individuality; The Seven Life Processes and the Farm as Living Organism
Patricia Frazier President of the Josephine Porter Institute, Inc.
Collaborative Strategies for the Emerging Food Economy
Anthony Graham Co-Founder of Temple-Wilton Community Farm Original Aims and Ideals of the CSA Model as Embodied in the Temple Wilton Communmity Farm in New Hampshire and the Slow Hand Farm in Portland, Oregon
Growing Biodynamic Certification with Integrity
Jacqueline Freeman Writer, Farmer, and Founder of Preservation Beekeeping How to Invite Elementals onto Your Farm
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Alisa Gravitz President and CEO of Green America Keynote: Regenerating Soil, Food, and the Economy
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PRESENTERS Alice Groh
Harald Hoven
Co-Founder of Temple-Wilton Community Farm
Former Director of Raphael Garden at Rudolf Steiner College
Original Aims and Ideals of the CSA Model as Embodied in the Temple Wilton Communmity Farm in New Hampshire and the Slow Hand Farm in Portland, OR
Barbara Gross Operations Director at Cooper Mountain Vineyards Beyond Voodoo Vintners: The Next Generation in Biodynamic Wine
Gunther Hauk Co-Founder of Spikenard Honeybee Sanctuary and Author of Toward Saving the Honeybee Biodynamic Beekeeping
Ryan Herring Consultant and Teacher Introduction to Round Filter Chromatography and the Soil Food Web as Qualitative Assessment Tools for Soil and Compost
Beth Hoinacki Farmer at Goodfoot Farm The Nature of the Beast: Integrating Animals on a Biodynamic Market Farm; Keynote Moderator: Biodynamics in Practice: Stories of Regeneration
Frank Holzman Market Garden Operator and Author of Radical Regenerative Gardening and Farming Creating a Biodynamic Garden Ecosystem
Marjory House Permaculturist, Biodynamic Farmer, and Consultant Permaculture and Biodynamics; Biodynamic Cannabis
Cynthia Hoven Eurythmist and Lecturer Look Up to the Sky, Before You Look Down at Your Calendar!
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Look Up to the Sky, Before You Look Down at Your Calendar!
Ueli Hurter Co-Head of the Agriculture Section at the Goetheanum and Executive Board Member of the International Biodynamic Association Keynote: Transforming the Heart of Agriculture; From Farm Organism to Farm Individuality; The Biodynamic Principles; In Anticipation of the 100th Anniversary of Biodynamic Agriculture, How Do We Responsibly Present its Spiritual-Scientific Foundations to the World? - Parts 1 and 2
Anna Jones-Crabtree Owner, Farmer, and Executive Director at Vilicus Farms and Vilicus Training Institute Keynote: Biodynamics in Practice: Stories of Regeneration; Expanding Biodynamic Grain Acres: Farmer-to-Farmer Education and Advancing Associative Relationships across the Supply Chain; From Here to Everywhere: Building a Regenerative Biodynamic Food System
Lichen June Executive Director of the NW Permaculture Institute and Co-Founder of Elephant Head Educational Designs Permaculture and Biodynamics
Sundeep Kamath Board Secretary of the Biodynamic Association of India, Board Member of IFOAM Asia, and Organizing Committee Member of the 19th Organic World Congress Biodynamics in India; Collaborative Strategies for the Emerging Food Economy; Results and Reflections from the Internation-
al Biodynamic Research Conference
PRESENTERS Robert (Karp) Karbelnikoff
Philip Lyvers
Founder and Director of New Spirit Ventures and the Monarch Farms Project and Strategic Advisor for the Biodynamic Association
Farmer at Lyvers Farm Esoteric Disease Control and Farm Health
Kristin Marchesi
Collaborative Strategies for the Emerging Food Economy; Understanding the Spiritual Heart of Biodynamics
President of Montinore Estate Beyond Voodoo Vintners: The Next Generation in Biodynamic Wine
Fred Kirschenmann Distinguished Fellow at the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University
Rudy Marchesi
Expanding Biodynamic Grain Acres: Farmer-to-Farmer Education and Advancing Associative Relationships across the Supply Chain
Ted Lemon Owner of Littorai Wines Rigor and Restlessness: Whither Biodynamic Practice?
Stephanie Leon Riedl Indigenous Foods Program Coordinator for Na’ah Illahee Fund Yahowt! Indigenous-Led Permaculture Design and Indigenous Foods
Peter Littell Marketing and Research Director for Pure Branding and President of the Biodynamic Farmland Trust Marketing Your Biodynamic Venture
Hugh Lovel Farmer, International Consultant, Author, and Pioneer of Quantum Agriculture Advanced Biodynamics; Biodynamic Cannabis
Martha Loving Painting Therapist and Arts Educator Connecting to Spirit;
Stewart Lundy Farmer at Perennial Roots Farm
Owner and Winemaker at Montinore Estate Biodynamic Winemaking Intensive at Montinore Estates; Growing Biodynamic Certification with Integrity
Marie Mauger Farmer at the Spirit of the Earth Farm Results and Reflections from the International Biodynamic Research Conference
Delmar McComb Farmer at Blossom’s Farm and Director of Horticulture for Suncrest Nurseries Biodynamic Nursery Management
Ian McSweeney Founder of Farmland Consulting, Director at the Agrarian Trust FaithLands
Anthony Mecca Farmer Training Coordinator at the Biodynamic Association and Farmer at Great Song Farm Agriculture and Social Health: Empowering Each Other to Live Well in Our Tasks; How Inner Development Affects Our Tasks on the Farm and in Community Life
Zubin Mehta Co-Founder and CEO of UNION Collaborative Strategies for the Emerging Food Economy
Combating Climate Change with Biodynamics
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PRESENTERS Moe Momtazi
Joseluis Ortiz
Founder and Owner of Maysara Winery and Momtazi Vineyard
Programs Director at La Plazita Institute and Youth Outreach Coordinator for the New Mexico Land Grant Youth Program
Field Day at Mineral Springs Ranch and Momtazi Vineyard: Growing Grapes and Making Estate Wine within a Diverse Farm Organism
Tahmiene Momtazi
Megan Parks
Winemaker at Maysara Winery
Co-Founder of Soil Health Exchange and AMB Parks Consulting
Beyond Voodoo Vintners: The Next Generation in Biodynamic Wine
Joseph Murray
Soil Value Exchange: Biodynamic Approaches to Soil Healing and Rural Economics
Arborist and Former Professor of Biology
Pah-tu E Pitt
A Biodynamic Understanding of Trees
Community Outreach Specialist for Na’ah Illahee Fund
Lloyd Nelson Educator, Consultant, Preparation Maker, and Co-Founder of Biodynamic Source Core Principles and Practices of Making and Using All of the Preparations
Gabriel Noard Owner and Land Steward at Pangaea Plants Mid- to Large-Scale Sustainable Medicinal Herb Farming
Ronan O’Connor Manager for Child Protection, Adoption, Restoration, Aged Care, and Disability Programs Understanding Consciousness-Altering Substances: Cannabis, Opiates, Alcohol, and More; Social Understanding, Gender, and Sexuality in Agriculture; Agriculture and Social Health: Empowering Each Other to Live Well in Our Tasks
Tao Orion Permaculture Teacher, Consultant, and Author of Beyond the War on Invasive Species: A Permaculture Approach to Ecosystem Restoration Permaculture and Biodynamics
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Biodynamics and Latinos: Healing Pathways from Farm Workers to Farm Owners
Yahowt! Indigenous-Led Permaculture Design and Indigenous Foods
Jeff Poppen Owner and Farmer at Long Hungry Creek Farm, Garden Columnist, and Author of The Best of the Barefoot Farmer Core Principles and Practices of Making and Using All of the Preparations
Dawn Rains Owner of Living Soil Gardens Integrating Biodynamics and Landscaping
Laura Riccardi Lyvers Biodynamic Consultant at Foxhollow Farm and Owner of Biodynamic Agricultural Resources Esoteric Disease Control and Farm Health
Colum Riley Co-Founder of Malibu Compost Field Day at Malibu Compost: Building Living Soils
PRESENTERS Dan Rinke
Henning Sehmsdorf
Vineyard Manager and Winemaker at Johan Vineyards
Founder of S & S Homestead Farm Wise Words from Biodynamic Pioneers of the Pacific Northwest
Biodynamic Winemaking Intensive at Montinore Estates
Lane Selman
Randy Ritchie
Agricultural Researcher at Oregon State University and Founder of the Culinary Breeding Network
Co-Founder of Malibu Compost Marketing Your Biodynamic Venture
Heberto Antonio Rodas Gaitรกn
Culinary Breeding Network: Building Community among Plant Breeders, Farmers, Chefs, and Eaters to Create Better Varieties for All
Professor of Agronomy at the Atonomous University of Nuevo Leรณn
Mark Shepard CEO of Restoration Agriculture Development and Forest Agriculture Enterprises and Owner of New Forest Farms
Biodynamic Production in Germany and the Beginning in Farms from Mexico and Guatemala; Results and Reflections from the International Biodynamic Research Conference
Lisa Romero
Ecosystem Mimicry in Perennial Biodynamic Systems
Corinne Shindelar
Complementary Health Practitioner, Adult Educator, and Author of Inner Development Books How Inner Development Affects Our Tasks on the Farm and in Community Life; Understanding Consciousness-Altering Substances: Cannabis, Opiates, Alcohol, and More; Social Understanding, Gender, and Sexuality in Agriculture; Agriculture and Social Health: Empowering Each Other to Live Well in Our Tasks
Elad Sadeh Farmer at Bee Fields Quantum Physics for Biodynamic Farmers
Steffen Schneider General Manager at Hawthorne Valley Farm Collaborative Strategies for the Emerging Food Economy; From Here to Everywhere: Building a Regenerative Biodynamic Food System
CEO of Independent Natural Food Retailers Association (INFRA) Collaborative Strategies for the Emerging Food Economy
Erin Sojourner Agostinelli Director of Business Development at Demeter USA Collaborative Strategies for the Emerging Food Economy; From Here to Everywhere: Building a Regenerative Biodynamic Food System
Thomas Spaulding President of Angelic Organics Association and CoChair of the USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Advisory Committee Biodynamics and Latinos: Healing Pathways from Farm Workers to Farm Owners
Thomas Schneider
Crystal Stewart
Owner of DynamicWholeScapes
Cornell Cooperative Extension
Introduction to Round Filter Chromatography and the Soil Food Web as Qualitative Assessment Tools for Soil and Compost
Farming with Empathy
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PRESENTERS Michael Joshin Thiele Founder of Apis Arborea and Gaia Bees
Josh Volk
Apis Arborea – Rewilding Honeybees
Founder of Slow Hand Farm and Author of Compact Farms: 15 Proven Plans for Market Farms on 5
Charlie Tilt Co-Owner of Hummingbird Wholesale Collaborative Strategies for the Emerging Food Economy
Acres or Less Original Aims and Ideals of the CSA Model as Embodied in the Temple Wilton Communmity Farm in New Hampshire and the Slow Hand Farm in Portland, Oregon
Brent Wasser
Julie Tilt
Willow Pond Sheep Farm LLC
Co-Owner of Hummingbird Wholesale
Wise Words from Biodynamic Pioneers of the Pacific Northwest
Collaborative Strategies for the Emerging Food Economy
Sarah Weber
Don Tipping Farmer at Seven Seeds Farm, Founder of Siskiyou Seeds, and Member of the Open Source Seed Initiative Farming Water: Whole Farm Keyline Water Systems; Community Seed Systems: Connecting Soil to Table and Vase Through Seed
Alex Tuchman Co-Director of Spikenard Farm Honeybee Sanctuary
Research Program and Bridging the Americas at the Biodynamic Association Results and Reflections from the International Biodynamic Research Conference
Clay Wesson Organic Certification Specialist, Biodynamic Advisor, and Owner of Unconventional Farm Service and Supply LLC Field Day at Malibu Compost: Building Living Soils
Biodynamic Beekeeping
Rowen White
Narendra Varma Founder & Executive Director of Our Table Cooperative Keynote: Transforming the Heart of Agriculture; Field Day at Our Table Cooperative: Farmer, Worker, and Consumer Cooperation
Wali Via Co-Owner and Farmer at Winter Green Farm Keynote: Biodynamics in Practice: Stories of Regeneration; Ceremony for the Healing of the Earth
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Seed Keeper from the Mohawk Community of Akwesasne and Founder and Director of Sierra Seeds Keynote: Biodynamics, Indigeneity, and Social Justice; Sacred Seed Stewardship
Sherry Wildfeuer Editor of Stella Natura Biodynamic Planting Calendar Working with a Biodynamic Planting Calendar; In Anticipation of the 100th Anniversary of Biodynamic Agriculture, How Do We Responsibly Present its Spiritual-Scientific Foundations to the World?
Milo Yellow Hair Program Manager of Slim Buttes Agricultural Project Thinking in Indian: Biodynamics at the Pine Ridge Reservation
Chanowk Yisrael Founder of Yisrael Family Urban Farm Biodynamics and Urban Agriculture: A Match in the Soil
​Ferdinand ​Vondruska Founder of C-Dar Biodynamic Society and C-Dar Lodge Farm Wise Words from Biodynamic Pioneers of the Pacific Northwest
Adriano Zago Biodynamic Consultant, Agronomist, and Winemaker Culinary Breeding Network: Building Community among Plant Breeders, Farmers, Chefs, and Eaters to Create Better Varieties for All; Biodynamic Preparations: A Dance between Community and Individuality; Biodynamic Winemaking Intensive at Montinore Estates
o itted t Comm namic Biody for Seeds 0 years! over 2
ree Biodynamic T e l S TurT aT camphill Village eed
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EXHIBITORS Exhibits Friday, November 16, 12:00 - 6:00 pm and Saturday, November 17, 8:00 am - 6:00 pm Browse the exhibits in Hayden and the Café area to find products and information from businesses and organizations from across the continent. The SteinerBooks bookstore will also be open Thursday afternoon through Sunday evening at the entrance to the Grand Ballroom.
Cafe Area
Hayden
1)
1)
Authentic Hemp Co.
2 & 3) Josephine Porter Institute
2)
BioFiltro
4)
Spikenard Farm Honeybee Sanctuary
3)
Johnny’s Selected Seed
5)
Turtle Tree Seeds
4)
Oregon Tilth
6)
Uriel Pharmacy
5)
Meadowlark Hearth
7)
Anthroposophical Society of America
6)
Exotica Nursery
8)
Oregon’s Wild Harvest
7)
Pendragon Fabrication
9)
CCOF
8)
Conceptual Mandalas
10) Association of Waldorf Schools
9)
Suncrest Nursery
11) Seven Seeds Farm & Siskiyou Seeds
10) Portland Ashwagandha Farm
12) Xerces Society
11) Pangaea Plants
13) NW Permaculture
12) Territorial Seed Company
14) EduCareDo
13) Seacoast Compost
15) Green America
14) Omica Organics
Demeter USA
16) OneCert 17) HB Specialty Foods 18) Oregon Biodynamic Group
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Certified Organic & 100% Natural Body Care • Family friendly business practices, including Babies at Work, a Waldorf-inspired childcare center, and extended paid parental leave. • Organic gardens provide fresh, seasonal vegetables for employees and local community kitchen. • Ecology Center offers workshops on sustainable living practices to members of the community.
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BIODYNAMIC ASSOCIATION
BDA Board and Staff during a planning retreat at Michael Fields Agricultural Institute in May 2018
The Biodynamic Association awakens and enlivens co-creative relationships between humans and the earth, transforming the practice and culture of agriculture to renew the vitality of the earth, the integrity of our food, and the health and wholeness of our communities. The Biodynamic Association (BDA) is a participatory, membership-based nonprofit organization that works to nurture the North American biodynamic movement as a diverse, collaborative, and thriving ecosystem. We help thousands of people understand and practice biodynamics, bringing health to the land and vitality to the food system, and build bridges and partnerships to deepen and evolve the movement toward regenerative agriculture and social justice. The BDA strives to embody biodynamic principles in how we operate as an organization, and we have an agile, living approach to organizing our work. Drawing inspiration from Reinventing Organizations and Holacracy, our organization is structured into self-managing circles made up of a number of roles focused on different needs of the organization. Most people on BDA staff fill multiple roles, and the structure of circles and roles evolves to meet the changing needs and opportunities that the BDA encounters and the developing interests and capacities of staff.
Board of Directors Osiris Abrego Plata—California Daphne Amory (President)—Daphne Amory Consulting, California David Byrnes (Secretary and Treasurer)—Yellow Barn Biodynamic, New York Greg Georgaklis (Vice President)—Farmers To You, Vermont Lisa Murgatroyd (Facilitator)—First Light Farm, California Joseluis Ortiz—La Plazita Institute, New Mexico Wali Via—Winter Green Farm, Oregon
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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement In order to fulfill the Biodynamic Association’s mission (see above), we believe the BDA must recognize and play a key role in transforming the historical and contemporary injustices faced by both humans and the earth. We are active in our inquiry into the sources of and solutions to injustice, as part of our work and relationship to land. Read the full statement at www.biodynamics.com/content/ biodynamic-association-diversity-equity-and-inclusionstatement (adopted August 2018).
BIODYNAMIC ASSOCIATION Our Team Deb Black—Wisconsin Conference Registration Volunteer
Rebecca Briggs—Oregon Communications, Website, and Media rebecca@biodynamics.com, x3 Thea Maria Carlson—California Executive Director thea@biodynamics.com, x5 Karisa Centanni—Massachusetts Development Director karisa@biodynamics.com, x11 Sophie D’Anieri—Oaxaca, Mexico Conference Youth Activities and Homestay Coordinator sophie@biodynamics.com, x15
Anna McAvoy-Emrick—Michigan Conference, Finances, and Operation anna@biodynamics.com, x4 Anthony Mecca—New York Farmer Training anthony@biodynamics.com, x14 Penny Molina—Wisconsin Business Partnerships penny@biodynamics.com, x7
Tonya Taylor—North Carolina Conference, Fundraising, and Membership tonya@biodynamics.com, x2 Sarah Weber—British Columbia, Canada Research Program, Bridging Projects sarah@biodynamics.com, x10
Karen Davis-Brown—Minnesota Journal Editor karen@biodynamics.com, x1 Kaitlin Downs—Wisconsin Workshops and Presenters, Business Partner Support, Scholarship Fund, and Webinars kaitlin@biodynamics.com, x8 Raphael Guzman—New York Biodynamic Education, Conference Volunteers, and Special Events Organizer raphael@biodynamics.com, x13 Robert (Karp) Karbelnikoff—Wisconsin Strategic Advisor robert.karp@biodynamics.com, x6 Zachary Krebs—Oregon Technology zachary@biodynamics.com
How You Can Support Our Work DONATE: We rely on generous donations to grow our work. Donations help us educate farmers and gardeners, bring health to the land and vitality to the food system, and build bridges and partnerships to deepen and evolve the movement toward regenerative agriculture and social justice. BUSINESS & COMMUNITY PARTNERS: Join us as a Business & Community Partner to help support our work and reach thousands interested in biodynamics and regenerative agriculture. BIODYNAMIC SCHOLARSHIP FUND: Help farmers, aspiring farmers and others who want to learn about and develop their skills in biodynamics, but lack the financial resources to participate in the educational opportunities they wish to pursue by donating to the Biodynamic Scholarship Fund.
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BIODYNAMIC ASSOCIATION How the BDA is Transforming Agriculture Farmer Training Building on the strengths and accomplishments of our North American Biodynamic Apprenticeship Program (NABDAP), in 2017 we introduced two new intensive one-year programs that provide more flexibility, as well as a solid and broad foundation in all of the essentials of biodynamic farming for everyone who participates. Individuals have the option to participate in just the first year, or both. The Biodynamic Farmer Foundation Year offers aspiring biodynamic farmers the opportunity to build a solid foundation in the principles and practices of biodynamic agriculture. Individual support from an experienced mentor farmer and a cohesive, integrated, and interactive learning curriculum bring biodynamics to life. The Biodynamic Farmer Development Year, which will begin this winter, will develop and deepen the skills needed for biodynamic farm management for those who graduate from the foundation year. This program will allow for specialization in specific farm management and production areas. (www.biodynamics.com/farmer-training)
Scholarships The Biodynamic Scholarship Fund is a program of the Biodynamic Association that serves farmers, aspiring farmers and others who want to learn about and develop their skills in biodynamics, but lack the financial resources to participate in the educational opportunities they wish to pursue. Launched in 2010 to help farmers, aspiring farmers and others to attend our North American Biodynamic Conference, the Biodynamic Scholarship Fund has awarded over $217,000 in scholarships to more than 840 individuals to date. In honor of Christopher Mann, a lifelong supporter of biodynamics and Rudolf Steiner, as well as the co-founder of the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, the Biodynamic Association has established the Christopher Mann Biodynamic Scholarship Fund with a generous $25,000 lead gift from Stacy Peterson, owner of ConnOils, LLC in Waukesha, Wisconsin. This fund provides financial support to farmers and others who want to better understand biodynamic agriculture and strengthen their ability to practice biodynamics through hands-on training, national and regional workshops and conferences, and online courses and webinars. (www.biodynamics.com/scholarship-fund)
Online Learning Our distance-learning courses and webinars give farmers and gardeners across North America and beyond the opportunity to learn from leading biodynamic educators, delve deep into the principles and philosophy of biodynamics, and build communities of support among peers. Our next webinar will be “Biodynamic Preparations” with Hugh Lovel on December 13. Upcoming courses includ “Inner Work Meets Outer Work: A Self Development Course for Farmers and Gardeners” with Cory Eichman (starting in December) and “Foundations of Biodynamic Beekeeping” with Alex Tuchman (starting in February). In addition, each quarter we offer a BDA Author Conversation Salon for Compost Maker, Land Steward, Earth Champion, and Lifetime Members. The next conversa-
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BIODYNAMIC ASSOCIATION tion salon will be “Transforming the Heart of Agriculture” with Jim Embry on December 12. (www.biodynamics.com/webinars)
Research Our research program makes available the results of decades of research on biodynamics conducted to date through the Biodynamic Research References Portal, convenes researchers to foster collaboration, and supports emerging biodynamic research projects and priorities to advance the understanding and presence of biodynamics. (www.biodynamics.com/biodynamic-research)
Publishing The Biodynamics journal, a benefit of membership in the BDA, in publication since 1941, is recognized as one of the preeminent publications on biodynamic farming and gardening in the world. Each quarterly issue provides a thoughtful and diverse collection of news, information, and stories. Through the Biodynamic Stories blog, we publish a variety of stories from across the biodynamic community. The Biodynamic Association also has a long history of publishing books about biodynamics and related topics. We now work in partnership with SteinerBooks and others to publish and distribute new books on biodynamics and create reprints, new editions, and translations of classic biodynamic books such as Spiritual Foundations for the Renewal of Agriculture by Rudolf Steiner and Gunther Hauk’s Toward Saving the Honeybee.
Building Bridges Through the Bridging the Americas initiative, we help biodynamic practitioners and groups throughout the Americas (Central, South, North, and Caribbean) meet and connect with others, discuss biodynamics in the context of the American continent, and share heart stories about working with biodynamics in different regions. (www.biodynamics.com/forums/biodynamics-bridging-americas) This September, the BDA launched a new project that will focus on bridging biodynamic, traditional, and Indigenous agricultural communities across the Americas, with support from a grant from the Seeds, Soil and Culture Fund. Through this project, the BDA aims to broaden and deepen existing relationships, establish new ongoing collaborative relationships, and facilitate cross-cultural learning between and among biodynamic, traditional, and Indigenous farmers and Earth stewards. (www.biodynamics.com/blog/ biodynamic-association-launches-project-foster-cross-cultural-exchange-between-biodynamic)
Connecting Community Both online and offline, we help thousands of people who are practicing and interested in biodynamics to connect and learn from one another. Our regional group listings, online forums, calendar of events, Biodynamic Directory, and Biodynamic Community Facebook group help biodynamic enthusiasts find local friends and collaborators, jobs, and leaning opportunities. (www.biodynamics.com/content/ community-connections)
Conferences & Events In addition to organizing the North American Biodynamic Conference, the largest biodynamic gathering on the continent, we partner with other organizations to curate and organize biodynamic workshops for national and regional farming conferences. (www.biodynamics.com/ conference; www.biodynamics.com/content/join-us-these-events)
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ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION Biodynamic Association 80th Anniversary Celebration Thursday, November 15, 6:30 - 8:00 pm Featuring a tasting of local, organic, and Demeter certified BiodynamicÂŽ food and beverages
Sponsored by Eco Terreno, Frey Vineyards, Montinore Estate, and Bonterra Vineyards
Tasting Menu
Beverages
Foxhollow Farm Biodynamic Beef Tips
Frey Organic and Biodynamic Wines
Marion Acres Farm Organic Chicken Wings
Eco Terreno Organic and Biodynamic Wines
DeLallo Gluten-Free Gnocchi and Pesto Sauce with Meadowlark Hearth Farm Biodynamic Peppers
Bonterra Organic and Biodynamic Wines
Soups made with Winter Green Farm Organic Beets and Meadowlark Hearth Farm Biodynamic Squash Persephone Organic Farm Organic Kale Caesar Salad Meadowlark Hearth Farm Biodynamic Cabbage and Winter Green Farm Carrot Slaw Lifeline Biodynamic Cheese with Natural Nectar Gluten-Free Cracklebread
Montinore Estate Organic and Biodynamic Wines Unity Vibration Organic Kombucha Beer Finnriver Farm and Cidery Organic Hard Cider Republic of Tea Biodynamic Teas CafĂŠ Altura Biodynamic Coffee Guayaki Organic Yerba Mate
Paradise Springs Farm Biodynamic Cheese with Natural Nectar Mediterranean Crackers Mt. Hood Organic Farm Biodynamic Apples and Pears Coconut Bliss Organic, Non-Dairy, Soy-Free, Gluten-Free Ice Cream and Organic Chocolate Sauce Once Again Organic Hazelnut Chocolate Butter Natural Nectar Organic Palmiers Cookies
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BIODYNAMIC SCHOLARSHIP FUND DONORS We are proud to have awarded $30,173 in conference scholarships this year through the Biodynamic Scholarship Fund and the Christopher Mann Biodynamic Scholarship Fund, allowing 134 individuals to participate in the conference who would not otherwise have been able to attend. Our deep thanks go out to the following generous donors who gave over $500 each, as well as more than 100 other individuals who contributed through the conference registration form and our crowdfunding campaign. Agriculture Section of the Anthroposophical Society of America Mike and Mary Benziger Colorado Farm Development Initiative Connoils, LLC Nina Cutler Geary Rimmer Vincent Wolf Foundation Gordon Edwards Kimberton Whole Foods Ted Lemon Seeds, Soil and Culture Fund Lynde Uihlein Anonymous Donor Anonymous Donor Anonymous Donor Anonymous Donor Anonymous Foundation
Biodynamic Association Business Partners Program Rethinking Agriculture Together Become a Business Partner
Support and communicate with the growing biodynamic movement, and join us in rethinking agriculture, by becoming a committed Business Partner of the Biodynamic Association. Business Partner packages are customizable and can include: Business Partners Membership Advertising Conference & Event Sponsorships Scholarship Fund Employee Giving Social Marketing To find out more, contact Penny Molina at penny@biodynamics.com or (262) 649-9212 x7.
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PRACTICAL INFORMATION Children and Families at the Conference
Registration
We are a family-friendly conference and encourage children to participate! Children are welcome throughout the conference accompanied by a parent. All children must be registered for the conference. In consideration of other conference participants, please encourage your children to entertain themselves quietly while they are in session rooms, and take children outside if they need to run around, sing, or do other things that might disrupt others’ learning.
The registration tables are located in the main lobby and will be open at the following times during the conference. Please stop by with any questions or to make changes to your registration.
Children’s Activities Children ages 6-15 are welcome to participate in the variety of children’s workshops offered at the conference, Thursday through Saturday. (See pages 42-43 for a schedule and description of activities.) Children must be signed into and out of all workshops. They can be dropped off 10 minutes prior to the start of each workshop and must be picked up no later than 10 minutes after workshop conclusion. Outside of the children’s workshop times, a parent must accompany their child(ren) at all times.
Children’s Meals Children and families are welcome to join us for all conference meals. Meal tickets must be purchased in advance at registration—a reduced rate is available for ages 6-15. Children ages 5 and younger eat free with a paying adult.
Breastfeeding Mothers You are welcome to breastfeed your child or express milk anywhere at the conference. If you would like more privacy, please ask a staff member to assist you in finding a place.
Audio and Video Recordings Audio and video recordings of keynotes and most workshops are available for sale. Please visit the Biodynamic Association membership and sales table to learn more and to place an order.
Internet Free wireless internet is available in the hotel lobby and in guest rooms.
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Wednesday, Nov. 14 Thursday, Nov. 15 Friday, Nov. 16 Saturday, Nov. 17 Sunday, Nov. 18
7:30 am - 6:00 pm 7:30 am - 6:00 pm 7:30 am - 7:30 pm 7:30 am - 7:30 pm 7:30 am - 9:30 am
Message Board and Free Literature A message board will be available for attendees near registration. Free literature tables, Business Partners information, BDA membership and sales tables, and exhibitors will be located throughout the hotel.
Bookstore and Author Signings SteinerBooks will be selling biodynamic and related books, calendars, and DVDs near the Grand Ballroom from Thursday evening through the end of the conference on Sunday. A number of presenters will be signing books at the conference. Please see the author signing schedule near the bookstore.
Evaluations We greatly appreciate your conference feedback on our evaluation forms. You received a paper form with your registration packet, which you may return to either the registration tables or the BDA table. You may also fill out the evaluation online during or after the conference at www.biodynamics.com/ conference/2018/eval. And, of course, we’d love to hear from you at any point with thoughts or suggestions. Thank you! Biodynamic Association 1661 N. Water Street, Suite 307, Milwaukee, WI 53202 (262) 649-9212 info@biodynamics.com
COME TO LIFE
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