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| Compost manure |
Buzzing after my first of hopefully many many biodynamic conferences... the topic was composting...
So first, the COMPANY was awesome. I drove down with someone working in the school. I love the way things happen spontaneously and simply. I was asked, would i go for the conference on Wednesday.. and on Friday we were driving down... the weather was fantastic, the scenery amazing and the destination perfect. It was not like working, it was a holiday. We eventually ended up at the Ballybay Wetlands Centre and not for the first time, i just thought, this is the life...
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| Horn silica prep |
There is a lot of buzz in the biodynamic circles now about the new physics. For years and years and years biodynamic practioners have seen the results of biodynamic prep. We were very lucky to have so many experienced farmers at the conference. I felt really quite small beside them. It kinda reminded me of the first time i ever went to an RSPB thing where there were all these forestry and wardeny type people and i had never ever experienced anything like it before...
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| More prep |
These custom made prep boxes are something else. The containers are unglazed clay to let the prep breathe and the peat/turf protect it from radiation.
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| The more you see the results from the use of preps, the more you start to believe.... |
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| Examining compost piles |
We spent the first afternoon listening to the four elements in the creation of compost. Compost is where everything begins of course. The speaker was Benno Otto from the Goetheanum. He was very experienced and knew everything there was to know about compost and the cosmos. I am always so astounded at how wise people can be.
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| We are about to see the temperature in this pile of grass cuttings |
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| 50 deg! |
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This has been attacked by fire fang... when this happens the
grass' concentrated forces are released to the cosmos
and the compost is considerably less effective |
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| There was also muck talk about carbon and nitrogen |
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| Here is a grass pile from last year |
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| Benno said, Steiner says you must develop an intimate relationship with compost |
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| That smelt really REALLY bad |
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| And it also looked really really bad |
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However it was redeemable... add woodchip and it would be fine....
it is amazing how forgiving nature is... and yarrow prep of course |
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| Then we looked at the kitchen waste |
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| Which smelt like puke |
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| There were many worms in it, which made everyone extremely excited |
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| Benno was right in there having a great sniff |
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| We turned the pile to see if any processes were taking place |
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| Lots of worms as you can see |
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| Then we had a look at the windrow |
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| It was pretty good compost there |
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We learned about the qualities of compost and
later we would be able to match it up to the kinds of plants we'd use |
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| The manure pile |
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| I was astonished to learn this was only a year old |
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| The manure producers |
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| The most gorgeous cows you'd ever see |
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| Dirty hands!!! |
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| Fine compost |
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| Straw which has been worked on by fungus |
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| Le dinner with pure biodynamic produce... it was a real picture |
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| And of course the most delicious wine |
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| We then joined the Biodynamic Association of Ireland |
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| And got all the prep as part of the deal |
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| Next week we will be starting a new compost pile |
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| I am a believer |
It was really interesting the crowd there. They were a mixed bunch. Most interestingly was an ex-agri advisor. He was now trying to make the nexus between conventional science and biodynamics. It is a really exciting time i think for farming because it is clear that biodynamics works. I really don't understand why conservation and biodynamics don't work together more. The wetlands centre, even though it had a leasing agreement with Ballybay did not have a management plan for breeding birds. It feels like we are missing a trick.
But yeah, next week we start our new compost pile. It will be done with the help of afterschool and Class Four. Can i wait? Hell, no.
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