Donations to the Institute Foundation will serve for projects in areas selected by your inquiries and suggestions.

BioDynamic Preparations are being targeted for special safety regulations within the EU and USA due to animal ingredients used in processing, something that has been in motion partly ever since the hoof-and-mouth alarm in Europe. We are finalizing research that shows processing and fermentation, especially of the manure-based “Horn500” prep, can significantly reduce hygiene risks, just as good composting does. These results properly presented could support a position of reduced scrutiny and potentially harmful restrictions. Your SUPPORT will directly help the completion of this project.

Amid concerns for how to effectively validate carbon sequestration (for example for carbon markets), we’re learning some practical things: how to do it better. In this project we are first trying to develop the methodology to be straightforward for any farmer to easily perform but the interpretation to be consistent with best practice. We believe even you you do not accept carbon marketing, the gains that can be made by better understanding where it is and how much, plus the bonus of better nutrient detection, are vast.

After 2-decades of soil lab developments, the soil health movement has “slumped” into partial, incomplete or unsatisfactory test indicators. This phenomenon of stagnation after the initial push to quickly “standardize” new movements, can be overcome by creating new approaches that are syntheses of gaps in existing, popular approaches. First, though, we have to become aware without over-criticism of what is not working well, an examine why.

Do you have a challenging science-in-practice concern related to transforming agriculture? We’d like to hear from you!