Biodynamic Farming
Wines produced with Biodynamic methods communicate the maker’s passion and a sincere commitment to nature. They are delicious, unique and hold a sense of place due to the comprehensive certification process that maintains an expansive view of the farm as a living, agricultural organism. While organic certification may look at a particular crop or vineyard, Biodynamic certification considers the entire farm such that the wine becomes an expression of the land, soil microclimate, farmer and winemaker—components of the French-term “terroir.” Its strict guidelines include biodiversity set-asides, insectaries, livestock integration, closed nutrient loops, compost, and the use of preparations that act as viticultural homeopathy.
Biodynamic methods offer great hope for healing the earth and for the future of farming. To follow are the six primary components of a Biodynamic farm.
1. Plant Diversity. Achieved by planting multiple species, using cover crops, and farming a variety of production crops.
2. Animal Integration. Each farm must work to integrate domestic and wild animals on the farm and ranch. Many biodynamic farmers run sheep in the vineyards during the winter and spring to graze on cover crops and fertilize the soils.
3. Compost. Biodynamic farmers focus on enhancing soil health naturally through the use of on-farm compost. Recycling nutrients is a key element of a self-sustaining farm ecosystem.
4. Crop Rotation. Crops are rotated from year to year to prevent nutrient depletion in soils. Since grape vines are long-lived crops, sowing cover crops between the vine rows helps achieve crop rotation on a vineyard.
5. Natural Preparations. Fundamental to all biodynamic farms is the use of organic nutrient teas to enhance soil microbial life and increase photosynthetic activity in plants. Two primary blends known as 500 (horn manure) and 501 (silica solution) are used along with a variety of other site-specific blends.
500 is created from a high-quality compost derived from decomposed and aged cow manure. This preparation is blended in warm water and sprayed on the ground prior to cultivation. The rich microbial population enhances the natural rate of nutrient decomposition in the soil and rapidly avails nutrients for use by the vines.
501 is created from pulverized silica. Very small amounts are blended in water and sprayed over the vineyards in the morning during the spring and early summer. The silica reflects and refracts sunlight, enhancing the warming and rate of photosynthesis in the vine canopy.
6. Farming in Tune With Natural Cycles. The use of these natural preparations and cultivation activities vary by site and season. Biodynamic farmers become highly attuned to the needs of the vineyards and farm with each passing year.
Noteworthy
Biodynamic certification has been available internationally through the Demeter Association since 1928 and in the United States since 1985. In 1924 a group of concerned European farmers approached Dr. Rudolf Steiner – founder of the Waldorf school and a highly respected philosopher and scientist – with concerns over a noticeable and rapid decline in seed fertility, crop, and animal health. In response to the farmers’ concerns, Steiner presented a series of lectures on Agriculture, articulating a view of the farm as a living organism: a self-contained and self-sustaining ecosystem, entirely responsible for creating and maintaining its individual health and vitality, free of any external and unnatural additions. This holistic perspective stood in sharp contrast to the “green revolution” that had initiated the widespread use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, a revolution that was largely responsible for the very decline that these farmers had observed. Biodynamic agriculture thus provided one of the primary foundations for the organic movement.
