Biodynamic®,
Beyond Organic
Biodynamic®,
Beyond Organic
Beyond Organic
The Biodynamic Farmer is an Artisan of Agriculture.
Biodynamic agriculture is the traditional approach to farming that goes beyond organic to grow in the most sustainable, symbiotic manner possible. Its techniques work in harmony with Nature instead of exploiting it. Doing so produces the most nutrient dense, vibrant plants that are considered the highest quality in the world.
Biodynamics 101
Biodynamic® farming is both an homage to preindustrial craftsmanship and the leader of what is today called “Regenerative Farming”. In fact, Biodynamic® is the only certification that can verify regenerative farming methods, thereby the most sustainable system of land-management currently in use.
A Biodynamic® farm, or product, must be certified as such by the international organization Demeter. Any product that utilizes the word “biodynamic” without Demeter’s certification is unsubstantiated. Important to note too is that Demeter is the only agricultural organization whose regulations are global, not dependent on a government’s definition. In contrast, organic certification standards can vary significantly from one country to the next.
Biodynamics 101
Biodynamic® farming is both an homage to preindustrial craftsmanship and the leader of what is today called “Regenerative Farming”. In fact, Biodynamic® is the only certification that can verify regenerative farming methods, thereby the most sustainable system of land-management currently in use.
A Biodynamic® farm, or product, must be certified as such by the international organization Demeter. Any product that utilizes the word “biodynamic” without Demeter’s certification is unsubstantiated. Important to note too is that Demeter is the only agricultural organization whose regulations are global, not dependent on a government’s definition. In contrast, organic certification standards can vary significantly from one country to the next.
Discover the differences between the two in the U.S.
Biodynamic
Organic
Demeter’s goal is to create an agricultural network that produces high quality, high-integrity products on a global scale through enhanced soil and land management. That is why Demeter places strict rules on their farms and longstanding commitments to biodiverse ecologies and everlasting sustainability.
Simply put, Demeter and Biodynamic® farmers strive to “heal the planet through agriculture.”
History of Biodynamics
In 1924, Rudolf Steiner, an agricultural pioneer, homeopath, and philosopher, gave a series of lectures to European farmers in Switzerland who had been struggling after having adopted newly available chemical pesticides and herbicides that came from the war manufacturing during World War I. Steiner’s lectures were so widely praised, they were quickly published and widely distributed across Europe, and later the world. This spurred an ecological movement that brought the farmer’s attention back to the soil.
Benefits of Biodynamic® farming
Biodynamic’s restorative and regenerative practices draw carbon out of the atmosphere and into the soil where it remains, in direct contrast to modern conventional agriculture which uses large tilling machines to prepare the soil for planting, thus releasing the carbon stored in the soil into the atmosphere. The reason why Biodynamic’s is able to do this is through the natural process of photosynthesis, where the healthy plants are able to absorb carbon (as CO2) and convert it into plant tissue. An ethos of low tilling also prevents the carbon stored in the soil from being released back into the atmosphere.
An organic certification is certainly a big step in the right direction, but for a Biodynamic® farm, it is the base requirement. Therefore, any product labeled Biodynamic® is automatically organic, and a step beyond, thereby considered the platinum standard in agriculture.
The need for Biodynamic farms has never been greater. Less than 2% of farms in the U.S. are certified organic, and even less certified Biodynamic. In order to protect future generations from climate change, Biodynamic is not simply preferable, but necessary.
What Biodynamic® means to Maison/Made
Biodynamic farmers are those that have the most knowledge, skill, and craftsmanship necessary to produce their exceptional quality, and as mentioned, they are rare. The superiority of their work, and therefore our ingredients, is represented by the Biodynamic® Demeter certification we have earned for our business.
To maintain this certification our company is held to the following standards:
- Annual studio inspections
- Strict ingredient sourcing regulations
- Strict storage and handling regulations
- Formulation review
- Frequent supplier verifications
Our Biodynamic® partners
Some of the ingredients in our Maison Collection cannot be grown on our farm due to climate limitations and other factors. For these ingredients, we look to our curated network of Biodynamic® certified farmers, many from whom we commission these ingredients exclusively for Maison/Made. It’s a farmer-to-farmer partnership.