To see the remaining dates in this year's course, click here.
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Evolution, Environment & Ecology
A brief sketch of the evolution of the earth from a spiritual scientific standpoint. What are our tasks at this time in relation to the environment, and why do farming and gardening play such a vital role in ecological, economic and social issues? We will do some hands-on work with the horn manure preparation, raised beds, and season-appropriate planting. Presented by Mac Mead.
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Biodynamic Preparations
At the heart of the biodynamic method are the preparations used to treat the soil, compost and crops. Mac Mead and Megan Durney will lead us in making most of these preparations, as we discuss their healing effects on the earth and its produce.
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Soil Building & Composting
Healthy soils bring forth healthy plants. We will explore basic concepts concerning soil building and composting methods. In a hands-on session at our compost site, we will not only discover composts of different materials and stages of maturity, we will also get our hands good and dirty doing so.
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Farm Animal Husbandry
Steffen Schneider will share the gleanings of his thirty years of farm animal husbandry. This full-day session will touch on all domestic farm animals, with emphasis on the role of animals in the farm organism.
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Pruning Fruit Trees /
Seed Saving & Rejuvenation
Pruning fruit trees is both a science and an art. The seed question is of vital importance for the future of our food supply. Hugh Williams, one of the best orchardists in the East and a biodynamic farmer with a large CSA, will be the main presenter. A few hours of hands-on pruning will be included.
Saturday, March 15, 2014
Cosmic Forces in Relation to Nutritional Qualities /
Seeing Nature Whole
We all know how the moon pulls the tides. What influences does it — or do the other planets — have on plant life? By learning how to strengthen and harmonize these influences, we can enhance the nutritional value of our food. Presented by Mac Mead. In the afternoon, Craig Holdrege will explore how we can better understand the world, and our place in it, by working with the living dynamic qualities of plants and animals, and will discuss the implications of this understanding for sustainability.
Friday, April 11, 2014
Barrel Compost /
Weed and Pest Control Preparations
Half the day will be devoted to making the barrel compost preparation, led by Jairo Gonzalez, and weed and pest control preparations. The other half will be spent on an artistic activity and the progress reports on research projects.
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Life Rhythms, Farm & Garden
Tasks / Bees
In the first half of the workshop, we will look at the rhythms of sun and moon, and learn to work with nature, not against it. This enables us to compensate for extreme weather, making our task easier and improving the quality of our crops. Presented by Sherry Wildfeuer, editor of the Stella Natura planting calendar. The afternoon session focuses on the honeybee; given the drastic reduction of honeybee colonies in the last 20 years, we have to dig deep for the causes, and deeper still to discover the necessary means for reversing this trend.
Friday, May 2, 2014
Preparation #501 / Compost Teas / BD Tree Paste
Making the horn-silica preparation involves grinding quartz crystals down to .2 microns. The day’s other focus will be the making and applying of herbal and compost teas and the biodynamic tree paste. Artistic activity and research project presentations follow.
Saturday, May 3, 2014
Water: H2O or Much More?
Water quality is fast becoming one of the world’s most pressing environmental issues. Do we really know what water is, what tasks it has in life processes, or how it carries them out? Jennifer Greene, director of the Water Research Institute in Maine, will take us far beyond what we commonly know, or suppose we know, of this element.
Friday–Sunday, June 6–8, 2014
The Final Weekend
Making nettle and yarrow preparations; digging up new preps; storing preps; various compost activities; presentation of research projects. We will bring together the year’s work into a comprehensive picture of the theoretical and practical aspects of biodynamics.
Apply today! Click here to apply to the 2013-14 course.
Here are the remaining dates for the 2012–13 One-Year Training:
Friday–Sunday, June 7–9, 2013
The Final Weekend