There was a time when food was grown and harvested in an ultra-pure, unaltered way, free from the chemicals that are so common today. Pesticides, preservatives, colors and flavorings were introduced with the intention of improving accessibility and quality of the food supply but regrettably have also introduced health risks. As awareness has increased, so has the desire to return our food industry to a more natural state, much like that which is found in biodynamics.
Biodynamics dates back to the early 1920s with the collaboration of a group of farmers and Rudolf Steiner, a scientist who predicted that artificial fertilizer would ultimately lead to the degeneration of the quality of food and health. Biodynamics goes a step beyond organic and embodies the principle of self-containment in nature: A biodynamic farm is one that is self-sufficient and uses regenerative procedures, such as crop rotation, seed saving, composting and interplanting. The idea is that when nature provides for itself without chemical intervention, the pure food that is produced is of the highest quality.
While organic farming strives to eliminate chemical intervention, biodynamic farming goes one step further and precludes outside intervention of any kind. For example, an organic farmer can use seeds purchased elsewhere as long as they are organic, whereas a biodynamic farmer must use seeds that are produced on-site. An organic farm is a stringent but collaborative enterprise, and a biodynamic farm is parallel to a self-contained living organism and should be separated from adjacent ecosystems in order to remain pure.