BEYOND ORGANIC: Sandy farm transforms into Biodynamic

Farm operation joins elite few with designation

By Jim Hart

The Sandy Post, Sep 29, 2009, Updated Oct 30, 2009

contributed photo / Sandy Post

Randal Buresh, co-owner of Oregon’s Wild Harvest, is seen in a field of mature echinacea leading a July farm tour for a group of co-op owners from the Northwest. The Sandy-area farm produces many medicinal herbs found in local stores, including Echinacea, which provides immune support during the cold and flu season.

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A Sandy-area farm recently reached the pinnacle of success in its industry.

A certified organic grower and processor since its inception in 1994, Oregon’s Wild Harvest now has been certified by the Demeter Association of Philomath as a Biodynamic® farm.

Oregon’s Wild Harvest, co-owned by Randal Buresh and his wife, Pamela Martin-Buresh, produces about 50 herbs of medicinal quality on 45 acres not far from Bull Run Road, northeast of Sandy.

Under scrutiny for nearly three years, a farm applying for designation as Biodynamic must manage its activities as if the entire farm is a living organism, Randal Buresh said.

“We view the farm as a living entity within itself,” he said. “It’s a self-perpetuating and self-supplying entity.”

In practice, Biodynamic® farming focuses on the interdependence of the soil, plants, animals and humans, working together in harmony.

Philosophy of sustainability

According to Buresh, Biodynamic® farming is a philosophy that uses a holistic and sustainable approach to produce the highest quality herbs while maintaining and strengthening soil health and the life force of the entire farm.

Key in this effort is bringing the farm to a state of self-sufficiency, Buresh said. Nutrient-rich soil is the foundation of the farm’s sustainability and the quality of its produce.

To this end, farming methods include recycling, water conservation, green manure crops (grown for the purpose of returning nutrients to the soil), compost, organic seeds and cover crops (grown to protect land from erosion).

But those methods are common to all organic farms, Buresh said. To go beyond that and achieve a truly Biodynamic® farm, Oregon’s Wild Harvest uses techniques that influence the biological and metaphysical aspects of the farm.

For example, Buresh has adapted his farm to respond to the earth’s natural rhythms such as planting in certain seasons or phases of the moon.

Boosting farm’s life force

In addition, he uses up to nine preparations that can enhance soil quality and stimulate plants, Buresh said. These materials have the effect of increasing the overall life force of the farm. They’re almost like homeopathic medicine, he said.

For example, one preparation is made by inserting a small amount of cow manure in a cow horn and leaving it buried throughout the winter.

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