Earth Day Week: Gift to Our Earth: An Important Way to Begin the Healing

Earth Day Week: Gift to Our Earth: An Important Way to Begin the Healing

There are many compelling reasons to use Biodynamic preparations on your land, but one of the more important reasons involves the impact of Barrel Compost, or “BC Prep”.

Maria Thun, a German farmer who has done a great deal of biodynamic research over the last 50 years, and Ehrenfried Pfeiffer, researcher and colleague of Steiner, originally developed this preparation to reduce or eliminate the impact of Strontium 90, the radiation from the above ground nuclear testing of the 1950’s and 1960’s. This research was stimulated by findings of a German institute showing land with limestone (calcium) retained less radioactivity.

When above ground testing was stopped, Thun continued to work on the preparation, finding it improved soils, getting all the biodynamic compost preps onto the land very quickly and enlivening the soil. This makes its use a great way to begin converting to biodynamic methods.

Then in 1986 Chernobyl contaminated European soils with the much more dangerous radiation, Caesium 134 and 137, both with longer half lives than Strontium 90. European government research institutes discovered those farms that had been regularly treated with “BC prep” showed lower radiation levels in both plants and soil than neighboring farms.

Strengthening the life force of the land strengthens the land’s ability to carry life and to process negative influence. Faced again with the Japanese disastrous nuclear power plant accidents and resultant ongoing radiation detected on the West Coast and beyond, perhaps it is time to begin and increase the use of this life enhancing preparation.

Source: The North American Biodynamic Sowing and Planting Calendar by Maria and Matthias Thun, 2012.

Preparations and calendar can be ordered through Josephine Porter Institute or  BDANC.

Harms Vineyards and Lavender Fields Open House will be on Saturday, June 23, this year, from 10 am to 4 pm. Charlie Toledo, Executive Director of Suscol Intertribal Counsel, and Clare Cooper Marcus, author and Professor Emerita of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, Berkeley, will be speaking this year. We will give biodynamic tours of our ranch. Watch for more details.