At Hawthorne Valley Farm

Animals, Humanity and the Living Context of Agriculture
A workshop for farmers, gardeners and others seeking a renewed relation to the land
February 13-18 and/or February 20-25
Conducted by The Nature Institute and the Hawthorne Valley Farm Learning Center in partnership with the Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association
The Nature Institute and the Hawthorne Valley Farm Learning Center are offering two complementary weeks of instruction to those seeking a fuller understanding of biodynamic agriculture. The first week will offer participants a way of becoming more perceptive land workers by deepening their observations of the qualitative and dynamic aspects of nature and by practicing flexible thinking in relation to animal and human development and evolution. The second week will extend these themes and introduce concepts and practices more specifically related to biodynamic agriculture, including: species-appropriate animal husbandry, holistic veterinary considerations, the evolution of the socio-economic context of agriculture, and the significance of farm individualization and the role of the biodynamic preparations.
The first week will be led by Craig Holdrege and Henrike Holdrege of The Nature Institute. Presenters for the second week will include: Steffen Schneider, farm manager at Hawthorne Valley Farm, Gary Lamb, author and vice-president of the Institute for Social Renewal, Hubert Karreman, large animal vet, author and national policy maker, and Malcolm Gardner, translator and editor of the central biodynamic text, Rudolf Steiner's Spiritual Foundations for the Renewal of Agriculture.
This Winter Intensive is part of the two-year North American Biodynamic Apprenticeship Program and alternates with intensives focused on soils, plants and stars.
Fees are on a sliding scale: $250-450 for each week; or $400 to 480 for both weeks. (Fees for apprentices enrolled in the North American Biodynamic Apprenticeship Program are covered by the program.) For more information, contact the Hawthorne Valley Farm Learning Center, 518-672-7500 x 232; or email [email protected].
This Winter Intensive has been developed as part of the North American Biodynamic Apprenticeship Program and fulfills one its diploma requirements. It is open to the public.