Mt. Hood Organic Farms
Mt. Hood, Oregon
Brady and John Jacobson
Mt. Hood’s 55 acres of high density dwarf trellised apples and pears sits on a beautiful farm with stunning views of the mountain from which the farm takes its name. The Hood River runs through the property and the farm backs up on national forest, so it is no wonder it has been featured in national magazines showcasing its wedding venue.
The Demeter-certified orchard includes nearly 100 varieties of heirloom and specialty apples and pears and is among our largest certified farms in the country. Already farming organically, and focusing on biodiversity, their transition to Biodynamic was an easy next step, and they became certified in 2004.
“I think if you talk with many Biodynamic practitioners, they would tell you that each piece of land is unique and dictates how you farm it. We are not here to impose our own selves on this land as much as to listen to what the land tells us it needs and how to go about fulfilling those needs.
Biodynamics calls itself “spiritual agriculture” and I think that’s what guides many of us. It’s all very intuitive, but also based on science. Ours is a wild setting next to a national forest with abundant wildlife. When we bought this piece of land, we decided that we would have to co-exist with the creatures here and suffer some loss, but we wanted to create a refuge. So we fenced each orchard block separately and allowed for wildlife corridors running through the property so the animals could move from the forest to the river undisturbed.
Creating a farm that co-exists in harmony with nature, as much as it’s possible to do that, is what motivates us. And, given the constant destruction of wildlife habitat and our precious soils, how can a sentient being do anything less than farm with empathy for our planet?” -- Brady Jacobson
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Mike’s Organic Curry Love
Boise, Idaho
Mike Buechi and Laurie Sebestyen
Mike and Laurie established their company in 2008, based on their love of organic cooking and gardening. They became Demeter-certified Traders in 2023, importing Biodynamic curry sauces and coconut cream from Thailand.
Mike grew up in Switzerland, and worked on a Biodynamic produce farm and orchard as a teenager, before starting a chef apprenticeship. The experience instilled a love for natural, high-quality food and an awareness of the production system that produces it.
Of his appreciation of Biodynamic farming, he writes, “The approach that we are one with Nature and working with Nature instead of against it. I am terrified to think that most agriculture is basically at war with Nature and it translates to Biodiversity decline and sick humans and animals all over the world.”
