Wisdom distilled from a quarter century of biodynamic growing

GUEST: John Hodgkinson – experienced biodynamic grower and multi-talented volunteer with Biodynamics Agriculture Australia Ltd.

Introduction to this episode:

‘My guest on this episode of the series, John Hodgkinson, is a highly experienced and knowledgeable biodynamic grower who first encountered biodynamic methods in the mid-1990s and started using them on an existing 40 hectare farm he then owned and ran. So impressed was he with early results that he launched  into full-scale adoption of the biodynamic method on his property.

After selling his farm in 2005 John moved to Bellingen NSW and has kept very busy with biodynamics ever since. He maintains his own container garden, has managed numerous rental gardens and he helped develop a veggie garden just outside of the town which supplied bunched salad varieties to a weekly grower’s market stall. John is also member and active volunteer with Biodynamic Agriculture Australia Ltd. which is headquartered in Bellingen. His work for the organisation has included making biodynamic preparations as well as editing and contributing to the News Leaf journal and performing an advisory and educational role.

A written account of John's biodynamic growing experiences is contained in a companion text profile booklet of all the guests interviewed for this podcast series. Also entitled ‘Stories of our Biodynamic Farmers and Gardeners in Australia' details of this written publication are available from the Biodynamics Agriculture Australia Ltd. website. 

INTERVIEW TALKING POINTS  - with approximate time elapsed in mins.

• Guest foreshadow comment  - 0.00
• Generic podcast series introduction. – 0.30
• This episode introduction – 2.03
• Guest self-introduction – 3.51
• How would you describe biodynamics in 2023  – 10.54
• How do biodynamics contrast to more conventional agriculture – 16.42
• How did you first become involved with biodynamic growing in the first place? – 23.12
• Can you tell us more about your biodynamic work and its beneficial impacts? – 32.07
• including on you personally – 40.13 
• with  comments on  the spiritual/cosmic aspects of biodynamics? 
• What are some of the challenges you have faced on your biodynamic journey? – 57.57
• What does the future hold for your work? - 1.02.50

• Guest take home message and biodynamic advice to listeners– 1.06.14
• Thanks, acknowledgements and episode close. – 1.07:56
• End of episode – 1.09:54 
•                                               GUEST AND CONTACT DETAILS:

Guest: John Hodgkinson, Biodynamic Agriculture Australia Ltd, Bellingen NSW.

Householders’ Options to Protect the Environment (HOPE) Inc.(Australia)

Tel: 07 4639 2135  Email  WEB  Facebook

Biodynamic Agriculture Australia Ltd.

25 Nobles Lane, BELLINGEN, NSW 2454,Australia

Tel: 02 6655 0566  Email  WEB  Facebook

Production:

 Produced for HOPE by Andrew Nicholson. This episode recorded in Toowoomba, S.E. Queensland, Australia on 11th October 2023

Interview questions developed by: Anna Kula-Kaczmarski  Incidental Music: James Nicholson

BFGA podcast series -  brief survey (2 – 5 minute) completion

The Stories of our Biodynamic Farmers and Gardeners podcast series was produced for Biodynamic Agriculture Australia Ltd. And out short listener survey is available now on Survey Monkey. It consists of simple questions which should take less than five minutes to complete.

The survey has been created to encourage our audience to give more feedback than is usually generated via podcast app rating scores and comments. We value any ideas, insights or comments listeners might have which could help us develop possible future podcast offerings. All feedback received will be treated as anonymous data and will only be used for the strict purpose of helping us better design possible future podcast media.

The survey is available at this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/7HNFFBQ

RESORCES MENTIONED IN INTERVIEW OR RELEVANT TO THE DISCUSSION:

Anthroposophy: for an introduction to some key ideas such as spiritual science see the Anthroposophical Society in Australia website (2023)

Thomas Berry: The Great Work Our Way Into the Future (2011 edition) Google Books listing and preview

GUEST’S SPECIFIC BOOK INFLUENCES AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Rachel Carson: Silent Spring (book published 1962) – extensive background on this and other popular scientific work and scholarship by Carson.

The Findhorn Garden Story: (2008 edition) Google Books listing and preview

Peter Tompkins, Christopher Bird, William Thomas: Secrets of the Soil New Solutions for Restoring Our Planet (1998 edition) see Google Books listing

Also by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird:

The Secret Life of Plants: A Fascinating Account of the Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Relations Between Plants and Man also by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird (1973) see 2018 edition preview on Google Books listing

OTHER INFORMATION AND RESOURCES

Dowsing – for an introduction to concepts and practices see the Dowsing Society of Victoria Inc. and Dowsers Society of New South Wales Inc.

Masaru Emoto: researcher on water energies for example see The Secret Life of Water (2011) Google Books listing and preview

Robin Wall Kimmerer: Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge (2020 edition) Google Books listing and preview

Charles Massey: Call of the Reed Warbler: A new Agriculture a New Earth (2020 edition) Google Books. listing

Peppering for pest control in biodynamic growing – webinar handout (2020 from My Food Garden.

Rudolf Steiner:

The Agriculture Course Lectures (1924) – originally delivered in June 1924 and available in English translation on the Steiner Archives Website.

Recent research paper (J. Paull, University of Tasmania, 2020) offering a brief overview of the historical significance of the Steiner lectures, with a timeline of their various language translation dates. 

A range of quotes attributed to Rudolf Steiner

GUEST PERSONAL INFLUENCES MENTIONED IN INTERVIEW

Robyn Francis: Australian permaculture pioneer

Shane Joyce: article on his farming approach with details of biodynamic teabag preparation (2012)  

Bill Mollison: (1928 – 2016) – Wikipedia biography

PROFESSIONAL ORGANISATIONS SUPPORTING BIODYNAMIC GROWING IN AUSTRALIA

Biodynamic Agriculture Australia Ltd. is one of the peak bodies supporting biodynamic practice in this country and it financed this podcast series. The organisation website offers a wide range of products for sale to ‘home gardeners and farmers including soil activators, kits for home gardens and compost making, specialised pastes and liquid blends. These products are made in Australia ensuring the highest quality and shipped nationwide wide.’ The organisation website contains links to information on training workshops, educational text and video resources on biodynamics. There is also a free e Newsletter available via the website.

Their Biodynamics Handbook comes free with membership of Biodynamic Agriculture Australia Ltd. Or can be purchased separately at modest cost.  The organisation’s News Leaf Journal is a quarterly paid subscription publication that covers issues on biodynamic agriculture and farming both locally and internationally.

Other organisations in this space include Biodynamic Agricultural Association of Australia and Australian Demeter Biodynamics

And see: Alex Podolinsky: Bio Dynamics, Agriculture of the Future lecture (2000) pdf. available online

OTHER PODCAST SERIES - containing material relevant to biodynamics and regenerative agriculture.

•  The Regenarration podcast with Anthony James (produced in Australia)
• The Regenerative Journey with Charlie Arnott (produced in Australia )
• The Regenerative Agriculture podcast with John Kempf (produced in USA)