What is Biodynamic Farming?

Dorothée Royal-Hedinger, Host & Co-producer, Mark Andrew Boyer, Co-Producer

● Environment
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An often-misunderstood farming technique rooted in Rudolph Steiner's esoteric spiritual philosophy, biodynamic agriculture treats farms as unified organisms, emphasizing the relationship of soil, plants and animals.

Meet Sebastian Aguilar, a farmer who is implementing biodynamic farming methods, as the OrganicNation.tv crew visits Frog Hill Farm in Port Townsend, Washington.

Dorothée Royal-Hedinger is the creator, co-producer and host of OrganicNation.tv, an award-winning web video series that explores America's sustainable food landscape. Passionate about the power of media to challenge the status quo, she co-founded NobleTree Media with a commitment to producing content for nonprofits, social causes and sustainable brands. Her video work earned an honorary mention in the 2009 Earth Journalism Awards and was shown at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. Her work has also been featured on Current TV, GOOD, The Huffington Post, TreeHugger.com and YouTube's homepage, among others.

Dorothée graduated with a degree in Political Science from the University of Chicago in 2007.

Mark Andrew Boyer is a writer and photographer whose work has appeared in the Columbia Journalism Review, Chicago Magazine, Baltimore Magazine, GOOD Magazine, Mindful Metropolis and In These Times. He is the co-producer, blog editor and cameraman of OrganicNation.tv as well as the blog editor of ChicagoNow's The Dirt on Green. Mark graduated from the University of Chicago in 2006.

Viewers can watch this video, along with many other Organic Nation features at:

http://www.organicnation.tv

Interview with Dorothée Royal-Hedinger

t21: What motivated you to make What is Biodynamic Farming ?
DRH: I had heard about the concept of biodynamic farming, but because of its esoteric origins in Rudolph Steiner's spiritual philosophy, I knew that many people dismissed it outright. I wanted to explore a real farm that was working to become biodynamic and help introduce the concept to the public in a simple and friendly way.

t21: Biggest obstacle in making it?
DRH: Sebastian Aguilar, the farmer who was running Frog Hill Farm, was very busy planting on the day Mark and I showed up to film. Our friend Jesse Hopkins, who runs an organic farm nearby, drove us over on a whim, so we hadn't actually scheduled a shoot that day. Sebastian was incredibly gracious about spending time to do an interview, but I was wary of taking up too much of his time so we shot the interview more quickly than usual.

t21: Favorite/most unexpected response to What is Biodynamic Farming?
DRH: I was honestly pretty surprised by the number of people who were really interested in learning about biodynamic farming.  It's proven to be one of our most popular videos in the OrganicNation.tv series!

t21: What do you want viewers to take away from it?
DRH: As with all of our videos, we hope that viewers are introduced to a cool concept or new way of thinking that they can continue to explore. I hope that with this video in particular, people can see the benefits of supporting diverse ecosystems even while farming and buying their food.

t21: If you were not a filmmaker/blogger, what would you be?
DRH: I naturally tend to document and share the stories around me, and I really love radio and interviewing people, so I'd probably be a radio-show host.

t21: First website you check in the morning?
DRH: I check OrganicNation.tv to make sure it's still there!

t21: Favorite green website or blog?
DRH: Treehugger.com.

t21: If you could ask Rudolf Steiner (spiritual philosopher mentioned in your film) one question, what would it be??
DRH: Why Eurythmy?

t21: Personal motto?
DRH: Ask and you shall receive.

t21: The biggest global problem today?
DRH: Water pollution and water scarcity are huge problems around the globe that are connected to conventional agriculture practices and big industry's misuse of natural resources. I worry about this because access to clean water is so basic and so important to a healthy life.

t21: Favorite city or landmark?
DRH: My thoughts are often with the people of Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. It's one of the poorest counties in America and yet there is so much history and richness of culture there. Watching the sun rise over the Badlands there is one of my all-time favorite memories.

t21: Last song that was stuck in your head?
DRH: "Robots" by Flight of the Conchords.

t21: Favorite vegetable(s)?
DRH: Radishes, fennel, arugula.

t21: Coffee, tea,or water?
DRH: Tea all the way! I drink it all day long. In the morning, it's Yerba Maté or Chai and in the evening, mint or dandelion root tea.

t21: Boat, plane or train?
DRH: Train! When we toured the West Coast, Mark and I took a train from California up to Washington, and the scenery was just amazing.

t21: Latest obsession?
DRH: I'm really intrigued by the concept of a "minimalist lifestyle" that is getting popular via blogs like becomingminimalist.com and mnmlist.com. In our culture of over-consumption, I think it's great that some people make a choice to declutter and simplify their lives with mindfulness and less stuff. I'm not sure I could personally give up my book collection and wardrobe at this point, but it's good to be reminded of what really matters.

t21: First Job?
DRH: I was a voice-over actress starting at the age of 7 and I think my first big gig was for, believe it or not...McDonald's!

t21: Who would you love to work with?
DRH: Werner Herzog. Also, the Travel Channel.

t21: 10 year goal?
DRH: Complete a feature-length film about a pressing environmental or social issue, establish the philanthropic arm of the production company I co-founded (NobleTree Media) and have a rocking vegetable garden!

t21: Your next or current goal?
DRH: My next project is a short film that explores the question "Can stones think?"

t21: Your question for t21?
DRH: When do we get to have a big telegraph21 summit of all the rocking filmmakers you feature?

t21: It's a great idea, and something we're definitely thinking about as we make plans for next season.

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