The first day of spring passes quietly on most farms. With the growing season approaching, farmers have crops to plan for, baby animals on the way, and, of course, daily rounds of chores. For Biodynamic farms, however, March 21st involves one more notable item – a cow horn packed with dung.

Otherwise known as Preparation 500 to Biodynamic farmers worldwide, manure–filled cows' horns are buried on the autumnal equinox and carefully unearthed exactly six months later on the spring equinox, the first day of spring. The manure is removed and stirred with water in a process called "dynamization", which creates a vortex that cosmic energy can be funneled into. The homemade brew is then sprayed upon the fields to stimulate the soil, promote root activity and contribute to good bacteria growth.

And while these steps may sound strange and unfamiliar to the average ear, Preparation 500 is just one of nine "preparations" that form part of the core of Biodynamic agriculture, a science based upon the ideas of Rudolf Steiner.

An Austrian philosopher, scientist and author, Steiner founded Biodynamics in the 1920's as an alternative to conventional farming methods. During Steiner's lifetime in the first quarter of the 20th century, synthetic fertilizers were introduced, and farms both large and small began applying them to their fields. Soon after, farmers in Steiner's area complained that soil and plant quality, as well as livestock health, was visibly declining.

Marked by a spiritual, mystical approach to standard organic farming, Biodynamics mixes sustainability with more ethereal beliefs. As the Oregon Biodynamics Group describes on their website, " Biodynamics parallels organic farming in many ways – especially with regard to cultural and biological farming practices – but it is set apart by its emphasis on chi or life energy. Biodynamic practices seek to balance the physical and non–physical realms, acknowledging cosmic and terrestrial forces that influence life energy."

Biodynamics was formulated in order to halt this destruction, "so that the earth may be healed," Steiner wrote. Today, the goal of Biodynamics is the same – to create food of the highest nutritional quality using the most earth–friendly methods possible. Biodynamics remains a "science of life forces, a recognition of the basic principles at work in nature, and an approach to agriculture which takes these principles into account to bring balance and healing," just as Steiner originally wrote.

Other unusual Biodynamic preparations include aging grated oak bark in the skull of a domestic animal, stuffing chamomile into a piece of bovine intestine, and placing dried yarrow flowers in a stag's bladder. But don't let these unusual practices make you think Biodynamics is all hocus pocus and wizardry.

Preparations and lunar cycles aside, it´s obvious that Biodynamic farmers care deeply about their piece of the planet and are willing to log in the extra hours required by these additional techniques. Because Biodynamics is closely tied to natural rhythms, farmers must practice careful observation of nature and develop an understanding that everything affects plant and animal life, even microscopic forces.

Wali Via of Winter Green Farm in Noti, Oregon, believes that it is this hyper–aware examination of the earth that sets Biodynamic farmers apart. "Biodynamics is really the training of the farmer to become receptive to the forces at work within the farm," Via says. "So there is an advantage to the farmer in that he is becoming more sensitive, caring, and responsive."

Biodynamic farmers shun synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, and insecticides, and their animals are never given hormones or medication. At Biodynamic farms, the focus is instead on life forces and natural rhythms, like the lunar cycle and planetary movements, both of which affect planting and harvesting dates, as well as cultivation.

Many Biodynamic farmers also consider the farm itself to be a living organism – the concept that each farm is a mini–ecosystem where every plant and animal is interconnected. As Steiner described the idea, "a farm comes closest to its own essence when it can be conceived of as a kind of independent individuality, a self–contained entity." Furthermore, each individual piece of land contains all of the ingredients to sustain itself. The more self–sufficient a farm, many biodynamic farmers say, the healthier the farm will be. And in order to be self-sufficient, diversity of both plant and animal life is vital.

Maggie Kleinsasser and her husband Johann raise cows, pigs, sheep, chickens, ducks and turkeys at Whole Circle Farm, their certified Biodynamic farm in Acton, Ontario, in addition to a wide variety of vegetables. Though they are still waiting for the soil to thaw so they can dig out their cow horns, the Kleinsassers adhere to biodynamic principles closely, including the belief in biodiversity´s advantages.

"We find it important to have a lot of animals. They all live in the barn, and they get along with each other," Kleinsasser says.

"We can use their compost for fertilization, and the pigs and the ducks help to pick through the cow manure." As they root through the manure, the pigs and ducks are seeking out bugs and worms, Maggie explains, and as a result, her cows have never experienced problems with parasites. "Everything works together. It's a whole picture. We use everything on the farm – of course, we buy a few things, but the idea is to use just what the land gives you."

Via agrees. "In nature all of the kingdoms are, of course, well represented. On a biodynamic farm we ideally try to create a farm organism that reflects this balance of the kingdoms. Animals are an essential component. Grazing animals also help connect the fields of the farm as they literally taste the entire farm as they rotate from pasture to pasture and their manures fertilize it."

Whether or not careful observation of lunar cycles and intricate preparations can be scientifically proven to be beneficial, biodynamic farmers certainly have proven themselves as good caretakers of the land. As Flowers by the Sea, a certified organic and biodynamic farm in Elk, California, says on their website, "Our holistic and sustainable Biodynamic production methods stem from our love and concern for the earth. As we plant and cultivate, we focus our energy on increasing the vitality and health of our crops – from our row vegetables to the berries to the flowers to the animals we raise."

And while some of the atypical practices of Biodynamics may raise eyebrows and cause skeptics to argue that biodynamics is little more than unproven alchemy or magic, Biodynamic farmers maintain that the difference in quality is obvious.

"Quality, of course, is rather subjective," says Via, "that being said, I believe there is a qualitative difference. The difference can best be determined by flavor, color, fragrance, and storage ability – most of these are very difficult to measure with 'objective' science."

Kleinsasser says that while it took a few years for the Biodynamic methods to take full effect on her farm, some slight changes were immediately apparent in the loamy soil and abundant produce. "The vegetables are much sweeter, much more flavorful. You don't have to add anything to the food to make it taste good."

"Everyone keeps coming back for more," she adds.

"Depending on a person's disposition, biodynamics can be exciting, intriguing, or threatening," says Wali. "Biodynamics appeals to a certain kind of person. In general, a person who is open to discovery, not set in their world view, intellectually inclined, and not worried about being viewed as a kook is most likely to be open to Biodynamics. As with any movement, there are fanatics and folks that go off on tangents. There is a middle road that is both practical and generally understandable."

And for Kleinsasser, there is no other place than she would rather be than Whole Circle Farm. "For me, biodynamic farming is a way of life. It's more work to apply the preparations, but it's amazing the energy we get from it," she says. "I feel its affects us as much as it affects the land."