Demeter Association August Newsletter

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Demeter Newsletter -- August 2025

Greetings from Demeter!

In this issue:
+ Certification News

+ Educational Zoom Series on Biodynamic Production

Launched

+ Biodynamic Trade Group Update

+ Finding Demeter Certified Biodynamic^® Farms & Products

+ Standards Feature: Livestock Requirements

+ Staff Corner: Focus on Traders

+ Research: Cover Crop Resources

+ Biodynamic Assocation Seeks Proposals

Please send newsletter content suggestions or questions to: [email protected]

Certification News

As we come to the end of August, our team of Biodynamic inspectors are busy completing inspections and writing reports to submit to the Demeter office. Our Certification Specialists are hard at work reviewing these inspection reports as they come in.

Here in the office, we meet as a team each Wednesday to discuss this work and to collaborate and gain insight from each other to help make the best decisions for our clients. Findings reports, detailing any issues that came up during your inspection, are sent to you by one of our Certification Specialists, but there is a team behind the decisions! Reviewing all the reports will keep our staff busy all the way until early spring of the coming year. We are grateful for the work we do, as our part in the Biodynamic movement.

Extending the gratitude forward to all of you!

Questions about certification?

Please contact Sarah: [email protected].

Notes from the Field...

We are reserving a spot in each of our newsletters to feature a farmer or other certified business owner. If you'd like to write a brief article about your experience with Biodynamic Production, Processing, or Marketing, or answer some interview questions about your operation, we'd love to share it with our readers!

SPECIAL REQUEST: Do you have experience integrating livestock into your production areas? If so, let's talk! We would like to cover this topic in an upcoming newsletter.

Please contact Nell at [email protected] for more details.

Demeter is Launching a New Resource

for Biodynamic Producers

🌱 Coming Soon: Prep Talks 🌱
A New Zoom Series

We’re thrilled to announce a brand-new series: Prep Talks — a deep dive into the art and science of Biodynamic preparations, featuring some of the most respected voices in the field.

Monthly Zoom Sessions
Each session will explore a focused topic, followed by an extensive Q&A where you can bring your questions directly. Topics will include:

Reducing off-farm inputs
Releasing macro and micronutrients in the soil
Minimizing or eliminating the need for sulfur and fungicides
Practical aspects of stirring and spraying based on the size of your land
And much more...

Whether you’re a seasoned practitioner or just starting out, this series is designed to deepen your understanding of Biodynamic preparation applications and help you solve common challenges in the field.

We’re incredibly excited and grateful for our connection with these practitioners, and we can't wait to share their deep, practical knowledge with you.

👉 Stay tuned for registration details, presenter details and topic announcements!

The Biodynamic Community's New

Trade Organization is Getting to Work!

Your Feedback is Needed - Please Fill out the Survey

Demeter USA certified farmers and processors along with members of the Biodynamic Association have organized an economic working group with the purpose of starting a new, nonprofit trade organization to advance certified-Biodynamic^® products in the marketplace. The Biodynamic Economic Working Group is an independent group of volunteer-professionals from the biodynamic community, with support from Demeter USA, the Biodynamic Association, and grant funding. Once established, the organization will have a mission to advance Biodynamic products in the marketplace by building supply and demand through ongoing, dedicated marketing efforts, and to foster the development of more associative, equitable value chains.

The need for such a working group has long been recognized. We believe there is a huge potential to make more consumers aware of the virtues of Biodynamic products, to empower more Biodynamic farmers, and to promote fairer and more transparent value chains in the process!

To kick off the efforts of the working group, please share your insights, feedback and ideas related to this topic by clicking on the survey link below:

Biodynamic Community Survey

Your input is fundamental to the shape and direction of this work! Thank you for sharing your time and your thoughts.

Meet the Team!

Meet the New Economic Working Group advancing Biodynamic^® in the market.

Our ears are open! Please feel free to connect with us individually; we would love to hear from you.

Beth Hoinacki, Oregon

Member of the Demeter USA Board & Farmer-Owner of Goodfoot Farm

[email protected]

Jim Fullmer, Oregon

Farmer and Biodynamic Farm Consultant

[email protected]

Brian Wickert, Wisconsin

Vice President at Fifth Season Coop, Farmer & Value Chain Consultant

[email protected]

Jessica Roberts, Pennsylvania

Farm Consultant and Founder of Whole Farm Strategies

[email protected]

Craig Camp, Oregon

General Manager of Troon Vineyard, Writer & Podcaster

[email protected]

Bill Sweat, Oregon

Co-Owner and Founder of Winderlea Vineyard & Winery

[email protected]

Alysoun Bolger, United Kingdom

Biodynamic Federation Demeter International

[email protected]

Andy Bruno, Colorado

Farmer-Owner of Nutrient Farm

[email protected]

Zen Nishimura, Chicagoland

Founder of ZenBunni Biodynamic Coffee & Biodynamic Retailer

[email protected]

Robert Genco, New York

Brand Consultant, Wine Consultant & Owner of Della Terra LLC

[email protected]

Chelsea Nolan, Germany

Project Coordinator & Master Student

[email protected]

Finding Demeter Certified

Biodynamic^® Farms & Products

There are two online resources with consolidated listings of Demeter Certified Biodynamic^® farms and products. One is the Biodynamic Farm and Product Directory that lists all farms, processors, and traders (importers or brand owners) certified Biodynamic^® directly by Demeter USA. The Directory includes a map that pins each listing by type of operation, is searchable by zip code, city, crops, livestock, and products available. Users can find specific operations by browsing listings arranged alphabetically. Regular updating keeps the Directory current with additions as new operations get certified and removals if others leave certification. Many listings include additional details of interest and pictures.

The second resource is an international database hosted by the Biodynamic Federation Demeter International - BFDI Product Database. This online database lists every Demeter certified operation in the world along with their crops/acres and/or products. Demeter USA and other international Demeter certifiers update this database quarterly. This is an excellent tool for learning about what is available globally or within your area. Filtering can occur by operator, products, certifiers, or countries. For those wishing to sell or source Demeter Certified Biodynamic ingredients, there is a Marketplace feature where farms can post offers of available crops/raw materials and processors can post demands for needed ingredients. Demeter certified farms, processors, and traders can request login access to the Marketplace feature, they can customize their account, and post offers and demands.

Both the US Directory and the international database provide contact information and website addresses when available.

If you are a Demeter USA certified operation, watch your email next week for details on setting up your account for the international database.

Demeter Standards Feature

Links to the Demeter Farm and Processing Standards can be found on our website's home page: Demeter USA Farm and Processing Standards

Livestock Guidelines

Updates were made to the Demeter Standards in the last several years, and one area where changes were made is the section on Demeter-certified livestock.

The introduction to the Farm Standard states, "Animals are a crucial element of a Biodynamic farm, and in addition to their obvious contribution to a farm’s fertility, their care and welfare are given extensive consideration." Additionally, "If an animal is being raised for the sale of meat, eggs or milk, at least half of their feed must come from the farm (60% minimum for ruminants, Equidae and Camelidae). A minimum of 70% of the total ration for ruminants and 50% for pigs and poultry must be Demeter certified and the remainder must be NOP certified organic at minimum."

The updated Standards include a table that clearly lays out feed requirements:

- Staff Corner -

Nell Hanssen

Certification Specialist

Visiting Churchtown Dairy with Jennie and Jean-David.

A Focus on Demeter Traders

As the Demeter staff-member who works with our certified Traders, my time is often spent communicating with operations around the world. On a daily basis, I’ll receive documents and emails in German, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese. Google Translate is often in use!

The “Trader” category of certification is a litt le confusing. Here’s a brief summary:

Demeter USA’s certificatin of international Traders ensures that imported products meet the US Biodynamic product standards, including labeling requirements. In these situations, Demeter USA relies on an international Demeter certifier’s work inspecting and reviewing each of these producers and issuing their certificate. If there are areas where Demeter USA’s standards vary from the international standards, we verify that all growing, processing, and labeling complies with the US requirements before approving a product.

A Trader may also be a US company without its own farm production or processing operation that wishes to arrange the making of Biodynamic products and use the Demeter logos on their labels. These companies may have a contracted processor handle their product, and Demeter USA will inspect this operation and verify that processing complies with the Biodynamic standards.

Demeter Traders add a world of variety and flavor to the Biodynamic marketplace. Keep an eye out for their products, which include pasta sauces, vinegars, oils, wines, coffees, condiments, baby food, personal care products, and more. It is yet another way to spread the principles of Biodynamic farming practices around the world, another step in the direction of, as we like to say, “healing the planet through agriculture.”

Research Focus

Cover Cropping for Pollinators ~ Free Resources

Regenerative farming techniques such as Biodynamic farming require creativity and an ability to see all aspects of the farm working together to create a coherent, interconnected system. In such a system, nature is the best teacher. Such thinking is at the heart of the Biodynamic standards.

In nature, we see little bare soil. If a disturbance of the soil occurs – perhaps an area is impacted by fire, or by a herd of herbivores bunched together in response to predators – the area is quickly colonized by plant species present in the seedbank. Bare soil does not remain bare for long! In agricultural systems, we may choose to plant our areas of bare soil in cover crops. The Biodynamic Farm Standard states, “Bare tillage year round is prohibited so land needs to maintain adequate green cover.”

For the past several decades, cover crops have been an important feature of farms aiming at sustainability. Cover crops serve many functions beyond replacing bare soil with a living mulch. Many other benefits may be conferred including erosion control, nitrogen fixation, increasing organic matter in the soil, nutrient recycling, weed suppression, water management, and more.

In recent years, we have seen studies on cover crop management that, in addition to the many other benefits, is also aimed at providing a food source and habitat for beneficial wildlife, particularly pollinator species.

Published Resources

Below are some collected resources containing a wealth of information about cover crops, their benefits, specific management goals, and methods for establishment.

Guide to Cover Crops (Why is it important?) - Kiss The Ground – Great overview of the concept, benefits etc.

Pollinator-Friendly Cover Cropping– Pollinator-friendly cover cropping for vegetable producers. Fallow cover cropping, partial season, intercropping, perennial covers on field roads, etc

Cover Crop Impacts on Pollinators - SARE – SARE has funded numerous research projects on farms related to cover crops and the ecosystem services they provide.

Also through SARE, you can find a 16 page publication titled Cover Cropping for Pollinators and Beneficial Insects here: Cover-Cropping-for-Pollinators-and-Beneficial-Insects.pdf. This publication includes some excellent information on intercropping, including using perennial mixes for orchards and vineyards.

Funding and Technical Assistance Available

Through the USDA's Natural Resource Conservation Service's EQUIP program, farmers can apply for funding for conservation practices such as cover cropping. Funding opportunities vary from state to state. Start here to begin exploring options for financial and techincal assistance: Conservation Incentive Contracts.pdf

The Biodynamic Association Seeks Proposals

The BDA is currently welcoming proposals for two upcoming events:

1. The 2025 Online Biodynamic Conference will be held November 21-23 on the theme of "Sowing Seeds of a Future Agriculture." As the conference structure is evolving, they are seeking proposals for presentation of "seed" pictures and facilitation of working groups, with the hope of carrying the work forward after the event. Find out more and apply here. The priority deadline is September 1.

2. A participatory symposium, held February 13-15 in Colorado in collaboration with the Agriculture Section North America, will consider the theme of "Agriculture, Community, Economics: Reimagining the Future of Farming." Find out more and apply here. The priority deadline is October 5.