Hunter Biodynamic Group in Anambah | Agricultural cooperative

Hunter Biodynamic Group

Locality: Anambah

Phone: +61 456 572 155

Address: 131 Anambah Road 2320 Anambah, NSW, Australia

Website: http://www.hunterbiodynamic.org.au

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24.01.2022 As mentioned earlier Hamish presented an eulogy at the service on Friday and I have included it as a blog post on the website. https://hunterbiodynamic.org.au/blog

23.01.2022 Life begets life.

21.01.2022 Australias top Winery is Biodynamic, of course!

21.01.2022 https://www.stuff.co.nz//steiner-school-near-nelson-gets-s

21.01.2022 Hunter Biodynamic Group End of Year Christmas Gathering 2020 Enjoy renewing and building friendships and hearing guest speaker Brian Keats,... author of the Antipodean Astro calendar Place Hunter Region Botanic Gardens Date Saturday 5th December 2020 Time 12.30PM for picnic lunch followed by Brian , and optional garden walking This will be an opportunity to purchase the 2021 Astro Calendar (Check out Brians’ website at www.astro-calendar.com) Bring individual picnic lunch, cup, plate & utensils $3 for Entry and $25 for Astro calendar (members) Hot water, tea and coffee and cherries will be supplied . Seating is all undercover, so weather is no issue for the day. RSVP Essential , please stay home if you are unwell on the day Book in by Eventbrite free event for members https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-astro-calendar-with-brian- from 1st Nov. Enquiries: Mark 0456 572 155 or [email protected] Looking forward to seeing as many members, family and friends as can make it for shared stories of our 2020 year and Brian’s wisdom in this community created setting among Nature Directions and general guidelines for the gardens (Further info at www.huntergardens.org.au/) Directions from south side of the river: Cross Hunter River at Hexham Travel 2 km north along Pacific Highway, past the Tomago turnoff & Old Punt Rd. A turning lane signals Entrance to the Gardens on the right. Follow Hunter Biodynamic Group signs for parking once in the gardens. Please bring change for the $3 entry fee. NO SMOKING and NO PETS at the Gardens, wildlife take priority Toilets are located both in the Visitor Centre and Behind the Visitor Centre. For those who would like to use repellant for the mosquitos some is at the venue entry If the weather is warm/hot there are a few critters about. (Snakes, Goannas, and Lizards). If unhindered they will wander off. But please make sure parents are in supervision of children and they don’t go off the paved or grassed areas. There will also be Covidsafe considerations

20.01.2022 A message from Shabari Bird - My darling husband Hugh Lovel suffered a massive stroke on Monday and he is dying, yet not leaving us. If you knew him and want to tell him please ask to become a member of Hugh Lovel Tribute page. Prayers are welcome. Here is how Rudolf Steiner described the dying process:

20.01.2022 Herb Garden Makeover September 2020. New hessian fence ready for the AGM and Field Day this Saturday 19th September 2020. Remember for the AGM during Covid that you must stay away if unwell or if you have been compromised in any way.

20.01.2022 Well worth twenty minutes of your time - especially treatment of 508. Hugh has recently passed but his work lives on at the Josephine Porter Institute in USA.

20.01.2022 https://www.youtube.com/watch

18.01.2022 Please remember if you wish to gather for group activities on any Thursday that Purple Pear Farm is a covid safe venue. We need to know that you intend to come so numbers can be managed. If you are unwell or if you have been in contact with someone from overseas or a hotspot PLEASE stay away. Keep distance, consider a mask and be aware of touching hard surfaces unnecessarily. There is plenty to get involved in with maintenance of the herb garden, access the library, chat and catch up.

17.01.2022 Calling all young horticulture and agriculture students in the Hunter! We have a wonderful opportunity for you As part of the Ernest Hardes Memorial Scholars...hip, Hunter Organic Growers Society and Slow Food Hunter Valley are offering students aged between 18 and 30 the experience of a lifetime to learn from some of the best about sustainable farming using organic and permaculture practices. As part of this scholarship two recipients will receive: $2000.00 to spend towards courses with a choice of organic farming, permaculture & bee keeping courses at Purple Pear Farm, Limestone Permaculture, and/or Urban Hum. 2 days "on the farm" mentoring at Little Hill Farm a private tour of Limestone Permaculture a 2 year membership to both Hunter Organic Growers Society and Slow Food Hunter Valley Applications are closing soon on 31st July 2020 and for more information including terms and conditions, please go to: https://www.hunterorganicgrowerssociety.org.au/scholarship Please share this wonderful opportunity to help support young growers in the Hunter Region

17.01.2022 Not exactly biodynamic but Gaia is important in the workings of nature and that is where we live.

17.01.2022 Here is the importance in a right mindset for the biodynamic practices. Magic must respect the right usage.

16.01.2022 plants appear as distinct specimens above ground, but below ground their roots fuse and are indistinguishable from one another.

16.01.2022 A long read but worth it from Hugh Lovel. Climate Change is ever on my mind.. Farmers share much responsibility for global warming. Plowing, discing and the use of salty fertilizersespecially urea, nitrates and anhydrous ammoniahas taken our topsoils from 10% organic matter down to 1.5%. Over millions of acres this has meant a lot of carbon going up in the air. Plus the amount of time the soil stays bare reduces the capture of carbon. Plus the millions of tons of pesticides...Continue reading

16.01.2022 We have just posted a report by Shane Martin on Horn Clay on the blog. Why not check it out? http://hunterbiodynamic.org.au

15.01.2022 The passing of Life Member , Mary Sievers. At six am yesterday Mary passed. Many will know or have heard about the influence Mary's partner Charlie had on the formation of the group and his influence generally on the development of biodynamics in the Hunter Valley. I was not fortunate to have known Charlie at all though I have read the books he produced on application of biodynamics and the work on the political "Living Earth Party". We were however very fortunate to spend ti...me with Mary prior to her move to Queensland more than 10 years ago.Mary would visit us at Purple Pear Farm and at times stay overnight. I remember one story she told of how she had to roll and light cigarettes for Charlie when he was stirring Horn Manure BD500. Most amazing was a story of how Mary and another young lady were invited to work with Charlie to see which was the better worker that he would marry. Mary was chosen and she was pleased with the decision I believe. We were hosting larger groups at Purple Pear Farm and on one visit to her home in Moresett Mary said she had something we needed and brought out a large teapot that the group used in the earliest days of Biodynamics and the Lining Earth Party. We cherish that pot to this day and we were talking about it just a few days ago and about how it came to be at the farm. Mary - even then - was preparing for the passing and I am told that the time in the end was peaceful and felt right and I believe that her beliefs would help the passing without doubt. Please hold Mary in your thoughts at this time and for those who knew her or knew of her, we invite you to offer reflections on a life well lived in the service of us all. -- Regards Mark Brown for Hunter Biodynamic Group

15.01.2022 Yesterday we attended the funeral of our great friend, mentor and teacher. Many BD practitioners were in attendance along with family and the wider community - a testament to the contributions John has made in a life well lived. The eulogy was written by Hamish Mackay and read by Bishop Brian Farran, retired Bishop of Newcastle.

14.01.2022 "You only see the world aright if you see it as being neither materialistic nor idealistic,

14.01.2022 #Regenerative and #Biodynamic farming. 3 min video from Kiss The Ground

13.01.2022 We are sad to report the passing of friend and inspirational Biodynamic personality Hugh Lovel pictured here in Cairns. Hugh lived between USA and Australia fo...r many years. He was a popular teacher, conference speaker, author and a favourite dinner partner and conversationalist. Hugh always had a sunny outlook and a fascinating story to tell, he was always willing to give more. Hugh has left behind a huge legacy of imparted knowledge and inspiration, and many enduring friendships. A half a dozen organic meals filled with conversation and laughter will be in my memory for ever. Thanks mate for your conviviality and companionship. Tim Marshall

13.01.2022 (The) idea that there is a boilerplate biodynamics that can exist as a cut-and-paste method is utterly impossible.

12.01.2022 "We will investigate the spirit with processes of the human mind that are still unknown today, or at least unpopular with most people. "

12.01.2022 Set to the earth - BD504 Nettle Prep 5 large and 1 small terracotta pipes.

11.01.2022 A lot of times, weeds just make us mad cause theyre there, and we didnt give them permission! But often when people ask me how to get rid of a weed I ask, ...what problem is it causing, and the Answer is: well.... ITS THERE! Native almost everywhere its a problem, horesetail is a common villain on gardens and farms in Europe and North America. But really, this edible plant is usually there because either the soil is very young sandy soil, or in gardens, it means theres a surface or subsoil drainage issue. And so its the only thing that can thrive. But by thriving it greatly improves the situation of drainage, which was usually caused by plowpan and tilling. Thus the species may pioneer and thrive in early succession, but eventually comes into balance as it improves the ecosystem. A lot of weeds work that way thriving in a disturbance, then coming into balance as they repair the damage. Now, Im not saying to plant it in your garden, or to not remove a few specimens to keep it from getting established, but, in a lot of cases the horestail is actually there working for you like a cover crop. If theres no problem, theres no problem. If the problem is its causing a reduction in useful biodiversity, then try to solve it by ADDING more biodiversity, not trying to subtract this one species. Depending on the soil and other circumstances, mints often thrive on soil with poor drainage, too, incuding including Monarda Didyma, or on dryer sites,Monarda fistulosa might work, along with oregano. If theres enough water, cup plant or brambles may thrive and outcompete horsetail. If the problem is its interfering with conventional tillage agriculture, then the problem isnt the horsetail, its the damage from poor agricultural techniques. If the weed problem is that natural succession is an affront to our sensibilities, then we should consider that the problem is possibly our sensibilities, not nature. I helped one client who was illegally pouring herbicide directly into a sensitive wetland because she was so mad this native plant had the audacity to grow where it didnt belong! A lot of times Permaculture designers are like therapists for ecological anxiety disorder. When I was a kid, somebody built an artificial sand dune on our farm block (I have no idea how, or why,) and as a kid I considered it my own personal Sahara. Within a couple years, a big corner become filled with horsetail, which to kid eyes ruined the purity of the dune. But I came to love this weird plant! So a few years later, I was sad to see other plants invading the purity of the horsetail! By the time I was a teenager, horsetail had colonized the last parts of the artificial dune, and the original patch had been almost completely replaced. It had done its job and moved on to less green pastures.

11.01.2022 Star & Furrow Back Issues Online You can read our online archive of recent past issues here for free. Currently these go back to Winter 2009 when we started digital printing. To get the most recent editions, you need to join as a member, or buy copies in our shop. Star & Furrow itself goes way back to the 1950s, and we have a long term project to digitise all these old print issues too, and make them available in due course.

10.01.2022 Date for AGM set

09.01.2022 We have half a year here in the Hunter Valley to get stag bladders and yarrow flowers ready. Who wants to help on preps day at the end of Spring?

08.01.2022 "Biodynamic Farming is a holistic, ethical, and ecological approach to food production that is rooted in the philosophical and scientific work of Dr. Rudolf Steiner. Everything used on a #biodynamic farm is created on the farm, and even mundane farm chores are synchronized with planetary movement. To its proponents, its also a vitally important step in healing our planet." words from JPI. ( 6 minutes )

08.01.2022 High School Scholarships are open. Feel free to share, thanks.

07.01.2022 "we can also BUILD new soils faster than ever."

07.01.2022 Celebrating Landcare week. More than ever we need Landcare to improve our environment, nurture habitat and save our native flora and fauna.

07.01.2022 Here is an interesting read - I have not finished it yet so I park it here for later. It’s the 2020 Fall Equinox and Merry Prepstir time Evening of Monday, September 21 (Water) BD #500 Morning of Tuesday, September 22 (Water) BD #501...Continue reading

05.01.2022 Making BD504 Nettle Preparation. Evelyn brought some nettle she had picked so we made 504 to go into the earth this evening. ...more with each pic.

05.01.2022 Regenerative Agriculture - what is it?

03.01.2022 Here is a piece I read in Biodynamic Community that was contributed by Rand Carter and makes good reading - I hope you agree. Biodynamics is the oldest form of organized organic farming. Biodynamic cultivation is based on an expanded view of nature, which takes into account the complexity of the natural kingdoms. It focuses on creating the conditions for optimal soil, plant, and animal health, providing balanced nutrition, and supporting healthy immunity. It actively restor...Continue reading

03.01.2022 Here is an interesting read - I have not finished it yet so I park it here for later. Its the 2020 Fall Equinox and Merry Prepstir time Evening of Monday, September 21 (Water) BD #500 Morning of Tuesday, September 22 (Water) BD #501...Continue reading

02.01.2022 A work in progress!

01.01.2022 https://www.biodynamic.org.uk//BIODYNAMIC.PREP_.MANUAL..pdf

01.01.2022 Shane mentioned this in an email - here it is in case you missed it.