By Jean-Paul Courtens

President, Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association

This letter is included in the upcoming Winter 2009 issue of Biodynamics. Copyright 2009, Jean-Paul Courtens.

By now you have likely heard that the Association is searching for a new executive director. This position will be a full-time staff person whose primary responsibility is to provide leadership and to manage the operation and growth of the Association. We believe the responsibility of the Association is to be a unifying voice for the biodynamic movement, and the executive director will be the "face" of this organization.

Our hope is to invigorate the Association with new energy and excitement. Our objective is clear: "to nurture the Biodynamic movement in North America through education, research, and development."

The new executive director will be responsible for carrying out board-approved goals and objectives, facilitating the work of staff, and operating the organization within the board-approved budget. The new director will primarily be responsible for program development, fundraising, communications, and financial management responsibilities. The board members understand that we are tasked with providing the new director with an environment that is conducive to the success of a revitalized Association.

While the initial selection of candidates is being performed by Chris Velez, Janet Gamble, and myself, the final selection will be made at our spring board retreat in Eugene, Oregon. The board recognizes that it is working on this decision without the advantage of representation from members of all the regions in the U.S. and Canada. During this board retreat we will also select new board members, as we aim to facilitate better representation of the regions. New board members are also needed to help the newly chosen director accomplish the important task of building the Association.

While the job posting for a new director may appear weighted toward the non-profit component of the job description, which might be misunderstood as impersonal, it reflects the need to create a clear outline for a productive and functional relationship between the board, the Association's members, the staff, and its director. Nonetheless, the essence of the job of both director and board member is to be found in the people who carry those responsibilities. It is in the humanness, the appreciation for common sense, and the absence of dogma that some of the core values of the Association are expressed.

This is a time to express the hope that all of us can recognize that, while we will not agree on everything, we can decide that there will not be a single issue that can divide us. The challenges of our time are too great and, although we can choose to waste our energy on futile arguments, agriculture is meanwhile subjugated by genetic manipulation and corporate dominion of our natural resources. While there are strong biodynamic regional groups in the U.S. and Canada, the Association as a unifying organization has not been as effective as possible in countering these destructive forces. The decision by the board to change course was necessary to bring about a cultural change in the way the Association operates and communicates our message.

There is a real significance in this situation: although the Association is faced with strong financial challenges, there is an opportunity to make a new beginning. We can reflect on a past history that, along with great accomplishments, has been hampered by personal divergence. We are proud of the many individual initiatives that currently represent the biodynamic movement, but we also acknowledge the failure to extend those local successes to strengthening of the national Association.

I am reminded here of the words of Rudolf Steiner in Awakening to Community, where he spoke of the failure of individuals active in anthroposophy to give the parent entity (the Society) what it needs in order to foster its entire offspring properly. Without your involvement, commitment, and financial support, the Association cannot be effective. Your support of the Association as the hub in the wheel of the biodynamic movement is critical for the growth of biodynamic agriculture. There is a dire need to speak with a unified voice to oppose the forces that try to marginalize our efforts.

In the introduction of the Christmas Conference, Rudolf Steiner spoke of the necessity for the Anthroposophical Society to set itself a genuine task, so that it can take its place as something, with its own identity, that exists beside the Anthroposophical Movement. He recognized that for the majority of members the Anthroposophical Society had not become a reality because it lacked a positive task that could arise out of a positive decision in the will. He stressed the importance of the Anthroposophical Society in setting a positive and effective task to win the respect of those on the outside. One can read with interest his emphasis on the need for humanness, the application of solid science, and the absence of dogma and sectarianism.

Biodynamic agriculture finds its place in the sustainable agriculture movement; our shared concern is for the future of this earth. While our mission is specific, as an organization we cannot achieve the advancement of biodynamic agriculture alone. Our new director will reach out to like-minded organizations that understand of our shared vision. The new director will also need to invigorate our efforts by including new and younger members, while honoring the accomplishments of the present generation. The need to approach the current environmental, financial, and social challenges with a fundamentally different perspective is greater than ever. The future of this earth belongs to our children. We can no longer understand the impending danger of genetic manipulation by the application of logic alone. Contextual science offers an understanding for these new technologies, without resorting to a fear of the unknown.

You can read and, yes, we are aware of this already: we are seeking an executive director who can feed the multitude with five loaves and two fish. We believe that it never hurts to aim high. We look forward to reporting our choice to you in April, and I humbly ask for your blessing and support in making the best decision.