Speaker:  Sid Hazell     Biodynamic Agriculture Australia Ltd, Bellingen

Biodynamic Agriculture Australia will be attending our Bellingen Autumn Plant Fair on Saturday 11 March 2023, with an information stall and a talk on stage at 10am.

They will provide insights into growing using the biodynamic method, with practical demonstrations and handouts to get you started.

Generally speaking, conventional food growing is input dependent and entropic. This degrades or destroys critical fertility factors such as soil carbon, soil structure and soil food web viability. Such losses lead to lower food quality, less water holding capacity of soil, decreased plant species biodiversity, increased plant susceptibility to extremes of weather and climate, and greater risk of soil erosion. Chronic and acute effects on human and animal health are being steadily uncovered and evaluated.

When the biodynamic preparations and practices are applied properly in place of conventional inputs and practices, soil biology is enhanced, plants grow with greater resistance to disease, insect attack and climate extremes, and input costs are greatly reduced. A properly run biodynamic system is syntropic – it builds up complexity and produces much more energy than it consumes. Such a system is truly sustainable.  

For anyone inclined to take up biodynamic practice, there is a certain consciousness or attitude involved, summed up as follows:

the Earth as a sacred being, and food as a divine gift