Biodynamic agriculture is a farming and gardening method designed to optimize yields and quality through a systematic set of controls and procedures involving the earth's ecology as well as the cosmos. Biodynamic farming is also referred to as sustainable agriculture because it incorporates the same basic principles of satisfying human food and fiber needs, enhancing natural resource and environment quality, utilizing renewable resources and natural biological cycles, and improving life for society.http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/pubs/terms/srb9902.shtml

Biodynamic agriculture is believed to have first been practiced in the 1920s as a way of preventing the decline of soil and furthering it's life or value. Results are measured by the health of the land and livestock, quality of produce, and a lack of environmental problems. This is a dynamic form of agriculture which continues to develop and adapt to the numerous climates, zones, bioregions and geologies which utilize it.http://www.biodynamics.com/biodynamics.html There are various elements involved in Biodynamic agriculture, all playing a vital role in the unified approach which is a hallmark of this type of agriculture. Compost is a primary element as are herbs and manure used to convert compost to fertilizer. Crop rotation is another element, which calls for the alternating of long rooted and short rooted plants, as well as soil-exhausting and soil restoring crops such as beans and peas. A Biodynamic calendar is a star map and a plant guide, dictating when seeds should be sewn, weeds pulled, produce harvested and pruned. Biodynamic agriculture has been used in the commercial preparation of gourmet wine and produce and helps mitigate some of the costs associated with chemically dependent conventional agriculture.http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/260/5106/344