… Beate's blog

Blessings of a bountiful harvest – one ‘starfish’ at a time

It was cold and dry for a long time. Spring, it seemed, just didn’t want to come. We seeded into dust, the land blowing around us. We connected to the land and to the planted seeds to hold on and be strong until the rain would come. We prayed and asked Mother Earth and her Nature Spirits to help in raising our planted seeds.

Connected to the land and to the planted seeds? Yes, this year was different. We were operating some land already organically since the last three years, but now we included our entire farm into this procedure, transitioning to organics. By next year another part will be certified, and by 2011 the last quarter of land as well.

This transition requires relearning of different farm procedures and operations, and a re-thinking of past actions. It means working the land more often and at specific times to keep the wild plant population low, it means cover crop and green manure fallow, it means building organic matter, it means giving back to the Earth and restoring, bringing balance.

But what is it about connecting to the Earth and to the Spirits of Nature? What does this have to do with organic farming? And after all… does this all not sound a bit weird and far off?

Maybe it does, but in Bio-Dynamic farming, connecting and communicating with the Devas, the Spirits of Nature, has a long history, and has been done for a long time.

In these days where people are getting more and more sensitive to what they eat and where the food comes from that gets served on their table, in these days where we all understand more and more how deeply we are not only connected with each other, but also with everything that surrounds us, in these days, more and more people look into old wisdom, a history of connecting with everything and all on a very deep level.

So we asked for help, to support our seeds waiting in the ground, letting them thrive and grow, letting them grow instead of the wild plants, giving them more power and strength. We asked for rain when we desperately waited for the wet, envisioned how the water would drench and nurture the land, how we would get stuck in the garden with our rubber boots, we asked and we prayed for everyone to step in and help – and it rained. Our seeds grew, and the wild plants too, but the seeds were stronger and grew bigger, and the wild plants were not many.

It is about the right intentions, about honoring the land that has been given to us, being responsible stewards And this also includes communication directly with the land, connecting and listening.
So often I see land, seeded and summer fallowed, seeded and summer fallowed or not summer fallowed at all, but directly seeded again and again, all those with many different applications of chemicals in between. I see this barren land, burned out and drained of all its natural resources, and I feel its cry deep inside.

I see land that has been so much treated with chemicals, it got used to it, does not even react to it anymore, wild plants growing all over it. That’s usually the call for a new improved chemical to use… to only scorch the land more.

We cannot expect to get nurtured from the land with bountiful nutritious food, if we mistreat it, to the point of raping the Earth.

So communication is important, and rethinking – in our own backyard, while shopping for groceries, and in farming.

We might be only one organic farm where we live, surrounded by commercial farms, what we do, might not seem to make a difference when looking around, but it sure makes a difference to the land we farm, and it sure makes a difference for us, seeing this land thriving and living, and feeling humbled by the things we discover.

Harvest is late this year, yes, and we still have 1 quarter of certified organic flax left to do, but the crops stood well, and harvest was bountiful. On our 2nd year with transitional land, we harvested a barley crop of 85 bushels to the acre! Very impressive! Our wheat crop at home counted 35 bushels to the acre, which is really good, considered that this has all been done without any addition of fertilizer and chemicals.

We give thanks in our own way, thanking the Devas of the land for helping and providing, giving thanks through our meditation path in honor of creation and His/Her many helpers. We give thanks to the Earth, every time we walk the land, we give thanks every day while working.

One does not have to believe in Nature Spirits and in communicating with the Earth in order to make a difference. It does not matter what one believes in, but what does matter is our reaction to one another and to the environment we live in, at home, in the garden, in the front and backyards. It matters what we buy and eat. Conscious living and consciously experiencing the world around us with loving intentions and loving, thoughtful actions.

It does make a difference, one ‘starfish’ at a time, and we will be rewarded with a bountiful harvest.