History

• The principles of bio-dynamic farming and composting were brought to the United States in the 1930s by Dr. Steiner's colleague, Dr. Ehrenfried Pfeiffer. In 1938 the Association of Biodynamic Farming and Gardening was founded.
  
  

Bio-Dynamic Farming

• Bio-dynamic farming considers the soil, the farm and the garden as living organisms that require maintenance to sustain life for future generations. The idea that the life of the soil is to be preserved and maintained is a fundamental principle of this approach to agriculture.
  
  

Composting

• Composting is the means by which the soil is maintained and preserved. Bio-dynamic composting is a specialized process that utilizes farm manure and composting preparations inserted into compost heaps to speed the fermentation process.
  
  

Compost Preparations

• The bio-dynamic method of composting consists of bio-dynamic (BD) preparations numbered 500 through 507, which are made of manure, powdered quartz and several medicinal herbs. These herbs act like yeast in a bread dough, speeding up the decomposition of organic materials into a colloidal humus.
  
  

Advancements

• Dr. Pfeiffer's research in bio-dynamic composting resulted in the development of a bio-dynamic compost inoculant called BD Compost Starter®, which incorporates all of the BD preparations. This inoculant is used by many bio-dynamic farmers and gardeners because it is easy to apply to the compost pile as it is being built.