Steve: The point I was trying to make in my reply to this thread is that all too often in BD we see people getting excited about the ribbons and decoration on the package and forgetting about the contents. The contents, in the case of the BD preps, are the forces or energies they carry. While we may feel warm and fuzzy about using manure from lactating BD cows who live on BD pasture and only served by gentle BD bulls in the moonlight, the fact is that we need fresh cow shit stuffed in a cow horn. Fresh because we are after the astral and ethereal forces induced into the cows digestive system which will attract the earth energies over the winter and a cow horn because it will do the job of holding and concentrating the forces better. In all my years of BD I have heard time and time again these myths and dogma which place restrictions on people using BD, they almost always come about from people who don't really understand that the forces are the important thing so they apply their own version that makes them feel warm and fuzzy. When ever I am in doubt I always go back to "Agriculture" and learn again how simple it can be. Peace to all David C
----- Original Message ----- From: "Steve Diver" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Saturday, 9 November 2002 6:04 AM Subject: Re: The great international cowpie smuggling caper > Merla went looking for some cow manure on a > BD farm to make her Horn Manure and her CPP. > > Some practical advice came back to use what you got, > locally, even though it ain't exactly organic. > > Generally speaking I go along with practical advice like > that. Get the engine running, the adjust the carburetor. > > Yet, the tale of the four cow pies comes to mind. > > All of these farms I have walked on in the last year, so my > observations are fresh in my mind, and it is something > I'm reflecting on. > > Ozark Farm #1: Rotational grazing; integrated with turkey > manure and composting. I can go into long details about all the > conservation practices and subsequent healthy indicators > coming back to this farm. The farm is not organic but it is > certainly a model of a sustainable grass-based livestock farm. > The bottomline is the cow pie. These animals are healthy cows > with healthy cow pies. The cow dung is quickly invaded by > teeming hordes of insect life, especially dung beetles. Within > a few hours it looks like an apartment dwelling with tunnels > and honeycombs. Within a few days is has flattened to the > earth. Nutrient cycling thus accomplished; organic matter > returned to the earth. A living energy exchange has taken > place. > > Ozark Farm #2: The farm has cows, yet it is a run down > farm because they use continuous grazing and they > medicate the cows heavily and use systemic insecticides > to worm the cows. The forages are low grade and > over run with weeds. When the cow pie hits the ground > it just sits there. Weeks later it is still there in the same > shape. The only insects visible are flies, indicators of > a putrefactive microbial turn of events. There is no life in this > cow dung, it is a rotting corpse of undigested organic matter. > > India Farm #3: The typical Indian peasant farm is integrated, > working 1-3 acres of subsistance foods and cash crops with > a bullock to raise a few extra rupees. The family lives > close to their animals. They keep a cow for milk and yogurt, > a few baby animals lounge about, and a bullock or two is there > to work the fields. The woman gathers leaves and grass for > bedding, and hay for fodder. The farmyard manure (FYM) is > used to spread on fields, or used in a compost pile or to make > vermicompost. The animals are healthy and contented. They > exude a peaceful calm. It is against the law to kill a cow in India. > The cows are naturally healthy and free of antibiotics and > insecticides. The dung is free of contaminants, it is strong > in quality and life force. The dung is used for soil fertility, for > fuel cakes, and to smear on walls as an insulation, among other > uses, including BD compost and CPP. > > India Farm #4: The farm uses water buffalo, so the dung is > buffalo dung. A group of Indian farmers are visiting, sitting > around drinking tea and discussing the merits of biodynamic > farming. A question arises as to any differences in quality > and power of CPP, cow pit pat, between cow dung and buffalo > dung. The answer comes back from the more experienced > biodynamic farmers that buffalo dung has 40% power. > > So I am reflecting on these observations and the quality of > cow dung. I remember seeing those dead cow pies on > an adjacent pasture, and then I think why not drive my pickup > truck to a farm a little further away to gather cow manure > of better quality. > > Steve Diver > > P.S. > My colleagues at ATTRA put these two items together > on nutrient cycling and dung beetles, of interest perhaps > to some readers. The dung beetle pub is especially > fun to read and think about. > > Dung Beetle Benefits in the Pasture Ecosystem > http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/dungbeetle.html > http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/PDF/dungbeetle.pdf > > Nutrient Cycling in Pastures > http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/nutcycle.html > http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/PDF/nutrientcycling.PDF > > >
