Downloadable brochures in PDF format:
Introduction to Biodynamic Farming and Gardening 2010
Biodynamics -- The Individuality of the Farm 2009-2010, an advanced course (updated May 2009)
Details on both courses can be found below.
Photo above: Student stirs Biodynamic preparation
Introduction to Biodynamic Farming and Gardening 2010
What is Biodynamics?
Biodynamics seeks to heal the earth by combining an understanding of nature with careful observation and revitalizing techniques. In 1924, a group of farmers, noticing decreasing fertility in their animals and a decreased vitality in their seeds, asked scientist and philosopher Rudolf Steiner for suggestions on how to make their farming practices more sustainable. The eight lectures Steiner gave in response laid the foundation for the organic agriculture movement and sparked what has since become known as Biodynamics.
On ten Sundays (10am – 4 pm) from February to November, Titia Postuma will cover the fundamentals of growing food with an emphasis on how the spirit works into the natural world. The program will begin in a classroom in Kingston, move to Titia’s farm near Perth, and then back again to Kingston to complete the year.
Who is Teaching?
Titia Postuma had her first organic garden when she was six and progressed to homesteading in Perth County as a young adult. In 1981 she bought her 200-acre farm with depleted soil and has been bio-remediating it ever since. The farm, Ravensfield, is certified by Demeter, the internationally recognized certification for biodynamic farms and products.
Titia has always studied the science and philosophy of agriculture, including land stewardship and environmental/ethical issues. Titia works with apprentices, but has also given workshops and lectures on topics including ethical principles, production economics, and the biodynamic concept of the farm as one organism.
What a past BD participant says about last years course...
Of the whole experience, I think the one thing I appreciated the very most was being in an educational environment with farmers. ………..This kind of interaction is invaluable these days and was to me one of the things that made the course worth while…….Thank you for putting this together. I am very grateful for all your hard work and I am looking forward to signing up for the advanced BD course in the fall. The 6 hour drive will be worth it!
Details
Course Fee: $495 (no refunds after first session)
Practical Detail: Please bring your lunch and drinks.
Prerequisites: This course is geared towards those who are actively farming or gardening or at least have some experience.
Course Coordinator: Hamo Hammond
To register and to organize car pools call the Rudolf Steiner Centre Toronto at 905.764.7570. Please register by February 19th.
This course is offered in collaboration with the Biodynamic Society of Ontario
Feb. 21 – Rudolf Steiner and His Times: The Science Behind Biodynamics
A look at chemistry, magnetism, light, heat, and energy, with an introduction to Goethean observation.
Location: Mulberry School, Kingston
March 7 – Exploring the Character of Your Farm or Garden Organism
How intelligence is generated within plants, animals, and the soil.
Location: Mulberry School
March 21 – The Big Picture: the Cosmos and Life Forces
Location: Mulberry School
April 11 – Soil Science
Calcium, silica, clay and humus, and chemistry the way Rudolf Steiner saw it.
Location: Mulberry School
April 25 – Timing is Everything
Exploring the planting calendar, rhythm of the year, and the four elements within the zodiac.
Location: Ravensfield Farm
May 2 – The Four Elements: The Vocabulary of Nature
Learning to see the elements in everything we do. A farmer’s meditation. Location: Ravensfield Farm
July 11 - Theory of Compost and Biodynamic Preparations
The stirring and spraying of field preparations.
Location: Ravensfield Farm
September 26 – Making Preparations *** PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A SATURDAY
Location: Whole Circle Farm, Rockwood
October 24 - Food Vitality
Putting it all together
Location: Ravensfield Farm
November 28 – Ourselves
Becoming a biodynamic farmer or gardener
Location: Ravensfield or Mulberry School
MULBERRY SCHOOL
is located at 25 Markland Street, Kingston, Ontario. From Highway 401 take the Montreal Street exit going south. Proceed for about seven minutes. Turn right on John, which is parallel to Markland, and you will find the parking lot immediately on your left side
RAVENSFIELD FARM
Coming from the West, take Highway 7 east. At Maberly (about 2 hours east of Peterborough) travel another two minutes and turn right onto Old Brooke Road. Go 4 or 5 km to 1688 Old Brooke Road (it will be on your left).
Coming from the Ottawa area, take Highway 7 west past Perth. Turn left onto Old Brooke Road and travel about another 1 km to 1688 Old Brooke Road (on your right hand side).
WHOLE CIRCLE FARM
is located at 8786 Wellington Road 50, north of Acton, ON. From Hwy 401, take Hwy 25 north and pass through Acton. At Wellington Road 50 turn right (west) and travel one km. The farm will be on the right (north).
Biodynamics -- the Individuality of the Farm 2009-2010, an Advanced Course in Biodynamic Farming and Gardening.
Biodynamics
In 1924, when farmers asked Rudolf Steiner for advice on the depletion they were seeing in agricultural vitality, he responded with a course he called “Spiritual and Scientific Foundations for a Renewal of Agriculture.” The two main questions biodynamics tries to answer are: How can we grow food that is nourishing for the whole human being of body, soul, and spirit? And how can we do this in harmony with the forces in nature and a healthy development of the Earth? Central to biodynamics is the image of the “Agricultural Individuality,” working with the land as a living being.
This advanced course will look at practical aspects of farming and gardening – soil and plant care, animal husbandry, composting, crop rotations, overall farm design, and economics – and how they affect the health of a farm individuality and the quality and health-giving nature of the food we produce.
Prerequisites
Prerequisites for this course include participation in the North American Biodynamic Apprentice Program, some experience with farming or gardening, or a previous introductory course on
biodynamics. Participants are asked to read the first lecture in Rudolf Steiner’s Agriculture, and the first chapter of his Theosophy before the first session.
The course will involve meeting one day a month from September 2009 to April 2010 for lectures, discussions, and workshops. Artistic activities will deepen appreciation of the material, and an online discussion between sessions will broaden the content. Participants will be asked to do a research assignment to share with the whole group.
The aim of this course is to awaken a deeper love and respect for the natural world, a hope for humanity’s relationship to the Earth, and an appreciation for the importance of the day- to- day tasks of agriculture.
Instructor: Cory Eichman
Cory Eichman began farming biodynamically in 1992. After five years working on other farms, he co-founded the Saugeen River CSA, an 80-acre Demeter-certified farm in Durham, Ontario. The farm grows vegetables, flowers, herbs, and soft fruit for CSA members and the Owen Sound farmers’ market. The land’s fertility is provided by a herd of highland cattle, which also provide beef for customers. He has been training apprentices for twelve years and teaches theoretical and practical aspects of biodynamics in collaboration with the Rudolf Steiner Centre Toronto.
Dates & Times
Sept 27, Oct. 25, Nov. 29, Dec. 20, Jan. 17, Feb. 21, Mar. 21, Apr. 18
Times: from 9 am to 5 pm
Details
Course Fee: $495 (no refunds after first session)
Practical Detail: Please bring your lunch and drinks.
Course Coordinator: George Ivanoff
Location: Whole Circle Farm, Rockwood, Ontario
Whole Circle Farm is located at 8786 Wellington Road 50, north of Acton, ON. From Hwy 401, take Hwy 25 north and pass through Acton. At Wellington Road 50 turn right (west) and travel one km. The farm will be on the right (north).
To register and to organize car pools call the Rudolf Steiner Centre Toronto at 905.764.7570
This course is offered in collaboration with the Biodynamic Society of Ontario.
Biodynamics Links:
Society for Biodynamic Farming and Gardening
Articles on Biodynamics
Toronto Star story on Southbrook Farm, Nov. 2008
Think Organic, then take a big wholistic leap to Biodynamics
updated Feb. 12, 2009
