AgPhysics

By Hugh Lovel

Global warming gets a lot of press and not many are aware that half our excess CO2 dissolves into the oceans reacting with calcium to form limestone which settles into the deeps. This won’t last. As the oceans acidify and lose their calcium they absorb less CO2. Gradually more will stay in the atmosphere, and global warming may double and redouble.
There is also global dimming, since particulate matter going up in smoke along with CO2 cools the earth. Cleaning up these emissions may further increase the doubling effect. With polar ozone depletion, more ultra-violet hits the ice caps in summer. If this reaches the point where a layer of dirt is exposed on the surface of the snow, it will accelerate melting. As the ice lifts off Greenland and Antarctica the global weight shift may give us more earthquakes and volcanoes. Of course, volcanoes may send aloft enough sulphur dioxide and other dusts and volatiles to cool the earth off again for a spell. But what goes up will come back down as acid rain, further acidifying fields, forests and oceans. Already acid rains ensure that we can lose forests without cutting the trees down.

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By Hugh Lovel

On a recent trip to Japan where I visited several organic farms as well as a golf course I noted that no matter how good their other practices none were composting well enough. All omitted clay from their compost mixtures. The same is commonly true on organic farms elsewhere, though I know of cases—most of them biodynamic operations—in Europe, India, the USA, Australia and New Zealand where composting is excellent. Read the rest of this entry »

By Hugh Lovel

Back in early 1924, Ehrenfried Pfeiffer, who later became one of the early leaders in biodynamic agriculture, was anxious to find ways to build bridges between active participation and the carrying out of life purposes without being derailed by personal ambition, illusions and petty jealousies. These were the negative qualities his mentor, Rudolf Steiner, had named as the main inner hindrances.
On a train from Stuttgart, Germany to Dornach, Switzerland he asked Steiner, “How can it happen that the spiritual impulse, and especially the inner schooling, for which you are constantly providing stimulus and guidance, bear so little fruit? Why do the people concerned give so little evidence of spiritual experience, in spite of all their efforts? Why, worst of all, is the will for action, for the carrying out of these impulses, so weak?”
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M.S.: Thanks, Michael, for taking the time to look at some of the
events of the past. Now that the trial is over, what next?

Michael: Well, the trial might be over, but the final arguments
regarding the constitutional challenge regarding section 7 of the
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom, which refers to the issue of
Government’s infringement on our individual liberty, have not been
made. The Judge agreed that we should have the transcripts of the
trial first, before we formulate our final arguments.

M.S.: How long do you anticipate this will take?

Michael: We have to submit our written closing arguments by June 16th.

M.S.: When can we expect a decision in this matter?

Michael: Realistically, maybe in August, maybe later.

M.S.: How do you feel about the trial?

Michael: Yes, most people want to know how I feel about the trial.
My answer is always the same: I feel good, I feel inspired and I
feel satisfied that the court is the right remedy to challenge those
in authority. It was revealing, it was fun and it was Shakespearean
drama at its best.
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“And these plants, the legumes, represent something similar to what takes place on the epithelial cells of our lungs during inhalation. By and large, the legumes are the only plants of this kind; all others are more closely related to the process of exhalation.”—Rudolf Steiner

By Hugh Lovel

Once in my childhood a new Rector for our Anglican Parish was installed. Within a few weeks the grand, old azaleas around the church and bordering its grounds were sawn back to stumps and all their mulch removed. Several weeks passed before new mulch was installed, nor was I privy to those politics. For some bushes the result was catastrophic, and for the others it was several years before a modest shadow of their former glory was seen. Other than that I do not recall ever seeing azaleas or rhododendrons planted without their roots being mulched. Though these bushes commonly grew without fertilizers, mulching was just something that everyone growing these plants did—either that or these plants didn’t grow.
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After driving all night from my North Georgia market gardens I arrived just before seven in the morning at the Indianapolis hotel where the ACRES U.S.A. Convention was to be held. The lines at the hotel desk were so long I left my colleague, Lorraine Cahill, to check in while I headed for the restaurant. I needed a steaming mug of coffee and a bite of breakfast to start my day. Otherwise I was in danger of fading away. Growing market veggies for 26 weeks for restaurants, markets and box subscribers had, thankfully, just come to a close before driving all night to reach America’s most unforgettable and inspiring convention. I didn’t want to miss a minute of it, but I had a booth to set up when the trade show opened and I needed more push than I had at the moment.
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Below is a extract from the book “A Biodynamic Farm”. If you are interested in a copy of the full book you can purchase at http://www.agphysics.com/products-page/books–booklets/a-biodynamic-farm/

Chapter XII

One of the purposes of biodynamic agriculture is to lay the foundations for a healthier, more stable society. This requires seeing farming in the cultural perspective of human society. Second only to good farming practices and use of the BD preps, the concept of a threefold social order is key to establishing healthy BD farms. In other words we need to know where we are, where we are coming from and where we are going.
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