At the beginning of the preceding century German chemist Fritz Haber discovered how to “fix” nitrogen, paving the way for the development of modern explosives and chemical fertilizers at the same time. For all their early promise, those fertilizers wreaked havoc on soil and livestock leading a group of farmers in 1924 to approach the father of Anthroposophy (as well as the Waldorf School system, and eurhythmics) Rudolf Steiner for advice ( Steiner was also appointed Acting Grand Master General for Germany of the Rite of Misraim by Theodore Reuss) Steiner’ response was a series of lectures spelling out the the farming techniques of “biodynamics.”
The core of this strategm is that a farm ideally is a polyculture — a variede assortment of plants and animals surrounded by a zone of uncultivated land. The farm should operate as a self-contained ecosystem, with little or no materials imported from outside. The wild zone surrounding it promtoes plant diversity and predators (to prey on pests).
While American agriculture overall has developed in total opposition to these principles, there are some rebels seeking to pursue and promote this sort of farming.
Here are some articles on the use of Biodynamics and the vineyard.
http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/biodynamics-the-next-trend
A list of vineyards and wineries that practice Biodynamics – http://www.forkandbottle.com/wine/biodynamic_producers.htm
