Wholesale Barefoot Biodynamics: Cows, Compost & Community. Book

Barefoot Biodynamics: How Cows, Compost, and Community Help Us Understand Rudolf Steiners Agriculture Course, by Jeff Poppen. 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. "An excellent read for all who want to understand the keys to growing nutrient-dense food."—Gabe Brown, author of Dirt to Soil; co-founder, Understanding Ag 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 “What a refreshing delight it is to read Jeff Poppen’s Barefoot Biodynamics. It is a heartfelt and matter-of-fact account of the journey of a human being, a farm, and a community during times of dramatic change in agriculture and the world at large. Especially impressive is the final chapter, in which Rudolf Steiner’s complex, and sometimes puzzling, Agriculture Course lectures and discussions are put into plain language alongside personal reflections by the author. This chapter alone is worth the purchase of the book. Simultaneously brilliant and humble: Well done, Jeff Poppen!”—Mark Shepard, author of Restoration Agriculture “As I read Jeff Poppen’s Barefoot Biodynamics, I could hear his laugh and picture his grin as he talked about the changes in language that have occurred in the past hundred years since Rudolf Steiner gave his lectures on agriculture. Jeff is the perfect person to make this ‘translation’ of Steiner’s concepts easy to understand.”—Elaine Ingham, founder, Soil Foodweb”