AGRICULTURE

ALEXPODOLINSKY
AlexPodolinsky1989 Allrightsreserved.

AGRICULTURE
Largelyduetoawakeningconsumerawareness:Agricultureisfacedwithchange.BioDynamicand organicfarmingorganizations,oldandnew,havecontributed.Butfordecadestheywerenot consideredbyGovernmentauthorities,wereevenhinderedandstillareinsomeregardsby unnecessaryregulations. Consumersdemandnutritious1andunpoisonedfood.Votesareatstake.Politicalpartiesinpowertake notice.MinisterspressthescientificestablishmentoftheirDepartment. Therehas,however,beennonewrecognitionpertainingtoachangeofscientificagriculturalmethod withintheagriculturalestablishment.GovernmentDepartmentshavenoexpertiseinadvising conventionalbroadacrefarmersonlanddependentonfertilizerandchemicalinputsonhowtofarm naturallyandwithoutundesirablechemicals.Theappointmentofastaffmembertoactasorganic advisermaybepoliticallyopportune,butdoesnotmeanthatthispersonhastheexperiencetosoact. LongtermnewResearchSchemes,comparingorganicwithconventionalmethods,awaitresults. However,similartrialswereundertakenearlierthiscenturybypeopleconversantwithorganicmethods. TheVictorianAgricultureDepartmentmaybeonestepaheadbyenlistingsomecooperationwith naturalfarmingorganizations.Thisalsoawaitsproofbyresults. WhatisAgriCultureactuallyabout? Isittoproducewholesomefoodorisittoestablishscientifictheoriesandtoprovethesebycostlyand timeconsumingstatisticalevidence? Ahistoryofthisevidencewoulddisclosehowlittlenoticehasoftenbeentakenofresults,whereasother provenresultsandconsequentfarmadvicehasthenbeencontradictedinlateryears.Furthermore, canthiscurrentsciencemethodapproachbesoentirelytrusted?Itdid,amongstmanyothers, pronounceDDTandThalidomideassafe.Ofcourse,suchsystemexertsapowerfulholdandhasto continueincreasingtojustifyitself. WhoistheExpertofAgriCulture? IsittheFarmer,abletoproducehealthyfood,ortheagriculturalscientistandhissystem? InArt,whoisofprimeimportance,Rembrandtortheartcritic? Inearliertimes,accordingtocultureandbiogeography,manyoldcountrieshadahighlydeveloped agriculture,producingnutritiousandunpoisonedfood.Therewasnomanureoranythingelse introducedontothefarms.Thefarmsproducedtotheoptimumoftheparticularconditions.The productionlevelwasquitehigh.Productiondependedontheskill,knowhowandworkinputofeach peasant.Therewasconsiderablevariationofperformanceevenbetweenpeasantneighbors.
1

SeeA.PodolinskyOrganicbiodynamicOutlook,reasonsforDemeterregistration;VolIb.d.lntroductorylectures, lecture3.

 Ancientpeasantskillsandwisdom,oftenreflectedinbygonepeasantmagazinesorcalendars,were passedthroughthegenerations,fromgrandfathertograndson.Thisenabledourancestorstoretainthe healthofsoilsandproduce.Greenmanuringwasnotspecifically,inuse.Itwouldhavebeenconsidered anirreverentwasteofGodgivenplants.Peasantsundersowedcropswithlegumesandfedthisoff. Stablemanureandurinewasexpertlyused.Mostoftheseskillsandthiswisdomhavevanished,evenin theoldcountries,whereasinsonewacountryasAustralia,suchneverreallydeveloped. Peasantsworkedphysicallyevenharderthanthewellequippedfarmeroftoday.Consequentlytheir bodiesmovedslowlyandtheyhadnosparebreathtotalkcleverly.Theirskillandwisdomwasvalued bypoetsandartists,whileothersdeemedthemstupid.InclassconsciousEnglandtheywerealso knownasvillains. Lastcenturymodernsciencebegantodevelop,andaspecialscienceofagriculturestarted.The activatorsweremainlyspecialistchemists.Highlyinterestingfactorsbecameknown,likeJustusvon Liebigsdiscoverythatplantscanutilizemineralsonlyinwatersolubleform.(MuchevolvedinRussia andhasneverbeenfullyassimilatedintheWest.)Theresulting,chemicallyinduced,watersoluble fertilizerswerefirstusedonlargeestatesandproducedbiggercrops.Eventuallypeasantsalsohadto usethemodernfertilizerstocompete.Olderpeasants,eventhen,lamentedthechangeinfoodquality andtheincreaseofdiseaseinplantandanimal,broughtonbytheuseoffertilizers. Plantswerenownolongerdependantonthesoilbiologytofreeinsolubleelementsinagradual,natural process.Intime,noonerememberedthefoodqualityofnaturallygrownproduce,asvirtuallyonly fertilizerforcedproducewasavailable.And,ofcourse,moneycameintoit.Biggercropspaidbetter,at leastinitially. Theartificially2fedplantswerepronetopestsandaneverincreasingrangeofpesticidesappearedon themarkettocombattheequallyincreasingpests,fungiandweedproblemsaffectingtheseunnatural plants. Simultaneouslysoilsdeteriorated,loststructure,compactedbecamesandorabogandbecause ofresultantlackofbiologicalactivity,wereutterlydependantonfurtherfertilizerinputforthenext crop.Acontinuingdownhillspiral. Thusthechangetomodernfarmingescalated,righttothepointwhere,today,farmersareadvisedto bewithitmoreland,bigger,heavier(groundcompacting)machinery.Loansfrombanksfor progress.Possiblebankruptcy. ConventionalagriculturaleducationalinstitutionsintheWestdiscontinuedmeaningfulteachingonsoil andsoilbiology.Planthealthbecameassociatedwithchemicals.Soilanalysesdeterminedasto fertilizerinputaccordingtothehypotheticalidealofsupposedplantrequirementsetc.Hugeamounts ofirreplaceablephosphate,alone,havebeenwasted.Futuregenerationsmaywellquestion. Todaywearebesetbythechemicalresiduesituation.Traditionallyfarmedsoils,storages,roadandrail trucks,arepollutedwithchemicalresidues.Itisaworldwideproblem.
2

SeeA.Podolinsky.BDintroductorylecturesVolIlectures1&2andOrganicBioDynamicoutlook

Australia,dependantonagriculturalexport,isparticularlyaffected.Thereisanincreasingworldwide demandforpurefood,evenifsomepoorerimportingnationsmaynotyetbefinanciallyabletopress thispoint.NeithertheoverseasbuyernorthegeneralpublictrustnationalorWorldHealth organizationssafetylevelsofpollutants.Theyhavehadtobeloweredalltoooften.Furthermore, theexistingsafetylevelsaregearedtoadultbodies.Childrenhavenottheadultbodiesresistancelevel andarethereforemorevulnerabletotheeffectsofresidues.Thereshouldbeareviewofsafetylevels forthisreasonalone. Agriculturalsciencehasofcoursecontributedconsiderablytomodernknowledgeinmanyareas.Buta majorproblemwithallsciencesistheinevitableandeverincreasingspecialization.Graduallya systemevolves. Sincetheadventofcomputers,systemscanincreaseatahorrificrate.Abureaucracyofknowledge dataiscreated,whichviatheuseofstatistics,canbecomeacreativemachinerunningamok.Very fewindividualsareabletooverviewtheirparticularscience.Mostaresuckedintothisrichandpowerful system,theybecomebureaucratsoftheirscience. Todaylittledistinctionismadebetweenscienceandmoderntechnologicalachievement.Theessential baseofepistemologyhasbecomeforgotteninmodernsciencecognition. Insomesciencesthismaymatterless.InAgricultureitmattersalot.Agriculturalpracticerequiresa totalapproach,atotalbaseinNature. Valuablecontributionscomefromentomologistsandotherspecialists,butnoneofthesecantotally adviseafarmer.Andapassingonofvaluablespecialistresearchviaafarmadvisor,whohasno handsonexperienceoftheresearch,andhasneverfarmedaproperty,isoftenalltootheoretical. Inmedicine,theHealthDepartmentdoctor,whohasnotseenapatientin30yearsisnottrustedasa medicalexpert.Thepractitionerwithhandsonexperienceissought.InAgriculturethissituationis reversed.Themanwithadegreeisregardedastheexpert,althoughhemayneverhavefarmed. Australianfarmerslistentolecturesofexperts,butaregenerallyawarethatthelecturercouldnotrun theirfarm.Contrarytothesubduedpeasantofoldcountries,theAustralianfarmerishistoricallyanew appearance.Hefarmslargetractsoflandandcopeswithclimatichardship.Heisruggedand independent.Hemayhavebecomeaffectedbymodernchemicalfarmingtrends,buttodatehehas competedontheworldmarketagainstEECandUSfarmers,subsidizedto65%oftheirannualgross productvalue.OntopofthishehasbeensloggedbypayingtheAustralianGovernmentatarifffor importedreplacementparts.NootherAustralianmarketisthusimposedon. Howeverdisagreeableitmaybe,therecognitionmustbefaced.Chemicalfarmingisasunsetoperation. Thequestionarises:howtofarmeconomically,andonalargescale,withoutfertilizersorchemicals? This,certainly,istotallybeyondtheestablishedagriculturalsystem.Also,theharshAustralianclimate makesbiologicalfarmingmoredifficult.InfavoristhatAustraliahasusedlessagriculturalchemicals thanothercountries,whereheavysoilandenvironmentalpollutiondiminishesattemptsatrealistic naturalfarming.

PeracreproductioninAustralia,costwise,cannotaffordthechemicalacreinputNewZealand,for instance,canafford,whilstEuropeanconditionsrequirestillhigherapplications. Oldcountrypeasantfarmersperformedonbiologicallyactive,beautifullystructuredsoils.Becauseof thecrumblystructuretherewasnoproblemwithdrainage,neitherwithsoilblowingawayorbogging down,.Thosesoilsweremuchlessfragilethantodays.Theywereploughed,slowly,byhorseorcow drawnsinglefurrowmouldboardploughsinthehandsofaskilledpeasant.Althoughcut,thesoillaid overandbrokegentlyintoacrumblystructure.Therewerenocutlumps,eventuallydryingtohard rocks,ontopofploughedground,neitherthedustamoderndisc(orrotaryhoe)chucksup. Thepeasanthadbuttomaintainthissoil.Ifwehadsuchsoilstoday,anyheavytractor,harvesteretc. wheelwouldimmediatelycompactitandreduceitgreatlyinbiologicalcapacity. Tojustcopywhatourancestorsdid,tojustfollowsomeamateursidealisticadviceongreenmanuring etc.isnottheanswerintheprevailingAustralianconditionsinmajorfarmingareas,especiallyareasof lowrainfall. Theproblemisnolongersoilmaintenance,butsoilredemption. Theremaystillbefarmerswhodonotknowhowcompactedandbiologicallydeadtheirsoilsare3. Understandablybecausetherehasbeenverylittleofficialreferencetothesubjectand,generally,no materialonthesubjectisavailabletofarmers.FarmershavefollowedtheadviceoftheAgriculture Departmentsandthecurrentsoilandpollutionsituationresultsworldwide. Theagriculturalestablishmentshouldacceptthissituation.Ithascurrentlynottheexpertisetoadvise onhowtoredeemdeadsoils.Thiscannotberemediedbyquickcoursesfortheconventionally trainedstaff,orbydrawingfromexperiencednaturalfarmingorganizationsinordertoissue informationleafletsorbooklets. Theyshouldalsoattempttoviewwelldeveloped,andpracticallyproven,naturalfarmingmethodsand results. AgriculturedealswithLife,Nature,Cosmicinfluences,theElements.Itgoesbeyondtheconventional relianceonsolubleelements,chemicalsandthesupposednecessityofreplacingminerals.Natural farmingresultscannotbeadequatelyjudgedfromsuchalimitedbasis. TheneedforanewdirectioninthepurposeofAgriculturehastobeaccepted.Namely,theproduction ofnutritiousandunpoisonedfoodandthemaintenanceofsoilsforfuturegenerations.Mansexistence onEarthdependsthereon. Only11%ofEarthssurfaceissuitedtosustainedagriculturalproduction.Inthelasthundredyearsthis veryareahasbeenthetargetoftheworstilltreatmentofanyandthishasbeenthemajorcontributing factortothecurrentpollutionsituationofEarth.Theredemptionandconsequentbiological maintenanceofthisareaisfarmoreimportantthananyotherpreservationissue. TheincreasingsalinityproblemofEarthsagriculturalareaisbutasideissuetotheilltreatmentofthis area.Theplantingoftreeswillnotsolvethissalinityproblem,unlesstheentireproductiveareabe
3

SeeA.dePodolinskyIntroductoryBDLecturesVolIphotospg81&82andOrganicBiodynamicOutlook.

plantedwithlosstopracticalagriculture.Increasedsalinityiscausedbycompactedsoilsofshallow rootsystem. Itisconventionallyacceptedthatittakesthousandsofyearstomakeonecentimeteroftopsoil. FortunatelythishasbeendisprovenbybiodynamicexperienceinAustralia4.Wehave,likewise,proven howsaltationceasesassoonasadeeprootsystemisestablished.Productivemixedpastureisthemost suitedtothispurpose. Once,theagriculturallyproductiveareaofEarthwashighinorganicmatter.Todaytheorganicmatter levelsareverylow.TheresultingincreaseofCOintheair,asamajorcontributoryfactortothecurrent (greenhouse)COproblemis,asyet,unrecognized. OnAustralianbiodynamicsoilsincreasesinorganicmatterfrom0.9%to11.4%havebeenregisteredin afewyearsinthetop4inchesandtotallyneworganicmatterlevelsweremeasuredtoadepthof40 inches.Theoverallcoratiointhesoilsincreasedfrom10to586tonnesperacre. EvenAustraliahasvirtuallyrunoutofsuitablefarmingareaswhichcouldbeopenedupandwouldbe cleanofpollutants.Theremaybesomeoutbacklandwhichcouldproduceoneortwo,newandclean, crops.Thiswouldcertainlynotbeorganicproduce,althoughfreeoffertilizersandchemicals.It wouldbeminedoutproduceandofshorttermagriculturalsustainability.Therearebutfew traditional,wellestablishedfarmingareas,wheresoilsaresorichthatsomefarmswerenever chemicallytreated.Fewofthesefarmshavereceivedthecareoldtimepeasantsgavetheirsoilsa certainamountofmininghasalsooccurredonthem.Butfarmerswhodidnotfallforchemicalson soilorstockareinafortunateposition. TherecentDieldrinepisodewasashock.TheDieldrinproblem,asothersofakind,waslongknown. Suddenlyitbecamefinanciallysignificant.Farmerscouldhalfshuttheireyesanddecidetoreduce chemicalspraysetc.Therearechemicalsinusenowwhicharepotentiallymuchmoredangerousthan DDT.Asyettherearenopracticablyeffectivedetectionmethodsforthese,buteventualdetectionmust beexpected. Thevastproblemofhowtoredeemdeadsoils,especiallyintheharshAustralianclimate,arises.There shouldbepotentialhelpforanyfarmofessentialproductivecapacity. Thebestmethodofagricultureismeaninglessunlessitisappropriatelypresentedtofarmers,and appropriatelyaccepted,andconsequentlypracticedbyframers. ExperienceindicatesthatatotalreeducationinFarmingisnecessary. Itisdifficulttoredeemabroadacrefarm,especiallyintheunreliableAustralianclimatebiological farmingrequireswatertheinexperiencednewmanhastoobtainaresultfromadeadsoil.Hecannot gobroke.Anexperiencedbiodynamicfarmerwouldachievemoresoilandplantdevelopmentinone yearthanmanyanewmaninthree.But,abeginningtherehastobe. Totallynewskillsandunderstandingofsoilcultivationhavetobebroughttoconsciousness.Likewise, everyaspectoferstwhilefarmingandgrazingpracticeshastobereconsidered.Newhusbandry,
4

VolISoilphotospg81&82

conducivetothemodernlabouracreagesituation,hastobeunderstoodsothatdeadsoilcanbe redeemedwithoutfinancialnetlosstothefarmer.Newequipmenthastobedevelopedtosuitspecial conditions. Artificialfertilizershavebrainwashedtobigisdesirable,themorefeedthemorenutrition. Orchardistsandmarketgardeners(lesssothemodernconsumer)lookforbigtreesandcabbages. Plantsareblownupbagsofsaltandwater5andquiteunhealthy.Untiltheyreturntotheirnatural shapetheycontinuetobesickandrequirechemicals. Newseedvarietieshavebeenbredtoproduceexactlysuchunnaturalplantgiants,requiringheavy fertilizationandchemicalinputstogrow.Andtherecentattemptsatgeneticbreedingasthesaviorof theprevailingproblemswillonlyfurthercompoundtheissue,evenifatemporaryrecessionofan isolatedproblemisachieved. Theredemptionofafarmisagradualprocesscoupledwiththeconsciousdevelopmentofthefarmer himself.Thereisnofoolproofchangeovermethodtonaturalfarmingperse.Farmershave,alike, beenbrainwashedtoeasycountersachemicalspraytoridplantsofapest,ortogetridofweedsin acrop.Weedsbecomeamajorproblemonsoilsoflowbiology.6 Therearenosucheasyandquickmethodsinnaturalfarming.Thefarmermustfindcouragetonewly perceive.Assoilandplanthealthgraduallyrise,pestsdolessdamage,sheepcopewithwormsetc.He mustfindcouragetoreducetheuseofchemicals,whichnegativelyaffectthenewsoillifeheistryingto develop. Agreatresponsibilitylieswiththosewhohaveexperienceinadvising.Thereisnostandardmethodto exactlysuiteveryfarm.Everyfarmerandfarmisdifferent.Insight,basedonexperience,isrequiredto advisesafelyandusefully.Taketheconventionalfarmerwhohashunghisfortuneontheadviceoffered overdecadesbyhisAgriculturedepartment.Amanunderbankpressureperhaps.Considerable courageisrequiredtostepoutofthissystemintotheapparentuncertaintyofnaturalfarming.Yet, successdependsoncourage.WehaveattimesrebuffedaBDapplicantanddonotadvocateBD.We giveeachfarmertheopportunitytothoroughlymakeuphisownmind.Thenthereisachanceforthe successwehaveregistered.Thisfarmercanthenmeettheveryconsiderabledemandmadeonthe convertingfarmer:anewandhigherprofessionalstandard. InBioDynamicsinAustraliawehavethelargestnaturallyfarmedareainanycountry.Wehave developedthenewlyrequiredskillstocommerciallyproducevirtuallyalltypesofproduceevencane sugarwithoutfertilizersandchemicals,anditcouldbestatedthat,ingeneral,thenetincomeofour farmersisatleastasgood,mostlybetter,thanthatofconventionalneighbours.Theyarehappier farmerstheyarenotusingpoisonstheyhaveahealthysoilbasedfutureonthefarmfortheir children. InDenmark,andnowalsoWestGermany,theGovernmentsubsidizesfarmerstoconverttoBio Dynamicorbiologicalfarming.ItisexpectedthattheEECfoodmountainwillthusreducebecauseof lowergrossproduction,alsothefoodwillcontainlessornochemicals.IntheAustraliansituation,the
5 6

LecturesI&IIVolIOrganicbiodynamicoutlook VolIIntroductoryBDLectures,lastlecture

AustralianGovernmentcannotbeexpectedtofundsuch,butitwouldcertainlybepreferabletoany furtherbountyonsuperphosphate. CurrentProblemsRelevanttoWiderDevelopmentofNaturalFarming. Governmentappointedmarketingboardsholdmonopolies.Earlieronwehadtobattlewiththemtobe permittedtomarketandexportbiodynamicproducts.Nowtheyareenteringtheexportmarketswe establishedattheveryconsiderablefinancialadvantageofupto$70or$80pertonwhichtheBoard retainsfromourpayment.Thegraintobeexportedbythemreportedlycomesfromrelativelynewly openedinlandcountrytheUS..,ourothermajorcompetitor,hasnosimilarBoard,theyarealsoahead onusfinanciallywithlowertransportcostsandlesswharfproblems. Someofthealternativeagriculturalorganizationstryingtoestablishtheirauthorityofficiallyareledby peoplequalifiedintheconventionalestablishments.Sometimestheytoolackhandsonfarming experience.Thedangerofanewbureaucracylooms.Forinstance,overkillintheestablishmentof standards. Notonealternativeorganization,includingIFOAM,has,todate,intheirstandardstherequirementthat theplantbefednaturallyviathesoilstructureroothumusorganization7.Plantscanbefedexcessively eveninanorganicsystem.Raworganicmanure,evengreenmanure,canbecomeavailabletoplants,as solubleNPK,directlythroughthewaterofthesoilwithoutfirstbeingbuiltintohumuscolloids.Only anexaminationoftherootsoilhumusstructureorganizationscanascertainwhethertheplantwasfed naturally.Thesunshoulddecreehowmuchthewhitefeederrootsabsorb8. Itwouldbegoodifexperiencednaturalfarmerstookamajorshareinguidingnaturalfarming organizations,andthatcommitted,practicalwholesalersandexecutivesofreputableconsumer organizations,assistedinthesupervisionofmarketing. Tobehopedfor:Redirectionofagriculturaleducation. Basiceducationinagriculturalscienceshouldbelessinstitutionalandmorefarmbasedandtakeplace underfullcommercialpressure,withcontinuousworkexperienceofstudentsonfarmsforatleastone year.Studentstohavechoiceofconventionalornaturallyfarmedproperties. CooperationbetweennaturalfarmingorganizationsandGovernmentestablishments. 1. Cooperationisanecessityandaresponsibility.Itwouldrequireopennessandrespectof achievement.
7 8

SeeA.dePodolinskyVolI1&2OrganicBiodynamicOutlook SeeA.dePodolinskyVolI1&2OrganicBiodynamicOutlook

2. Thereareareasofresearchtotallyoutofobservationofsystemstrainedwesternscientists. Naturalfarmingorganizationsshouldhaveaninputintoresearchdirection. 3. CooperationinEducation.Currently,studentsatAustralianAgriculturalCollegesenquiring afteralternativemethodsaretoldthatcommercialbroadacrefarmingisnotpossiblewithout useoffertilizersandchemicals.