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To friends, members, and all those who want to see biodynamics flourish in North America —

A new and exciting chapter is opening in the history of the biodynamic movement — the opportunity to bring biodynamic agriculture into the wider farming and food communities of North America as never before.

Upon what evidence do I make this bold claim?

To begin, here are a few significant facts about how and why the biodynamic movement is growing:

• The number of Demeter certified Biodynamic ® farms in the USA has tripled in the last three years. However, these farms are still not able to meet the increasing demand for biodynamic products from a growing number of markets and companies.
• A growing number of some of the finest chefs in the United States have began to recognize the quality of biodynamic produce and incorporate it in their menus, such as Dan Barber, Thomas Keller and Nora Pouillon — not to mention nutritional thought leaders like Sally Fallon. This is part of a larger trend of recognition of the quality of biodynamic produce within the ever growing local and artisanal food movement.
• Media coverage of the biodynamic movement has also dramatically increased. The print media alone has brought substantial coverage of biodynamics with articles in the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, MIT’s Technology Review and Planet Green, to name a few. The coverage is not always accurate, mind you, but it points to growing recognition by the mainstream that biodynamics is taking hold.
• In the past few years, new books like The Omnivore’s Dilemma and new documentary films like Food, Inc. have begun to bring food and farming issues to the center of public debate, exposing the underbelly of both the industrial food system and the loss of integrity in the organic industry. In addition, a number of these new films, like Ingredients and The Real Dirt on Farmer John have featured biodynamics in an extremely positive light and have captured the imaginations of millions of people.

However, that is not the only evidence for this bold claim. The most powerful evidence comes from the hundreds of people I have spoken to across the country during my past six months of travel. An incredibly diverse mix of people is being drawn to biodynamics. They range from chefs to filmmakers, from entrepreneurs to nutritionists, from activists to youth, to every type of farmer and gardener you can imagine. And from these good folk I heard it said over and over, in many ways:

This is a golden moment for biodynamics.
The Association must respond and act as never before.

Inspired by these many dialogues, the Association is crafting a far-reaching new vision for our work. Below are eight key themes that have arisen and that illustrate some of the emerging needs and opportunities before us. Obviously, the Association cannot act in all these areas in the short term. And we will not act alone. We must prioritize, work in partnership with others, and grow wisely. But we do want to give you a flavor of what we think the future holds.

1. Outreach Programs — Helping Farmers Transition to Biodynamics
Besides expanding the breadth and depth of our own conferences and workshops, the Association has the opportunity to put biodynamic workshops on the slate of every major organic and sustainable agriculture conference in the United States and Canada. We also want to have a biodynamic presence at every major alternative agricultural trade show in North America. Additional outreach strategies include organizing field days, traveling speaker tours, and facilitating a better flow of technical assistance to farmers (of all types) transitioning to biodynamics.

2. Youth Work — Building the Next Generation of Biodynamic Leaders
An amazing group of young people are being drawn to biodynamics, either to become farmers or social change agents in the wider food system. To begin to engage the next generation actively in our movement, we will organize in 2010 a one week Biodynamic Youth Conference in conjunction with our national conference. We hope this event will then travel to other regions in the coming years. We also plan to invest in the growth and development of the North American Biodynamic Apprenticeship Program which provides an in-depth, experiential, two year training to young people who wish to become biodynamic farmers.

3. Biodynamic Research — For the Deepening and Expansion of the Movement
A growing number of researchers are also being drawn to biodynamics and their fruitful collaboration is urgently needed to in order to provide the necessary foundation of insights for the growth of the movement. In 2010 we will convene these researchers to help them build collaborative relationships and create a long term research agenda for the movement. We will also work to facilitate “farmer-researcher” collaborations to insure that farmers play an integral role in all our research efforts. And of course, we must also grow and develop our publishing efforts as a key component of our research initiatives.

4. Communications — Telling Our Story Like Never Before
Like many nonprofits, the Association has traditionally maintained a low public profile, relying primarily on our good works to speak on our behalf. However, a new chapter in the history of the biodynamic movement now brings a growing demand by the national media (and others) for more information. If we want biodynamics to be communicated with clarity and integrity, our Association needs increased resources to allow us to develop a comprehensive communication plan and become more proactive in telling of our story to the wider world. Growing the reach and readership of our preeminent journal Biodynamics will obviously be a key aspect of this effort as well.

5. Paradigm Shifting — White Papers, Advocacy, and Legal Defense
As our Association matures, we see the need to bring our unique perspectives to bear on the wider sustainability movements of which we are a part. We also wish to be active in the formation of public policies and in defending the rights of farmers and consumers against misguided laws that encroach on an individual’s ability to raise and eat food representative of their values. To bring the wisdom of biodynamics to bear on these larger arenas, we will need to develop white papers, case studies and position statements and be able to support the work of key thought leaders and activists within our movement.

6. Local and Regional Food Systems — Peer-to-Peer Certification and More
Many biodynamic farmers are currently key players in the forging of more local and regional food systems and we hope to support these efforts in a myriad of ways. We are pleased to share that the Association has already begun working with Demeter USA to launch a new form of peer-to-peer certification that will build local support networks among biodynamic farmers, and make Demeter certification more accessible to CSA’s and other direct marketing farmers. This effort will also provide increased opportunities for farmers to give input into the future of Demeter certification standards.

7. Business Development — Channeling Capital and Support to Biodynamic Entrepreneurs
Our plan for the future includes working to create a network of social investors and consultants interested in supporting and capitalizing the start up and growth of biodynamic farms and food business throughout North America. We are pleased to share these efforts have already resulted in $100,000 of seed capital being invested by two social investors in an exciting new Demeter food business (soon to be announced).

8. Affiliation and Collaboration — Becoming a True Association
At the heart of this new chapter in the history of the biodynamic movement lies an emerging social and economic impulse for the building of new associative relationships, an impulse which much must begin within the social fabric of our own Association. Here is a sampling of activities we need to undertake in order to strengthen this impulse:

• Establish a formal structure for the affiliation of local and regional groups and training centers within our Association and support their growth and development
• Create a process for these groups to nominate board members and participate in our Association’s strategic planning work
• Help new and existing interest groups get started and grow – such as the fellowship of preparation makers, biodynamic bee keepers, farm-based educators, BD nutritionists, biodynamic grain, dairy, fruit, vegetable producers, etc.
• Provide a social networking platform on our website where individuals with shared interests can connect with one another, form working groups and share knowledge, lessons and best practices
• Help start biodynamic consumers’ associations around the country that will empower eaters in their quest to find biodynamic food and support biodynamic farms
• Support and facilitate the healthy cooperation of the different national level organizations already working on biodynamics in North America, such as Demeter USA, the Josephine Porter Institute for Applied Biodynamics, the Demeter Biodynamic Trade Association, the Turtle Tree Biodynamic Seed Initiative and the Yggdrasil Land Foundation
• Establish a host of partnerships with our brother and sister organizations in the wider sustainable and organic farming movement, for in the end, we are all working toward a similar aim: to bring healing to the earth and true health to the people of the earth

Of course, new tasks require new resources and a deepened commitment from our members, friends and supporters. In order to help move forward the highest priority aspects of this work, we will need to raise $100,000 in unrestricted funds by spring 2010 from individual donors — a first in the Association’s annual fund raising history.

If $100,000 seems daunting, please know that we have encouraging news —

A $50,000 Matching Gift Challenge!

Our new fund raising effort will be launched with a $50,000 Matching Gift Challenge received by an anonymous donor. This means every dollar raised towards our spring goal will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $50,000.

I know these are difficult economic times. I know we are all facing many challenges. But that is exactly why your support is so crucial. In the midst of all this change, we have an opening for helping biodynamics touch more lives and more land than ever before. Therefore, I ask for the health of our families and the planet, please make as meaningful a gift as you are able.

On behalf of the Association and all who we serve,

Robert Karp, Executive Director

P.S. Please remember our $50,000 Matching Gift Challenge, and give now to double the impact of your gift. This is a real turning point for biodynamics in North America and we need your support.