The Biodynamic Association (formerly the Biodynamic Farming & Gardening Association, then the North American Biodynamic Association) is a
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
-based company that promotes
Biodynamic agriculture
Biodynamic agriculture is a form of alternative agriculture based on pseudo-scientific and esoteric concepts initially developed in 1924 by Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925). It was the first of the organic farming movements. It treats soil fertility, ...
system through educational and research programs and has headquarters in
Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...
,
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
.
History
Biodynamic agriculture was inaugurated in 1924 by Austrian scientist
Rudolf Steiner
Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner (27 or 25 February 1861 – 30 March 1925) was an Austrian occultist, social reformer, architect, esotericist, and claimed clairvoyant. Steiner gained initial recognition at the end of the nineteenth century as a ...
.
It is the oldest, non-chemical agricultural movement and pre-dates organic agriculture by some twenty years. Beginning in 1926, American farmers and gardeners joined the effort to test and promulgate Steiner's agricultural ideas.
[Paull, John (2019]
The Pioneers of Biodynamics in USA: The Early Milestones of Organic Agriculture in the United States
American Journal of Environment and Sustainable Development, 6(2):89-94. By 1938 there were 39 Americans who had joined this international effort, with some reading Steiner's work in the English translation and others in the German original.
[Paull, John (2019]
The Pioneers of Biodynamics in USA: The Early Milestones of Organic Agriculture in the United States
American Journal of Environment and Sustainable Development, 6(2):89-94.
The Association was formed in 1938 in
New York state
New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...
with the support of
Ehrenfried Pfeiffer
Ehrenfried Pfeiffer (19 February 1899 – 30 November 1961) was a German scientist, soil scientist, leading advocate of biodynamic agriculture, anthroposophist and student of Rudolf Steiner.
Life
Ehrenfried Pfeiffer began work with Rudolf St ...
, a disciple of
Rudolf Steiner
Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner (27 or 25 February 1861 – 30 March 1925) was an Austrian occultist, social reformer, architect, esotericist, and claimed clairvoyant. Steiner gained initial recognition at the end of the nineteenth century as a ...
, when he immigrated to the U.S. It is organized as a
501(c)(3)
A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 50 ...
non-profit organization
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
.
Purpose
The Association is a non-profit, membership organization and is open to the public. It has an educational focus and conducts conferences, workshops and seminars; publishes books and a quarterly journal, ''Biodynamics''; and supports regional, grass-roots membership groups. It provides several booklets with specific instructions on biodynamic methods, including the biodynamic preparations and composting.
[Steve Diver, ''Biodynamic Farming & Compost Preparation'', Alternative Farming Systems Guide: ATTRA, February 1999]
Document text
See also
*
Wild Farm Alliance
The Wild Farm Alliance (WFA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing biodiversity by expanding the idea and practice of wild farming.
Rooted in Watsonville, the heart of central California's agricultural lands, the WFA was founded ...
*
Electrical energy efficiency on United States farms Electrical energy efficiency on United States farms covers the use of electricity on farms and the methods and incentives for improving the efficiency of that use.
U.S. farms have almost doubled their average energy efficiency over the past 25 ye ...
References
External links
*
Anthroposophy
Organic farming organizations
Agricultural organizations based in the United States
Organic farming in the United States
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