Posted on Jul 5, 2023
We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Paul Dolan on June 26, a stalwart advocate of Biodynamic agriculture for over 20 years and President of the Demeter USA Board of Directors from 2014-2018. Paul inspired and mentored many and will be missed. He also left an indelible positive legacy from his time leading Fetzer Winery, Dark Horse Vineyards, and Truett-Hurst Winery.
For over 30 years, Paul Dolan led the way in improving sustainability in the wine movement, including helping to create the "made with Organic grapes" market in the 1980s and 90s, becoming the first Chairman of the Wine Institute's Sustainable Winegrowers Alliance in 2002, and writing "True to Your Roots: Fermenting a Business Revolution," in 2003, arguing that, "it's time for business, one of the most powerful forces on earth, to become a positive source for change."...
Posted on Jun 23, 2023
The Biodynamic Demeter Alliance reached an important milestone in the evolution of our organization! Frederick Smith joined our team as the Director of Economic Development this June. Frederick comes to the organization with an MBA from UC Davis School of Management and over ten years of experience in sustainable food systems and economic development, including serving as the Executive Director of the Environmental Action Committee of West Marin, North Coast and Bay Area Coordinator for California Farmlink, and as a marketing and finance consultant for farmers, value-added food entrepreneurs, foundations, and nonprofits. He has also been supporting the Biodynamic Demeter Allianceʻs communications work for the last nine months, including managing the Allianceʻs social media and weekly e-newsletter and providing marketing and fundraising expertise.
Frederick will head up the...
Posted on Jun 13, 2023
“There’s no other type of agriculture as comprehensive as biodynamics.” “Biodynamics is a way I can create with all life around me towards healing”. “I appreciate the focus biodynamics brings to the care and development of all the beings on the farm, including the human being and the community.” These are some of the inspirations calling participants to join Biodynamic Demeter Alliance’s Biodynamic Foundations Farmer Training. A new cohort began in May, with 23 people hailing from across the US and Canada.
Each participant works on the ground with a mentor to get practical experience, forming relationships with the life of a place. We all gather together weekly via video conference for learning and community building sessions. In these spaces we meet to share experiences, questions, and encouragement.
We work with soil care, plant cultivation, animal health, and...
Posted on Mayo 31, 2023
From July 27 to 29 at the Quintessa Estate in Rutherford, Napa Valley, the biodynamic masterclass series known as Cambium will unfold for its seventh edition – and for the first time on U.S. soil. We invite you to reserve your seat on the Biodynamic Demeter Alliance website .
Over three days, international wine producers and leaders in biodynamic viticulture will gather for masterclasses and tastings, building community and conversation around biodynamic farming and wine. The series is enriched by three iconic Italian producers who will share their experiences and practices for building vineyard health and resilience on both large and small scales.
Founded by Italian agronomist and winemaker Adriano Zago, Cambium Formazione is an immersive forum offering guests access to biodynamic and organic producers and farmers worldwide. Previous masterclasses held in Piedmont,...
Posted on Mayo 23, 2023
For the last year, the staff and board of the Biodynamic Demeter Alliance have been working diligently to understand the role we can play in supporting and building the biodynamic community. How do we best support farmers? Businesses? Regional groups? How can regional groups support building a strong biodynamic movement? We are still learning.
Biodynamics can save the world. It’s true. If every farmer and gardener throughout the world grew food and fiber in a way that gave back more than was taken, cultivated fertility and biodiversity of the soil and saw each farm as a whole, interconnected organism, it would change our world.
If every home, business, and farm set aside 10 percent of the land for biodiversity, treated animals with compassion and respect, and perceived all who worked the land...
Posted on Mayo 5, 2023
As the source of our food, cradle of our communities, and root of local economies, land is vital to our individual and collective health and well-being. Yet every hour in the United States, roughly 150 acres of natural land and 40 acres of farmland are cleared, paved, and built upon—190 acres per hour! At the same time, the biggest challenge facing young farmers is land access, especially for young black and brown farmers. Increasing interest and pressure on land create the need for land-centric organizations that can work innovatively amid the rapid changes of our world today.
Living Lands Trust—originally Yggdrasil Land Foundational—was founded in 2000 as just such an organization. A 21st-century land trust, created in part to help serve the Biodynamic community and provide an example of how we might begin to move beyond the notion of land as property. Land as property...
Posted on Abr 18, 2023
(L-R: Tunis sheep, Carlton Farms ; flax harvest, Ekoboerderij de Lingeho ; Sekem cotton; Whispering Winds bamboo)
In November 2023, the Biodynamic Community will gather outside Denver, CO, to learn, share and envision what the next 100 years of Biodynamics might bring to people and our planet. More nourishing food? Healthier soil? Changing paradigms about our relationship to each other, nature, and the land? Fashion is one area that often gets overlooked, yet it is pivotal in our modern world. So what is the connection between Fashion and Biodynamics? Ask Arizona Muse, and she will tell you – everything.
“Everything we need, have, and use is grown in the soil,” Arizona says. “This includes the fiber and leather for our clothes, food for our kitchen, wood for our homes, and herbs for medicine.” As someone who...
