GUEST: John Hodgkinson – experienced biodynamic grower and multi-talented volunteer with Biodynamics Agriculture Australia Ltd. Introduction to this episode: ‘My guest on this episode of the series, John Hodgkinson, is a highly experienced and knowledgeable biodynamic grower who first encountered biodynamic methods in the mid-1990s and started using them on an existing 40 hectare farm he then owned and ran. So impressed was he with early results that he launched into full-scale adoption of the biodynamic method on his property. After selling his farm in 2005 John moved to Bellingen NSW and has kept very busy with biodynamics ever since. He maintains his own container garden, has managed numerous rental gardens and he helped develop a veggie garden just outside of the town which supplied bunched salad varieties to a weekly grower’s market stall. John is also member and active volunteer with Biodynamic Agriculture Australia Ltd. which is headquartered in Bellingen. His work for the organisation has included making biodynamic preparations as well as editing and contributing to the News Leaf journal and performing an advisory and educational role. A written account of John's biodynamic growing experiences is contained in a companion text profile booklet of all the guests interviewed for this podcast series. Also entitled ‘Stories of our Biodynamic Farmers and Gardeners in Australia' details of this written publication are available from the Biodynamics Agriculture Australia Ltd. website. INTERVIEW TALKING POINTS - with approximate time elapsed in mins. Guest foreshadow comment - 0.00Generic podcast series introduction. – 0.30This episode introduction – 2.03Guest self-introduction – 3.51How would you describe biodynamics in 2023 – 10.54How do biodynamics contrast to more conventional agriculture – 16.42How did you first become involved with biodynamic growing in the first place? – 23.12Can you tell us more about your biodynamic work and its beneficial impacts? – 32.07including on you personally – 40.13 with comments on the spiritual/cosmic aspects of biodynamics? What are some of the challenges you have faced on your biodynamic journey? – 57.57What does the future hold for your work? - 1.02.50 Guest take home message and biodynamic advice to listeners– 1.06.14Thanks, acknowledgements and episode close. – 1.07:56End of episode – 1.09:54 GUEST AND CONTACT DETAILS: Guest: John Hodgkinson, Biodynamic Agriculture Australia Ltd, Bellingen NSW. Householders’ Options to Protect the Environment (HOPE) Inc.(Australia) Tel: 07 4639 2135 Email WEB Facebook Biodynamic Agriculture Australia Ltd. 25 Nobles Lane, BELLINGEN, NSW 2454,Australia Tel: 02 6655 0566 Email WEB Facebook Production: Produced for HOPE by Andrew Nicholson. This episode recorded in Toowoomba, S.E. Queensland, Australia on 11th October 2023 Interview questions developed by: Anna Kula-Kaczmarski Incidental Music: James Nicholson BFGA podcast series - brief survey (2 – 5 minute) completion The Stories of our Biodynamic Farmers and Gardeners podcast series was produced for Biodynamic Agriculture Australia Ltd. And out short listener survey is available now on Survey Monkey. It consists of simple questions which should take less than five minutes to complete. The survey has been created to encourage our audience to give more feedback than is usually generated via podcast app rating scores and comments. We value any ideas, insights or comments listeners might have which could help us develop possible future podcast offerings. All feedback received will be treated as anonymous data and will only be used for the strict purpose of helping us better design possible future podcast media. The survey is available at this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/7HNFFBQ RESORCES MENTIONED IN INTERVIEW OR RELEVANT TO THE DISCUSSION: Anthroposophy: for an introduction to some key ideas such as spiritual science see the Anthroposophical Society in Australia website (2023) Thomas Berry: The Great Work Our Way Into the Future (2011 edition) Google Books listing and preview GUEST’S SPECIFIC BOOK INFLUENCES AND RECOMMENDATIONS Rachel Carson: Silent Spring (book published 1962) – extensive background on this and other popular scientific work and scholarship by Carson. The Findhorn Garden Story: (2008 edition) Google Books listing and preview Peter Tompkins, Christopher Bird, William Thomas: Secrets of the Soil New Solutions for Restoring Our Planet (1998 edition) see Google Books listing Also by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird: The Secret Life of Plants: A Fascinating Account of the Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Relations Between Plants and Man also by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird (1973) see 2018 edition preview on Google Books listing OTHER INFORMATION AND RESOURCES Dowsing – for an introduction to concepts and ...
