Demeter's Bookshelf

Books about Biodynamic Farming

Monty Waldin’s Biodynamic Wine-Growing: Theory and Practice
Monty Waldin, Publisher Matthew Waldin
A comprehensive guide to Biodynamic winegrowing including composting, plant teas, and farming to the lunar cycles.  Written for professional growers and home gardeners alike.  Available on Amazon Books (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009B0QOY6/)

Agriculture Course: The Birth of the Biodynamic Method
Rudolf Steiner, Rudolf Steiner Press
While not for the feint of heart, this is a must read for anyone wanting to deepen their understanding of the heart behind Biodynamic agriculture.  We recommend reading this book with a group.

The Biodynamic Farm: Agriculture in the Service of the Earth and Humanity
Herbert Koeph, Ph.D., Anthroposophic Press
An essential reference book for farmers, students and anyone interested in Biodynamic agriculture.  Covers the basics of the biodynamic method with helpful details on animal feeding, crop rotations, diseases, pests, and fertilizing.

A Biodynamic Farm For Growing Wholesome Food
Hugh Lovel, Acres U.S.A.
Another basic primer that provides a great glossary of vocabulary, and has practical explanations of both the etheric realm and the mechanics of making this approach work on your farm on home garden.  This book is very easy to read.

The North American Biodynamic Sowing and Planting Calendar
Maria & Matthias Thun, Floris Books
The definitive biodynamic sowing and planting calendar showing the optimum days for sowing, pruning and harvesting various plant-crops and beekeeping.

Biodynamic Growing Guide
Brian Keats & Stefan Mager, Aracaria Guides (www.aracariaguides.com)
A laminated fold out that crams more information into 4 pages than you can imagine.  Simply describes considering nature from Goethe’s perspective, the cosmic rhythms, the sun and moon cycles, and the Biodynamic preparations.  A Biodynamic cheat sheet!

Flowforms: The Rhythmic Power of Water
John Wilkes, Floris Books
A wonderful, descriptive and visual treatise on the role of flowforms and their contribution to rhythm and flow in the water cycle.  A must read for Biodynamic farmers.

Look to the Land
Lord Northbourne, Sophia Perennis
Lord Northbourne wrote this book in 1938.  He developed one of the first ‘organic’ estates in England, run on the Biodynamic principles espoused by Rudolf Steiner.  Northbourne is given credit for coining the term “organic” from Steiner’s view of the farm as organism. This is a beautiful little book, a real valentine to farming.

Steiner Books

http://www.steinerbooks.org
Offers a really comprehensive selection of books by Rudolf Steiner and numerous other authors.  A lifetime of reading!

Other Interesting Reading

Honeybee Democracy
Thomas D. Seeley, Princeton University Press
Did you know that bee colonies are the ultimate example of democracy in action? This fascinating book presents an impressive exploration of animal behavior and a beautiful example that decision-making can best be accomplished in groups.   Honeybees definitely know something that our congress does not!

The Inner World Of Farm Animals: Their Amazing Social, Emotional, and Intellectual Capacities
Amy Hatkoff, Stewart, Tabori & Chang
Our barnyard friends are finally given their do in this darling and heartfelt book, filled with lots of great pictures.  Enough to make this farmer into a vegetarian (almost!)

Farming and the Fate of Wild Nature: Essays in Conservation-Based Agriculture
Edited by Daniel Imhoff and Jo Ann Baumgartner, Watershed Media
Beautiful essays by Wendell Berry, Barbara Kingsolver, Michael Pollan, Fred Kirschenmann, and more.  We really like this book because it underscores the potential of conservation-based agriculture to heal the planet.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
Barbara Kingsolver, Harper Perennial
After you get through this reading list, read this book as your reward!  A beautiful novel that reminds us that the road to happiness lies in living simply, eating food that we grow, and sharing our lives with the ones we love.