Barefoot Biodynamics

How Cows, Compost, and Community Help Us Understand Rudolf Steiner’s Agriculture Course

De: Jeff Poppen

Narrado por: Madison Niederhauser

With decades of knowledge and proven, common-sense methods from “The Barefoot Farmer,” this practical guide to biodynamic principles and practices will appeal to growers of every scale and experience level.

In Barefoot Biodynamics, organic grower Jeff Poppen—“The Barefoot Farmer”—combines tales from his personal history in rural Tennessee with the practical applications of biodynamic principles and the deep aspects of the biodynamic methods that continue to make his farm a success today.

Jeff’s friendly, direct, and humorous writing will appeal not only to the biodynamic-curious, but also to farmers and gardeners who have experimented with the biodynamic approach and are looking for a deeper understanding of the practice.

Rooted in the teachings of biodynamic pioneer Rudolf Steiner, Jeff’s unique insights and deep reflections on “guiding lines” of biodynamic growing are an invaluable resource. Those “guiding lines” include:

• producing a farm’s fertility using cover crops, compost, and other on-farm inputs.
• enjoying the renewing power of farm festivals.
• augmenting scientific knowledge with the power of observation and intuition.
• avoiding chemical fertilizers.
• understanding that carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen make up 95 percent of the physical structure of plants and are freely available in the air around us.
• enhancing the availability of critical minerals such as silica and lime through good farming practices.
• building humus-rich soil teeming with microbial life.
• using homeopathic preparations to heal and enrich the soil.

In addition, Jeff walks the listener through the eight lectures on farming given by Steiner in 1924, summarizing important points from each lecture and “translating” them from Steiner’s profound yet sometimes impenetrable vocabulary into plain language. In Barefoot Biodynamics, Jeff provides new insight into these enigmatic lectures, revealing an often overlooked yet cost-effective farming method rooted in common sense.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2024 Jeff Poppen (P)2024 Chelsea Green Publishing

Beautiful and Easy to Comprehend

Such an easy book to wrap your mind around what can be a complex and abstract subject. The perfect amount of detail is provided and leaves you in a place to decide what aspects you will first dig into more. I'll be joining this year's Festival for sure!

Biodynamics from the farmer’s point of view.

The barefoot farmer is clearly a highly evolved soul blessed with a higher than average intelligence. It is a blessing that he has picked biodynamic farming to be one of his subjects he writes about. I was equally entertained and educated on the ancient and new way of growing things for the greater good of humanity. Well done.