Course Details

Practical Training: Apprentices learn while working alongside an experienced farmer or gardener and the course is essentially practical in nature. All aspects of the daily and seasonal work carried out on the chosen farm or garden are introduced in a direct hands-on-way. The keeping of a daily work diary is a requirement as well as an invaluable resource for later reference.

Tutorials: Each week there is a tutorial session in which questions and issues relating to practical work are discussed.

Study sessions: There are weekly study sessions to work through Rudolf Steiner’s  Agriculture Course as well as another one of his basic books such as  Theosophy,  Occult Science or  The Philosophy of Freedom. Such study is best undertaken in a group and other interested participants are often included.

Block Courses & Seminars: There are two week-long block courses each year. Over two years these four block courses cover Soils; Plant and plant husbandry; Animals and their care and Astronomy respectively. These courses are attended by apprentices from all over the country and take place at different venues. Field trips and farm visits are often included.

In parts of the country where several farms are in the vicinity of one another, regional three day seminars are also held. There are usually six such seminars per year and provide further opportunities for gaining deeper insights into the background and practice of biodynamics. In more isolated situations other creative ways are found to provide these opportunities by drawing on local experts and invited guests.

Projects: Apprentices are required to prepare a farm profile of the holding during their first year and complete a project of their choice by the end of the second year. This is then presented to fellow students and tutors when they graduate.

Hours of Training: The hours spent on the course are approximately as follows (calculated on 35 week year):

  • Seminars and block courses (hours per year) 288 = 8 hrs / week
  • Weekly study sessions 2 hrs / week
  • Tutorial sessions 2 hrs / week
  • Practical training 28 hrs / week
  • Total training hours 40 hrs / week

Certificate: To graduate an apprentice must have participated in all the seminars and block courses and the tutor must be satisfied of the practical skills learned. A portfolio of evidence is also needed including an up-to-date work diary and appropriate records of their seminar work. Students are also required to prepare a farm profile in their first year and complete a project of their choice in the second year. All these documents are then used for assessment.

After presenting their project at a graduating ceremony apprentices receive a certificate issued by the Biodynamic Agricultural Association and which is recognised worldwide within the biodynamic movement.

Note: The apprentice training is working towards external validation through the  Crossfields Institute and hopes to have a fully accredited course by the end of 2010.