Glen Atkinson: pioneer
Dr Rudolf Steiner's Agriculture course presents a real challenge to a reader. One always feels that another week of asking stupid questions to the great man and some clarity might emerge. "Please sir, didn't you say in lecture two ....." BD Max is a New Zealand company that has worked both with the theory and practice of Biodynamics. This particular understanding of theory is summarised in 'Spiral Astrology', and 'Biodynamics Decoded'. (I find it a very satisfying exposition.)
However, it is the practical innovations, based upon this theory, that are so encouraging. Using homoeopathically potentised biodynamic preparations to address specific issues such as frost, poor ripening, and even pest control, these have proven themselves both in the independent horticultural laboratory and in the hard-nosed industries based around growing.
An interesting development is that these homoeopathic versions of the preparations do not seem to radiate their effect. They seem to act where they land. This opens up the potential for trials in which controls play a meaningful part. Much BD research is intellectually inconclusive because isolation of single variables has not been possible due to the radiating effect of the 'classical' preparations. For instance when neighbouring farms are compared one can only gather together indications of differences. It may be that organic matter accumulates more in one farm under one system of management, when compared to the one next door under a different management system. But the difference between these two can not consist in just the management systems. One would need to do this in a latin squares of farms and enough of them so that statistical analysis is meaningful. Until intuition is allowed its correct role in research such research is contingent at best for the intellect.
But if one can spray one part of a tree with a BDMax spray and another part with water and observe the differences we are back into research procedures with which we are familiar. This is a significant development.
BDMax's formulae are based upon an interesting outlook. In the past BD efforts have been made to create a balanced farm organism. However commendable this ideal aim for a balanced farm is, it is not the situation of most holdings, and there are times (particularly with Global warming giving us fevers and chills) when even the most harmonious plot is going to experience extremes. Therefore, BDMax deal with the immediate issue - an invasion of birds, a late frost on delicate orchard blooms, a dull autumn leaving the fruit unripe on the vine - with one of their complementary-unbalanced formulae (BirdsCare, ThermoMax, and PhotoMax respectively) and, when the panic is over, they give (free!) the balanced formula (Etherics 1000/E1) to re-establish the harmony.
I was interested to discover that part of the genesis of the range of BDMax preparations included the developers taking the potentised drops themselves. This gave them a personal experience of the reciprical action of the spiritual bodies upon eachother. These human versions of the BDMax remedies are also available!