History of Demeter Bio-dynamic

The beginnings

The beginnings of Demeter Bio-dynamic go back to 1924 in Austria.

Then Rudolph Steiner gave a series of eight lectures introducing the fundamental principles of a new organic agriculture method. These lectures were developed following the concerns expressed by a group of property owners. The fundamental principles were developed into what we now call Biodynamics.

Rudolph Steiner asked at the time a young scientist, Ehrenfried Preiffer to determine the most effective method of making each preparations and how to apply them.  At that point there was no one with the capacity to develop the overall sustainable farming method to insure soil building and plant structuring power of the biodynamic preparations.

In the early 1950s Alex Podolinsky began to develop on his farm in …. what is now known world wide –
as the Australian Demeter Biodynamic method.  He further refined Dr Pfeiffer’s preparation making methods, introduced a powerfully effective new preparation and developed, together with the Australian BD farmers he trained, a natural agricultural system to complement the work of the preparations on all types of land and climate and for
every type of agricultural product.

 In the early 1960s Alex founded the Biodynamic Agricultural Association of Australia (BDAAA)
with 27 of the original farmers.
Alex also found a method of incorporating the six Biodynamic compost preparations (502 – 507) with 500
to make a new preparation, called prepared 500, which proved even more effective than straight 500.
His introductory lectures explain the fundamentals of modern Biodynamic agriculture.
Such concepts as the natural, sun-directed process of plant feeding from soil humus,
were explained for the first time. Australian farmers are arguably the most independent,
resourceful and creative on earth, working with some of the poorest soils and most difficult
climatic conditions imaginable. In 1967, the Bio-Dynamic Research Institute (Powelltown)
registered the Demeter trademark (the worldwide recognized symbol for Biodynamic produce) in Australia.
BDAAA members now farm over two million acres in Australia (over 80% of the total BD acreage worldwide),
producing almost every type of agricultural product. Rudolf Steiner brought a totally new impulse to agriculture.
Alex Podolinksy and the Australian Demeter BD farmers have brought this impulse into practical application.
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