User:Snl223/sandbox

This is how I believe the opening should read for greatest accuracy, neutrality and most up to date statistics. There is a strong reaction in the US to alternative agriculture, especially the kind that operates outside of our scientific comfort zone, but that is no reason to comment on belief systems up front. I believe it is most neutral to save the controversy for the "controversy" section with the rest of opinion and keep the opening especially as a neutral presentation of facts.

Biodynamic Agriculture

Biodynamic agriculture is a form of alternative agriculture very similar to organic farming, but which includes various additional concepts drawn from the ideas of Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925).[1][2] Initially developed in the 1920s, it was the first of the organic agriculture movements.[3] Biodynamic agriculture Demeter International, the current organization which oversees biodynamic farm certification and sets farm standards, describes biodynamic agriculture as a method of growing which treats the “farm as a living organism: self-contained, self-sustaining, following the cycles of nature.”

Biodynamics has much in common with other organic approaches – it emphasizes the use of manures and composts and excludes the use of artificial chemicals on soil and plants. Methods unique to the biodynamic approach include its treatment of animals, crops, and soil as a single system; an emphasis from its beginnings on local production and distribution systems; its use of traditional and development of new local breeds and varieties; and the use of an astrological sowing and planting calendar.[7] Biodynamic agriculture is also distinguished by the inclusion of nine herbal and mineral "preparations" in compost piles and as field sprays, which are used for various positive soil and plant growth benefits.

As of February 2016, biodynamic techniques were used on 164,323 hectares in 851 countries. Germany accounts for 44% of the global total;. Biodynamic methods of cultivating grapevines have been taken up by several notable vineyards.[10] There are certification agencies for biodynamic products, most of which are members of the international biodynamics standards group Demeter International.

Biodynamic method of farming

Biodynamic agriculture differs from many forms of organic agriculture in its spiritual, mystical, and astrological

orientation. It shares a spiritual focus, as well as its view toward improving humanity, with the "nature farming"

movement in Japan[17]:5, but its roots are in anthroposophy and Geothean Science which encourage the view of

''man as part of a spiritual world. The components of the method which address the subtle, spiritual plane are the''

''preparations and the biodynamic planting calendar. There has been scientific study into the mechanisms behind''

the effectiveness of biodynamic preparations, but much more is needed.

Compost Preparations (should include purpose)

500: (horn-manure) a humus mixture prepared by filling the horn of a cow with cow manure and burying it in the ground

(40–60 cm below the surface) in the autumn. It is left to decompose during the winter and recovered for use the following

spring.[35] Purpose: used to improve the soil fertility and foster the formation of a strong root system. "Results of longterm

field trials, such as those published in a Science paper by Mader et al. [17] proved that biodynamic practices, which

primarily make use of Preparation 500, improve the overall soil quality; in particular, parameters such as organic matter,

and microbial biomass and diversity were significantly higher in the biodynamic farming system in comparison with

ordinary organic farming."

Compost preparations, used for preparing compost, employ herbs which are frequently used in medicinal remedies. Many of the

same herbs are used in organic practices to make foliar fertilizers, turned into the soil as green manure, or in composting. These

preparations are prepared by the farmer or purchased from reliable sources, and are meant to enhance biological processes and

harness life forces on the farm. Learning to make preparations is a lifelong task for many. The preparations include:

502: Yarrow blossoms (Achillea millefolium) are stuffed into urinary bladders from Red Deer (Cervus elaphus), placed in

the sun during summer, buried in earth during winter and retrieved in the spring.[38] Purpose: supports general growth

processes. [39]

503: Chamomile blossoms (Matricaria recutita) are stuffed into small intestines from cattle buried in humus-rich earth in

the autumn and retrieved in the spring.[40] Purpose: Guides calcium and potassium processes. [39]

504: Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) plants in full bloom are stuffed together underground surrounded on all sides by peat for

a year.[41] Purpose: imbue compost with a "sensitive intelligence". [39]

505: Oak bark (Quercus robur) is chopped in small pieces, placed inside the skull of a domesticated animal, surrounded by

peat and buried in earth in a place where lots of rain water runs past.[42] Purpose: combats plant “disease” conditions. [39]

506: Dandelion flowers (Taraxacum officinale) are stuffed into the mesentery of a cow and buried in earth during winter and

retrieved in the spring.[43] Purpose: helps plants access what they need. [39]

507: Valerian flowers (Valeriana officinalis) are extracted into water.[44] Purpose: enhances relationship to warmth. [39]

508: Horsetail (Equisetum).[45]