DDT - Using Biodynamic Farming to Remediate

Thought I would share this email that was sent to me from a local permaculture farmer~katherine

Marie Mauger (pronounced Mow-shay) runs a 17 ac biodynamic farm, perhaps 3-4 of it is currently in tillage. It is on an old pineapple plantation, which was heavily doused with DDT for several years.

She got a grant from the USDA to monitor test patches where she was working to detoxify the soil- hard to sale organic produce when its not organic, right? she did 16 test plots, 4 each of 4 different treatments: control, lignin, lignin-biodynamic and biodynamic.

she had a grad student witness the test plot preparations and handle thelab testing of ths soils.

The results were shocking, I think, to conventional science- the DDT concentrations in the control plot barely moved of course; the lignin treatement produced the next lowest % of decrease, somewhere in the 50-60% reduction, if I recall, and the liginin biodynamic treatment produced a 70% or so reduction. Biodynamic alone produced the greatest effect, an 82% reduction in DDT in the observed soil.

That this is all documented in a USDA report is of course remarkable; while I have my wn opinion of Steiner's metasystemic approach, the feild level applications are quite observably superior to other available treatments in this experiment.

for a complete copy of the test method and results, including the biodynamic application titles (ingredients are standard to titles, but are found elsewhere) please see

http://www.soilandhealth.org/01aglibrary/BD.Journal.TOC.html

and search for "mauger". you can register with the librarian and then dowlload the copy of the journal which outlines this experiement.

I have pictures of her farm, further detalis of this story, and much more. Shes a cutey!

Peace,

Deston Denniston, M.S., C.P.I.
Steward, Abundance Permaculture Consulting
www.abundancepermaculture.com
(360) 673-2124