Apprenticeship Program
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Our Organic Farming Apprenticeship includes six months of classes, field trips and lots of hands-on farming.
Article: Biodynamics in Action
Biodynamic principles can be quite complex. What I have gathered so far as an apprentice at Horton Road leads me to find truth in an idealistic way not only farming and gardening, but also living. This living is in harmony with nature and the farm "organism."Biodynamics evolved from a German Austrian man, Rudolf Steiner, when farmers looked to him for assistance in bringing life back into their farms in the 1920's. Experiencing a decrease in vitality of their land and animals, farmers found that they could not grow in the same soil year after year as they had previously done due to depletion in soil fertility.
Steiner's idea of a healthy farm is one that is sustainable within itself, nurturing all of the organisms within that system. The farmer must love and care for the land, by giving to it. The farmer's study and observation in time leads to an understanding of what the living farm organism requires to be its healthiest.
As an organic farm, Horton Road has been interested in biodynamics for many years and is an active member of the Oregon Biodynamic Association. Its ethical aspects and agricultural practices have several of us here at the farm wanting to practice and learn more. Steiner designed a series of nine "preparations" to be used by farmers on their fields, crops and in the compost pile in order to assist the plants ability to take in what it needs from its natural surroundings. These natural surroundings include the soil as well as the cosmos. Here at the farm we have used and made a few of the following preparations.
The "Horn Manure" Preparation, was applied here in the spring. This preparation consists of cow manure that is packed into cow horns and buried in the autumn. When it is dug up in the spring, the manure has completely composted. What exists is a concentrated substance. A small portion is diluted down, stirred, and sprayed onto newly tilled open fields at a rate of 1 ounce per acre. Horn Manure enhances the growth of roots, soil micro-activity, and also helps regulate nitrogen and calcium content.
We buried our first "Stinging Nettle" prep on Horton Rd. land this past spring. We harvested fresh nettles and stuffed them into a clay pot and buried it. This preparation will be dug up next spring. It is intended for use in the compost pile with four other preps and promotes the health of the soil. Healthy soil contributes to healthy plants. We also use nettles as a fertilizer by harvesting them fresh and then letting them steep in a bucket of water for 2 weeks. The resulting tea is diluted down with fresh water and then applied to the crops. Nettle tea aids sick or stressed out plants.
Another preparation consists of Horsetail plants that are harvested in the spring. The plants are then hung to dry. After the drying process, the horsetail is made into a tea by a steeping process. We did this and then applied it to some of our plants. Horsetail is used in the prevention of fungal diseases.
These are only a few basics of biodynamics. I have come to realize that biodynamics is not a concept that one can grasp exact understanding right away. Each time I discuss or pick up a piece of literature on the subject, my knowledge expands. I believe one of the reasons I am drawn to biodynamics beyond its philosophy, is for the opportunity to continue learning. It can be made into the life long study if one chooses. I feel that we need to respect and connect with nature. Biodynamics uses this principle to create healthy living food-producing systems.
*Shannon apprenticed at Horton Road in 1999. She had been inspired by her internship at the P.E.A.S gardening project at the Univ of MT and blessed our farm with her great energy and joy in her work continuing as Staff helping new apprentices.