Dr. Lorand has converted over 50 high end wineries in France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Hungary and the United States. Through teaching and coaching based on highly effective diagnosis of health and illness, vitality and quality in the field and cellar, Lorand has led professional vintners successfully to farm and make outstanding biodynamic wines as a specialty for well over 20 years.
Besides being a hands on farmer and gardener, Lorand holds a PhD in Agricultural Education from Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, a Farm Management Degree from Switzerland and is the former Director of the North American Biodynamic Training Program, a past Associate Director of the North American Biodynamic Association and was one of the key pioneers of the CSA movement, both in the US and in Europe.
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What is important to know about biodynamic viticulture?
Biodynamic Viticulture:
- is a highly effective spiritual-ecological, refined, complex, beyond organics approach;
- is a systematic, learnable, principled, but not dogmatic set of principles and practices;
- requires serious homework, preparation, precision, presence, and reflection;
- is not hocus-pocus (trickery or magic) but an advanced agricultural system using complimentary medical approaches to solving agricultural problems;
- includes both modern scientific as well as ancient common sense wisdom about farming, focusing on best practical methods;
- was inspired by the work of Dr. Rudolf Steiner and has been further developed and field tested by many professionals around the world over the last 85+ years;
- has unfortunately become a bit of a fad, with anyone and anybody calling themselves biodynamic. as with all things, a healthy pinch of perspective and life experience helps to separate the truly knowledgeable and experienced from those jumping on the band wagon. buyer beware! at the same time, it is great that the word is getting out.
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Viticulture (the world of grapes) has been a part of the ecological movement and biodynamics in particular from the beginning. References to viticulture in the lectures of Steiner's orginal agriculture course in 1924, as well as in the question and answer sessions are to be found. However, only more recently has biodynamics entered into the high-end of wine grape growing.
There are many approaches to biodynamics and accordingly many approaches to biodynamic viticulture. Finding the approach that fits you is important. The approach represented on this site is practical, non-dogmatic, scientific and spiritual.
Practical in the sense that only what is workable in the field makes sense; non-dogmatic because dogma is not compatible with the free, independent human spirit; scientific because embracing science and technology in an ecologically sound manner; makes sense; and spiritual because being materialist is a dead end.
Furthermore, we are seeking a diganostic-therapeutic approach to the work. This means that everytime we enter the field, walk in the gardens, stand with our animals, work in the cellar, approach our soils and so on - we need to be asking the questions: What is healthy here, what not - and what can be done to restore health? These are the three basic questions that every farmer, gardener, agronomist, forester and vintner must ask in order to be ethical, successful and sustainable.
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