Biodynamic farming keeps farming pure and simple
Just east of Loveland Colorado, Lawrence and Ursula Holmes are living the simple life on a community based biodynamic farm.
And they’re not alone.
According to the The Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association, there are 24 regional biodynamic farming groups in the U.S., and the farming methods are practiced in over 50 countries.
If you’re not familiar with biodynamic farming, the BDFGA defines it as:
Essentially, biodynamic farming and gardening looks upon the soil and the farm as living organisms. It regards maintenance and furtherance of soil life as a basic necessity if the soil is to be preserved for generations, and it regards the farm as being true to its essential nature if it can be conceived of as a kind of individual entity in itself — a self-contained individuality. It begins with the ideal concept of the necessary self-containedness of the farm and works with furthering the life of the soil as a primary means by which a farm can become a kind of individuality that progresses and evolves.
The maintenance of soil life is vital also in order to protect the soil from erosion and to create, improve, and augment the humus content. The result will be a fine, crumbly structure containing the necessary organic colloids. This leads to the production of high-quality crops, which in turn means better feed for livestock and better food for human beings.
This is such a great use of resources in my mind. It’s truly being a good steward of what you’ve been given care of.
In addition to being good stewards of the land, the Cresset Community Farm is being a good steward of their community.
Cresset Community Farm (CCF) is a biodynamic farm located beside the Big Thompson River six miles east of Loveland, Colorado, with a beautiful view of the Rock Mountains. The non-profit Cresset Farm Development Initiative (CFDI) is the steward of the land and supports educational, cultural, therapeutic, and social activities centered in farm life. The farmers are Ursula and Lawrence Holmes…
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a partnership between a local farm and it’s members. The farm and farmers provide local, healthy, farm-fresh food and farm experiences. Members support the farm through their commitment to buy a share of the harvest, thereby creating a market for the farm’s produce. The larger community benefits from the preservation of farmland that protects the environment in a way that is economically sustainable.
A share is a portion of the weekly vegetable harvest. One share of vegetables is intended to feed 2 adults. The summer share begins in July and the winter share begins in November. Each runs for eighteen weeks. Members near each pickup location form their own driving co-op to pick up their produce. – cressetcommunityfarm.com
While the Cresset Community Farm has over 120 acres, I wonder how sustainable this practice would be in smaller urban gardens as well – perhaps in an acre or less. Could the same practices be put in place with chickens or goats or possibly partnerships from livestock farmers outside the urban area?
Has anyone seen this put into practice on a smaller scale like this? We’d love to hear your stories and experiences — share them in the comments below.
Additional reading:
The Coloradoan has a great audio slideshow talking about the community farm in Northern Colorado.
And you can find out more about the Cresset Community Farm at www.cressetcommunityfarm.com
Or find out more about biodynamic farming at http://www.biodynamics.com/biodynamics
Wikipedia also offers a list of biodynamic farms in the US.
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