3rd International Biodynamic Research Conference (2025)

This was written as a report for the Biodynamic community of Aotearoa from Katrina Wolff, Blue Borage Ltd, after attending the 3rd International Biodynamic Research Conference in the UK in August/September.

Any questions, get in touch by email at katrina@blueborage.co.nz

Why does this report matter?

  • We are part of an international community, and conferences like this are a chance to not just learn, but to network, and share other people's work back home.

  • My hope? That you'll grab relevant links and go follow up with the work that interests you most. New Zealand is highly respected in the UK, and most of the people I spoke to would love to either come and visit, or get to know people working with biodynamics here.

  • The floral compost activator research was well-received. Hurray! I'll share links down below for those who'd like to learn more about that. Thanks to everyone who helped me get to the UK - we raised $6k over just a few months, and I could not have done it alone! This report is part of my thank you to Blue Borage supporters.

Thanks for the formal sponsorship funding from Carbon Cycle Compost Ltd, and also support from Dr Leane Makey with her research project on Soil Sovereignty.

What made the conference unique?

  • 4 days at the Royal Agriculture University in Cirencester, near Stroud.

  • 31 August - 4 September 2025, with farm tours on the last day.

  • 185 people from 22 countries, what felt like dozens and dozens of talks, presentations, posters (well over 100 researchers). A lot of the work was scheduled in parallel streams, making for lots of tough decisions: whether to go look at water research or seed breeding, preparation making or a historical perspective of key figures in biodynamics.

  • I made good contact with ~24 of the people presenting, plus another dozen or so who were attending but not presenting. Email exchanges are now very, very busy! I would love to bring some of these new friends over to Aotearoa New Zealand.

There is literally something for everyone.

Hosted by the Royal Agricultural University (RAU), with the Biodynamic UK Association, Biodynamic Federation Demeter International (BFDI), Forschungsring, and the Section for Agriculture at the Goetheanum.

Go see the research papers on the new biodynamic research network (free to join), you can download the conference papers by individual author, or the whole conference proceedings in one file.

https://community.sektion-landwirtschaft.org/index.php?r=homepage%2Findex

Let's go!

I'll whizz through with quick summaries, and also include links on where to go find people's work in more depth. Go explore on your own, find your rabbit hole, and bring what you learn back to the community.

Sunday 31st August

Arrival to the Royal Agricultural University (RAU), tour of the campus with Jonathan Code, senior lecturer at the RAU. He helped me find the flowers and oak bark that I needed for the workshop on Monday, and brought me jars for my workshop.

Lovely to meet Richard Swann, editor of 'Star and Furrow', the UK's biodynamic publication.

Super special to connect with Craig Leon of Cloud Forest Organics, one of the only researchers active on Instagram. Craig and I recorded a conversation before the conference, which is up on YouTube here, sharing his work on protecting and regenerating the Cloud Forests of Ecuador. https://youtu.be/cNMMXIiEsnc?si=xasCjHWEAHO4LW7C

I got to meet Ueli Hurter after the welcome reception, and invited him to take a look at my work. Huge thank you to Murray Cook and Bridget Henderson for preparing a letter of endorsement for the research on Maye Bruce's work.

Just look at this campus!

Welcome presentation by Jonathan Code, describing the word 'science' as an empty signifier, neither listener nor speaker know what it actually means, and it hangs in thin air.

So - what kind of science do we want to bring into the world? We can trust ourselves to step forward and share our work, and trust that it will be well received.

Evening: Entertainment from the druid Chris Park.

Monday 1st September

Keynote speaker: Julia Wright

  • 'Death & Displacement'
    Romans 55BC
    Anglo-Saxons 40AD
    Vikings 793AD
    Normans 1066AD

  • In 1801 17% of the population was urban, this rose to 72% by 1891.

  • In the UK 0.3% of the population own 60% of the land.

Go look up:

Biodynamics is unique butnot alone. We need allies, and the metaphysically literate complimentary fields are natural colleagues.

Favourite quote from Julia's talk
"To what extent do we wish to comply with a bankrupt, outdated scientific establishment at the expense of integrity and authenticity?"

Keynote speaker: Binita Shah

  • Binita learned with Peter Proctor & Rachel Pomeroy - passed on a very warm greeting to Rachel.

  • 100,000 farmers in India, 1 million units of compost, probably more like 1.5 million now.

Go look up:

Talk: Simon Reakes 'Revisiting spirit of place'

Marilena Vecco (heritage studies - tourism sector)

Isis Brook (2020) Metaphysical taxonomy

  • Abodes of special beings

  • Energy Fields

  • Pantheism

  • Panpsychism

Simon says: there is a third dimension, the supratangible, accessible through expanded consciousness.

The concept 'Farm Organism' will aways be 'off the chart' until we have a framework that includes it.

Reminder: a limited conceptual framework will result in a limited view.

Discussion of the differences between 'suprasensory' and 'spiritual' or 'extrasensory'.

Recommendation - to go explore the blurry edges, that's where things are most interesting.

Manuela de Lachapelle 'Representations of biodynamics in French viticulture: From skepticism to curiosity.'

Colombian researcher in France, working in wine.

Fascinating use of text analysis to group French biodynamic wine growing community into four groups.

Manuela's paper is available to download on the biodynamic research network.

Group photo

Group photo of conference attendees

Katrina Wolff: workshop on the Floral Compost Activator

  • 12 participants, with feedback sheets handed in from 10 people across 6 countries: Germany, Switzerland, England, Ireland, India, Ecuador.

I had flowers left over, and repeated the tutorial over breakfast the next day for others who missed it.

Note: Luis on the right, was amazed at the flavour of Mānuka honey, he has taken a sample home to Mexico to do chromatography and crystallisation analysis.

Evening: Festive dinner with address from Patrick Holden.

Tuesday 2nd September

6:30am each day 'sensing the landscape' morning exercise with Eduardo Rincon and Jean-Michel Florin.

Keynote: Eduardo Rincon

The mood of the question when beginning research, going into the realm of the unknown.

Newton sacrificed himself to devotion to dwelling in the realm of matter - tangible matter.

David Martin

  • Fever App

  • Digitalisation and Childhood, including parents' screen time in presence of children.

  • 'phubbing'

  • Ecotherapy - an invitation to proofread his latest paper: david.martin@uni-wh.de

  • Real farms are harmful to children (due to all the chemicals)

  • Research on effects of pesticide on child development.

  • Obesity growing, Menstruation getting younger and younger.

  • Philosophy of Freedom - global study group open each year in September:
    https://anthroposophy.org/inspire_events/the-philosophy-of-freedom-annual-online-training-2024-2025/
    Note: there is another website with similar content here for those who missed out on this year's annual training: https://philosophy-of-freedom.au/

  • PWA - progressive web apps: e.g. Wirk Sensorik & Empathic Food Testing by Uwe Geier.
    More info on Empathic Food Testing: https://www.wirksensorik.de/en

  • Farms as wisdom centres.

  • Can biodynamic farmers become early adopters of technology in a way that doesn't make us dependent?

  • Practising - repetition in the mood of prayer

Quote: "Don't form community with like-minded people - it's the people we wrestle with that we need to work with."

Eckart Grundman: Effects of eurythmic gestures on plants: an overview of 25 years of research

With Tanja Baumgartner, in Basel.

2000-2010 Institute Hiscia
2007 Institute Arte Nova
2012 Applied Research

Marjolen Doesburg van Klefens: Assessing cultivation impact on cucumber quality: Insights from the stress storage test.

Cucumber - slice healing properties, comparison of conventional, organic and biodynamically grown cucumbers.

image from: https://www.sektion-landwirtschaft.org/en/forschung/studienberichte/kompost/sv-1/von-den-selbstheilungskraeften-gestresster-gurken

Lucas Contarato Pilon 'Tree bark mulch in black pepper crops: Strateiges and perspetives'

Black pepper farming, use of mulch, in Brazil.

Workshop: Alex Edleson. 'Learning as research; can teachers learn from researchers, and vice versa?'

Training vs Research.

Poster Presentations

Too many to list - a whole afternoon reading work by dozens and dozens of researchers on a wide range of topics.

Evening: Outing to Ruskin Mill with speech by Aonghus Gordon, tour of farm and meal in the wool shed.

Links to Ruskin Mill research:
https://rmt.org/our-research/

Wednesday 3rd September

Keynote: Regina Sharmila Dass

  • Studied with Peter Proctor & Rachel Pomeroy

[image coming soon]

Stag bladders in India need to be smuggled into the country.

Keynote: Cyrille Rigolot

  • Transdisciplinarity as a way of being - Epistemological activism.

Simon Charter, Michael Monzies - Water dynamisiation and its role in agriculture.

  • Ian Trousdall's work is world famous.

  • Veda Austin's work also quoted frequently.

  • Shape of ear, natural vortex shape.

Martin Timmerman, Berlin. What does qualitative-empirical research mean? Exploring Qualitative Nature Research in practice.

Social Science vs Natural Science

Qualitative vs Quantitative

  • Social sciences in the 1950's argued that certain things cannot be researched with quantitative methods. It was a huge challenge initially to prove that it was still science. Now, in social science, students must study both methodologies.

Yvette Wohlfahrt 'Consider the Chicken'

(notes on this to come soon)

'When we deprive the chicken of having a natural life, we deprive ourselves of the opportunity to perceive the chicken.'

Thangapandian Dhanikodi and Anthoniselvi Savarimuthu. Biodynamc farming and nutritional quality: Understanding life forces in tomatoes.

Tomato growing with biodynamics - here's the process they use:

  • Root treatment: 5kg CPP + 30g BD500 in 14 litres water. 1 hour of stirring, 20 minute root dip.

  • 15th day after transplanting BD501 5g in 14 litres of water.

  • Pest management = 3G (Ginger, garlic, green chilli)

Jennifer Wohlers - The significance of horn bearing cows: insights into milk quality and holistic cow physiology.

Claudia Scherr - Homeopathy in agriculture: A systematic review of its potential.

  • Homeopathy research is increasing in quality and quantity.

  • Tomato is the most researched crop.

  • Homeopathy most commonly researched in Brazil, India, Mexico.

Evening: Choir performance 'surround sound' style.

Thursday 4th September

Farm tour to Highgrove - the Duchy Home Farm, owned by King Charles, a dairy farm supplying mild to Waitrose supermarkets.

Question posed to the farmer by Katrina - Is there anything that the modern sensors don't measure where the human farmer is still the most reliable diagnostician?
Answer: the order that animals come to the milking shed. When this changes, it's often an important indication that something is 'off' with a specific animal.

Post conference - time with uncle, aunt and cousins in Wadhurst, trip to Tablehurst, making floral compost activators for their compost, visit to Tablehurst farm.

My cousin, Sophie Wolff, the queen of Compost. Michael Wolff, just as talented.

The three Wolff cousins - composters extaordinnaire.

In closing, all help is appreciated for the continuation of the research into Maye Bruce's work and the floral compost activator.

How to take part in the ongoing Floral Compost Activator research?

Thanks for supporting this work!

-Katrina

3rd International Biodynamic Research Conference (2025)

    A New Zealand researcher's journey through the 2025 International Biodynamic Research Conference: 150+ people, 20+ countries, 4 days of regenerative agriculture research.