I first met Fred Kirschenmann on his farm in Medina, North Dakota in 2001. With me was Jim Fullmer, who was doing Fred’s Biodynamic farm inspection for Demeter USA. I was an inspector in training. While familiar with Biodynamic farming for some time, this was my first Demeter farm inspection visit. The next year I went back as the trained inspector. It was then that Fred shared with a chuckle that he thought the role model for an inspector was Columbo (the LAPD detective played by Peter Falk on TV from 1968 - 2003) - unassuming demeanor, attentive to the often-overlooked details, a certain air of apparent ineptitude, good rapport, and effusive amount of gratitude. To this day, I try to mix in humor, maintain rapport if at all possible, pay attention, and be gracious.



Kirschenmann Family Farm was the first Demeter certified farm in the United States, pre-dating Demeter USA. Europeans from Demeter International (now Biodynamic Federation – Demeter International) came to certify the farm in 1981. Demeter USA was established in 1985 and took on that certification that continued until 2018.



Fred was teaching Theology in Ohio when he was introduced to organic farming by his student Dave Vetter (now at Grain Place Farm – Marquette, NE). When Fred’s father had a heart attack in the mid 1970’s, he decided to return to the farm on that condition that his father let him farm it organically. Soon after, a grain broker told Fred that he could get a higher premium if he converted to Demeter certified Biodynamic. In Fred’s words, “someone came and showed me how to do it, and it worked!” So, he continued for 37 years.



Fred served on the Demeter USA Board for many years until 2018. He was instrumental in the editing of the Biodynamic Farm Standard as it appears today as an expression of the Principles of Biodynamic Farming. He spoke at many Biodynamic conferences in the USA some of which I got to hear. He stood out to me as a pillar in the world, a jovial point of light amid the many challenges our world faces. His contributions are too many to count and summarize here. I understand that a Festshrift is in the works as an attempt to bring Fred’s enormous presence into perspective. Fred remarkably balanced farming, academia, theology, and business.



For those that know Fred, it is no surprise that he has an enormous library of books, including many books on Biodynamic and organic agriculture and Rudolf Steiner. His library includes many books with Fred’s contributions. A complete list would be extensive, but Fred does not keep a list of all his scholarly works. He recently donated 87 boxes of books from his library to The Land Institute in Salinas, KS.



I recently visited with Fred and his wife, Carolyn Raffensperger in Ames, IA. Carolyn shared that a colleague told her that “the contributions that Fred made to the world in a week are more than most people make in a lifetime.” Fred started contributing young when he rebuilt his family’s farm tractor in 1947 when he was 12. Although Fred said he does not recall all the details of his long past, we shared some laughs and reminisced about people we know in common.



Fred has a way of keeping things practical while balancing the 35,000-foot perspective – I could even say the cosmic or spiritual perspective. Demeter USA is a better organization today from Fred’s contributions. I am a better person because I know him. My profound gratitude goes out to him.



Fred’s journey with us on this Earth is coming to an end. He has lived with cancer for a few decades and the treatments are no longer effective. He and his family decided that he would move to hospice care. His family has created a page at Caring Bridge to share updates, memories and photos.   Caring Bridge - Fred Kirchenmann