Biodynamic Agriculture
Is biodynamic agriculture a modern innovation, or a throwback to the Dark Ages?
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| Skeptoid #26 February 10, 2007 Podcast transcript | Listen | Subscribe |
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By Brian Dunning, Skeptoid Podcast
Episode 26, February 10, 2007
http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4026
Today we're going to pull a cork and pour ourselves a glass of the latest fashion in winemaking: biodynamic agriculture.
If you're not familiar with biodynamics, the best way to think of it would be as a magic spell cast over an entire farm. Biodynamics sees an entire farm as a single organism, with something that they call a life force. Believers say that this life force can be increased, thus improving crop quality and health, by following conventional organic methods plus the application of a special magical potion. The potion is not intended to have any direct physical effect — its intent is to charge up the life force of the farm. The word biodynamic literally means life force, according to its Greek roots bio and dyn.
Rudolf Steiner was a philosopher, a multi-faceted artist, a playwright, and a self-described clairvoyant. He gave a series of eight lectures in Germany in 1924, which became the essential bible of biodynamics. To Steiner's credit, he always insisted that his students test everything he said and not take it at face value; but to his detriment, he did no testing of his own, but rather described the methods to be followed based only on his own inspiration. Steiner's eight lectures are available on the Internet, and if you're curious you should look them up and read them. They start with some conventional sounding discussion of soil chemistry and nutrients, but then devolve into a progressively more vague lecture about non-physical beings and elemental forces.
Now you probably think I'm coming across as overly cynical or that I'm deliberately painting biodynamics in a negative or irrational light. I don't want you to feel that I'm coloring this in any way, or at least in any undeserved way, so please draw your own conclusions from what I'm about to read. This comes directly from a prominent biodynamics web site, so this is their description, not mine. The potion consists of nine ingredients (or preparations, as Steiner described them), numbered 500 through 508. Here are their descriptions and the instructions:
500: A humus mixture prepared by stuffing cow manure into the horn of a cow and buried into the ground, 40-60 cm below the surface, in the autumn and left to decompose during the winter.
501: Crushed powdered quartz prepared by stuffing it into a horn of a cow and buried into the ground in spring and taken out in autumn. It can be mixed with 500 but usually prepared on its own (mixture of 1 tablespoon of quartz powder to 250 litres of water) The mixture is sprayed under very low pressure over the crop during the wet season. It should be sprayed on an overcast day.Both 500 and 501 are used on fields by stirring the contents of a horn in 40-60 litres of water for an hour and whirling it in different directions every second minute.
502: Yarrow blossoms stuffed into urinary bladders from Red Deer, placed in the sun during summer, buried in earth during winter and retrieved in the spring.
503: Chamomile blossoms stuffed into small intestines from cattle buried in humus-rich earth in the autumn and retrieved in the spring.
504: Stinging nettle plants in full bloom stuffed together underground surrounded on all sides by peat for a year.
505: Oak bark chopped in small pieces, placed inside the skull of a domesticated animal, surrounded by peat and buried in earth in a place where lots of rain water runs by.
506: Dandelion flowers stuffed into the peritoneum of cattle and buried in earth during winter and retrieved in the spring.
507: Valerian flowers extracted into water.
508: Horsetail.One to three grams (a teaspoon) of each preparation is added to a dung heap by digging 50 cm deep holes with a distance of 2 meters from each other, except for the 507 preparation, which is stirred into 5 litres of water and sprayed over the entire compost surface. All preparations are thus used in homeopathic quantities, and the only intent is to strengthen the life forces of the farm.
It doesn't say so but I think you're supposed to chant "Double double toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble" while preparing it.
Notice that the potion is applied to the compost in the ratio of one sixteenth of an ounce per ten tons of compost. Biodynamicists describe this as a homeopathic amount, which means diluted to virtually undetectable levels, which certainly applies in this case. But again, the potion is not intended to have any direct physical effect. It's there to stimulate the life force. I was not able to find any proposals describing what the mechanism for this effect is alleged to be, or exactly what the effect is, other than the vague phrase "strengthen the life force."
If you're wondering why cows' horns figure so prominently in the potion, this explanation comes from one of Steiner's lectures:
The cow has horns in order to reflect inwards the astral and etheric formative forces, which then penetrate right into the metabolic system so that increased activity in the digestive organism arises by reason of this radiation from horns and hoofs.
Remember, Steiner encourages you to test this scientifically. All you'll need is an astral and etheric formative force gauge. I think they have them at Radio Shack.
Frankly, I'm shocked to see adults in industrialized nations mixing magic potions in the twenty first century. If they were doing it for ceremonial reasons, or to honor some folk tradition, fine; but doing it earnestly in a sincere effort to improve a harvest is alarming. Essentially, we're talking about witchcraft and sorcery being employed as a modern farming tool, today, in the United States. Go to your local liquor store and you'll find wines from biodynamic farms. Pick up a wine magazine and you'll find reviews of biodynamic wines. This phenomenon has already infiltrated our daily lives. Is this a commentary on the state of our educational system? Does it reflect a change in what parents are teaching children?
I'm not persuaded by the anecdotal evidence either. What you'll usually hear from biodynamicists is something like "I know it sounds weird, but the fact is the wines are actually better, and that's an undeniable difference that you can taste." I'm sure there actually is a difference that you can taste. No two wines ever taste alike. Grapes from every vineyard in the world taste different, and grapes from the same vineyard taste different each successive year. That's why there are good vintages and bad vintages. Any experienced vintner making the same wine from the same grapes in the same vineyard will easily be able to tell you which vintage a given bottle is from. Whether the growing method changed from conventional to organic to biodynamic or to anything else, the next batch of wine must taste different. That's a fact of winemaking. If ever there was a science where a valid controlled trial was absolutely impossible, it's winemaking. Anecdotal reports that wine quality improved after the farm became biodynamic can't be given any credence. Not only is "improved" a completely subjective matter of opinion that will differ among all wine drinkers, but any chromatographic analysis of the chemical content of the wine must be different year after year, whether the vineyard cast a magic spell over their compost or not. Neither any actual effect nor any causal relationship can be evidenced.
No doubt there are valid marketing reasons for making and selling biodynamic wines or other crops — there are always going to be customers who want it. And that's fine. But please don't teach your children that magic potions and non-physical beings are the way to achieve success in agriculture or anything else.
© 2007 Skeptoid Media, Inc.
References & Further Reading
Barquín, Jesús, Smith, Douglass. "On Fertile Ground? Objections to Biodynamics." The World of Fine Wine. Quarto Magazines Ltd, 9 Jun. 2006. Web. 10 Jan. 2007. <http://www.finewinemag.com/docs/BIODYN~1.PDF>
Goode, Jamie. The Science of Wine: from Vine to Glass. London: Octopus Publishing Group Ltd., 2005. 68-79.
Kirchmann, Holger. "Biological dynamic farming — An occult form of alternative agriculture?" Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics. 1 Sep. 1994, Volume 7, Number 2: 173-187.
Reeve, Jennifer R., Carpenter-Boggs, L., Reganold, J., York, A., McGourty, G., McCloskey, L. "Soil and Winegrape Quality in Biodynamically and Organically Managed Vineyards." American Journal of Enology and Viticulture. 1 Dec. 2005, Volume 56, Number 4: 367-376.
Schwarcz, Joe. The Genie in the Bottle. Toronto, Ontario: ECW Press, 2001. 278-282.
Steiner, Rudolf. Agriculture Course: The Birth of the Biodynamic Method. Forest Row: Rudolf Steiner Press, 2004. 17-151.
Reference this article:
Dunning, B.
"Biodynamic Agriculture." Skeptoid Podcast. Skeptoid Media, Inc.,
10 Feb 2007. Web.
25 May 2013. <http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4026>
Discuss!
10 most recent comments | Show all 35 comments
Paulo - Great! The moon's "transit through certain constelations" having an effect on plant growth is totaly not predicted by modern biology or physics. Write up your findings in an article and submit it to Nature or Science and you will give the scientific community invaluable data that will give us a new and better understanding of the universe, seeing as our current theories are obviously wrong. Not to mention the Nobel price(s) and international fame you are sure to recieve.
Of course, you have probably allready done this seeing as you have a Ph.D and therefore an intimate knowledge of writing and publishing articles in journals. Looking forwards to seeing how the world changes when the full ramifications of your discovery are known!
Knut, Oslo
July 20, 2012 7:00am
Brian, this is a very narrow minded article that barely deserves this comment. You based the entire segment upon the work of Steiner(I am baffled to why he is even mentioned. His work is not scientific, so why is he being mentioned in a scientific post? It seems to me that you are simply attempting to prove yourself right) , examining solely compost and manure mixes. I do feel the manure and compost mixes are bs, but this does not scratch the surface of biodynamic farming.How about the moon Brian? The gravitational pull alters our tides, and has been shown to have an affect on plants, which are over 80% water(liquid). I am disappointed, your statements are pertinent to tunnel vision. I read your articles for a scientific viewpoint, and this article qualifies for only an opinion page. no facts. limited research..I sincerely hope next time you will come up with something better.
Nik, Ontario, Canada
September 03, 2012 5:43pm
The moons gravity has been "shown to have an affect plants".
Where might we see a source for this extraordinary claim, Nik?
Tides indeed occur due to the gravitational influence of the moon, but only in very large unconstrained bodies of water. Like oceans. When you stand next to that carrot, your body mass is exerting more tidal force than the moon.
Marius vanderLubbe, Nullabour plain, Australia.
November 12, 2012 6:26pm
@ Nik, Ontario, thanks for the heads up regarding the Moon and plants. I always wondered why some days my plants were only 2 foot tall and on others 20 foot, after reading your post I checked the tidal tables and found that the maximum and minimum heights of my plants coincide with high and low tides, amazing.
Of course, like you, I have not put any links up to prove it but I know that the word of an anonymous poster on the Internet, like me, is of more value than any scientific research paper.
There's me thinking that it was the mass of the water in the oceans and its mutual gravitational affects with the Moon.
What does science know, huh?
True Believer, Belief not reason
December 09, 2012 11:59am
Be careful when dealing with Biodynamics, Waldorf Schools, or anything springing from Anthroposophy. Do your research.
Anthroposophy is Steiner's philosophy/religion and it means "to worship man". It takes ideas from almost all Theosophic religions (Christianity, Hinduism, Taoism, etc, etc) and it also takes ideas from Gnostic religions and Magickal practices (aka Alchemy, Witchcraft, etc.)
If you practice Biodynamics you are settling into the religion of Anthroposophy, and yes, it IS a religion. I've done my homework.
Steiner expressly believed that gnomes (earth), sylphs (air), undines (water), and salamanders (fire) help plants grow. He believed in a system of transfer of "cosmic knowledge" flowing through these creatures, the plants, and to the humans that ate them.
Steiner was also pretty racist. He believed that white European people were of the highest "evolution" and blacks, asians, etc were of lower calibers. He also believed that "some" people were not really people, but demons in disguise.
Steiner also believed we are descendants from a jelly-like race of Lemurians who were able to use telekinesis.
Most importantly, biodynamic "preparations" are MAGICK RITUALS. They are NOT "good magick". Nothing good can come of rituals that use ANIMAL BODY PARTS. I know a witch personally, it makes him absolutely CRINGE to even THINK of the implications of these rituals and potions. Think to yourself, do you really want to eat food grown by magick you don't know? I don't.
Clara, Underground
January 14, 2013 5:42am
Clara, did you know that Steiner also invented the etheric to be copied and pasted 100 years later?
Mud, At virtually missing point, NSW, OZ,
January 17, 2013 8:36pm
@Mud, you are a source of joy forever.
@Clara, while I don't believe in magick, or magic, my sister does, and I allow her to. And you're right, this is indeed a religion. I doubt that the people who use the pseudo-science aspects described above think of it the same way that Steiner's followers do, however.
But you do make a point. This is a religion. Whether you follow Steiner or not, this is a religion. It's something based upon "I can't explain it, and nobody else can either, but I know it works." And while there are things in this world that work that way, they tend to happen to everybody. Aspirin, for example, has almost the same effect on everybody who takes it. We know what it does. We know how it affects most people. We know the dangers and side-effects of it in adults and children (for the most part, there are always going to be people who's bodies do really interesting things). But we have no clue why it works the way it does. That isn't a matter of faith. That's just one of those mysteries that science hasn't yet figured out.
But this stuff, whether Steiner or not, relies upon effects that can't be duplicated. And after all these years of agriculture, if this stuff worked, you'd know about it.
@Mud...is it terrible that I giggled? I fell all bad now. Well. Ok. Not really.
Sara, Salt Lake City
February 12, 2013 4:16pm
@Nik, he mentioned Rudolf Steiner because biodynamic agriculture was Steiner's creations, and these were the methods he set out. As you said, there is nothing scientific about it. Brian does not only write about science, but pseudoscience. Nor do your contentions stand up scientifically.
Michael, Denver, CO USA
February 12, 2013 6:22pm
Yes, you'd wonder where Steiner's good and bad are ever analysed these days.
Mind you, the etheric is a little "out of focus" nowadays.
Its absolutely true that a lot was unashamedly "unscientific".
The reality in that is called "fiction".
Mud, Sin City, Oz
March 20, 2013 2:14am
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First let me say that I have a scientific background and a PhD. Despite my background as a scientist, my curiousity opened up doors for me that I never expected.
One day, bored and curious, I decided to test biodynamics to see if it works. I designed an experiment where I saw whether the moon transit through certain constelations would work, as biodynamics claim. In fact, there was a significant effect to my surprise. I also tested astrology (both to see if the personality of people fits their natal charts) and I saw it works, but that is difficult to prove because is psychological traits, not quantifiable.
For both astrology and moon effect on crops and seedlings, I cannot scientifically explain its cause, but it is there. I also tried to add a nettle compost tea to crops and it has a significant positive effect. So at least one of the witchcraft preparations of biodynamics works. Haven't test the others.
So many scientific people out there are just claiming that X or Y is not true, when they haven't tested it. Just as bad, as religion claiming something without testing.
At least the moon effect on plant growth is real, as is personality determined by natal charts.
Paulo, Portugal
April 11, 2012 5:50am