I farm biodynamically why? - Alan Brockman

Some years ago our late BD advisor George Corrin, asked me this question. It struck me as rather strange at the time, as though he had met people who for no apparent reason had done something highly unusual. As the majority of his contacts were in the field of biodynamic farming and gardening one could imagine that that was where the question arose. Why do we take up biodynamic work if we do? As part of the theme for this year's work ,suggested from the Goetheanum, biodynamic workers have been asked to work on this and come to some clearer idea and probably self knowledge!

It was Rudolf Steiner's view that we each come to earth with a particular impulse in mind. Whether we can realise this and work with it will determine our happiness and satisfaction. Perhaps the most ghastly thing that can happen is that we find that we have become old without having 'found ourselves' although in the wider view even this is a step forward into the future.

One is lead by destiny to certain situations in life which really belong to us. Taking the view that we have ordered this 'meal' before birth, in conjunction with higher wisdom and with a clearer view of our own weakness and 'debts' to others, one could say that it is 'tailor made' for us and is the quickest way to improve if we can stand the strain and accept it.

Having been brought up on a farm before and during the war the pros and cons were well known and not accepted. In short, a 4 year training in electrical engineering led to London and an interesting but stressful and eventful career cut short by illness. Having returned to the land to recuperate the question arose why and what to do next? Taking the anthroposophical view that nothing happens by chance and looking at the situation as objectively as possible it seemed that the land was presenting itself. It was all around so to speak and having visited Clent in 1949, seen a biodynamic garden and talked to Dr Carl Mier, secretary of the BDAA at the time, it was decided to put some BD preparations in the dung ???' This was not in the form of compost heaps just a big flat slab about 5 ft high and 30 ft square. A temperature rise was noted some days later and the breakdown seemed to have been accelerated when we came to use it. At least some change had been brought about!

A year later my health had improved and my interest in BD farming aroused, commitment to a life on the land seemed probable. So it was that Perry Court Farm was purchased to run with the 'home' farm, which was farmed as a partnership and not owned. Perry Court was built up over 3 years, 'commuting' daily the 5 miles between. It was mainly a fruit farm of 40 acres plus 45 acres of arable and 110 acres of woodland. The farmhouse had been sold away in the 1930's and also some of the land. Even in those days it was difficult to try and farm in the area so we had had little choice.

The fruit orchards had been neglected during the war and in 1953, when we took over, a lot of work was needed, thinning, pruning and spraying! We took all the best (or worst!) advice we could as our experience in fruit had been limited to cherries. Not being able to afford risks it was decided to start BD work on a small 3 acre Cox orchard which we planted in 1954. The other orchards were treated conventionally. Spraying tar oil to seal the eggs of the red spider, aphids, a pear sucker resulted in a carpet of dead worms. This was visible and dramatic proof of the effects of 'modern farming'. It only strengthened the conviction that BD methods were not only saner but vital for the future of healthy farming.

The farm house has since returned to the farm and been handed on to the Waldorf School here and the fields sold away have come back to the farm. So the holding gradually matured and became fully biodynamic in 1976 - a long process.

Nothing in life is easy, if it were we would not develop anything new in ourselves, 'suffering is a condition of spiritual growth' as Rudolf Steiner points out - something to be remembered at critical points in life!! Life makes us what we are because it is guided by higher wisdom. If we can accept that and work with it then biodynamic work has much to teach us all.

Alan Brockman is well known throughout the Biodynamic Movement in the UK. He lives at Perry Court Farm near Canterbury.