By Zachary Krebs
There was some tension in the air as my family got ready to depart for our visit to the Oregon Biodynamic Group’s Spring Open House on Sunday, April 13th. We didn’t have a brown bag lunch ready, the car’s gas tank hadn’t been filled up, and I couldn’t find the materials I needed to set out on one of the welcome tables. I wanted to truly be in the best place possible to connect with folks I care about.
Fortunately, as we started driving further into the countryside and nearer to Monitore Estate, a sense of peace and relaxation swept over me — finally, we were getting out of the city and dropping into a beautiful day in nature with friends. It's easy to forget how nourishing the meeting of biodynamic folks can be, as we get habituated to the realities of our day-to-day material labors. But I knew somewhere inside my heart that this event would put me back into a good place. Touching the soil, listening to lectures and activating my curious mind, and seeing old friends was the remedy I didn’t know I needed.
Shortly after arriving and checking out the epic collection of Biodynamics journals from the past, I was able to greet many members of the Oregon Biodynamic Group. I also had the chance to say hello to a friend that I hadn’t seen in many years, who keeps seed sharing and revolutionary ecological thinking alive in Cottage Grove, Oregon. Many wonderful conversations happened over the course of our lunch, which preceded the scheduled lectures.
My mother, girlfriend Rebecca, and I sat in the back next to another long-time friend and soaked up the content of the lectures as much as we could. The topics included an introduction to biodynamics, animal husbandry, the biodynamic calendars, and the foundations of the preparations. I always strive to remember as much as possible by repeating the key points over and over in my mind — fully knowing it is futile to preserve too much intellectual knowledge. I was getting excited to go outside again and try building a compost pile with the preps added. Learning through doing, while scary sometimes when the topic is new or unexplored, can be quite effective. As tough as leaving the tasting room at Montinore would be, I knew we’d be back shortly after we finished. After all, my mom wasn’t going to go home without getting to try at least a little bit of Biodynamic® wine!
Next, we made our way over to Noah Marquis’s small farm, Dilley Commons. We received a wonderful overview of how to prepare a compost pile, and then got going. We added preparations to both an entirely new pile and a previously finished pile. Rebecca was happy to stir her first prep (valerian) into a bucket, and found out quickly how much effort that involved! There were smiles all around as everyone got time to engage in the work and also share stories and information.
As we piled up each layer of the compost pile again and again, it started to become apparent how much group effort speeds up the process. Everything and everyone started to find their place, and it became almost effortless to finish the process. Once the preps were added to the pile, they would start slowly introducing themselves and then eventually to the entire farm organism. The frustrations of living a material and separated life within the city limits seemed to disappear from my mind bit by bit.
With dirty hands and a smile, we finished up the pile building and concluded the event. Some of us went back to the tasting room at Montinore to get a final taste of the land. As I was packing up the materials I brought to the event and saying my goodbyes, I had a sincere desire to return to this place and with the people I met, to continue our work in promoting the growth and connections of this wonderful community.
A big thank you to the Oregon Biodynamic Group and Montinore Estate for putting together this wonderful event!
Zachary is Co-Director of the Biodynamic Association. He has worked in various roles as a contractor and then as an employee with the Biodynamic Association for 13 years, holding roles in website development, technology management, and human resources. As Co-Director, Zachary is responsible for operations with the goal of continuing the past decade of pivotal work in expanding access to biodynamic information and techniques in the world. Zachary first became interested in biodynamic agriculture while participating with the Red Earth Descendants community garden in Ashland, OR. Shortly after that he began working with the Association as a website and programming consultant. Alongside this journey into biodynamics, Zachary is a father and a dedicated full-time nerd. He is a graduate of the University of the People’s Health Science program focused on community health, and a graduate of POCA Tech, an acupuncture program focused on increasing healthcare access to underserved populations. At the end of the day, he wants to see human and environmental health increase and hopes to be a positive voice in regenerating our bodies, spirits, and environments for future generations.