Bees know what they want and sometimes they express it in ways that even we – unskilled as we are in understanding their meaning – understand. Last year, on May Bank holiday Monday, a massive swarm of bees flew over the rooftops of Plaw Hatch Farm – a majestic and unforgettable sight for all who beheld it – and then from the swirling heights made a bee line, many thousand bee lines, for an empty hive which had just been placed a few days before along the sunny wall of the Student House, and took possession. It is wonderful, and felt to be a blessing, when a swarm of bees is persuaded by a majority of scout bees, who will have been scouring the surrounding area for suitable abodes for many days, to set up home in a place we offer them.
This was the start of Natural Beekeeping Trust activities at Plaw Hatch Farm.
The beautiful happy cows roaming around with their glorious horns and curious facial expressions are probably the heart of the farm – these gorgeous shiny representatives of true biodynamic husbandry. When you see a cow intact like this and observe its demeanour, its way of looking at the visitor, you realize that this is right, it is what cows are truly like, what they should be like and you feel sorry that not all cows are held in such high regard as they are here. Look at these happy creatures! Cindy and Nadja.
So, what is so special about this place that the Natural Beekeeping Trust and the bees have chosen as the ideal place to establish our Bee Sanctuary ?
First and foremost, it is a biodynamic farm. Biodynamics is shorthand for an approach to agriculture that was inaugurated early last century by Rudolf Steiner. In a course of lectures to farmers Rudolf Steiner offered a wealth of new and groundbreaking insights into the interconnections of all life on earth with the planets and the zodiac – in brief, a comprehensive view of the cosmos and the life sustained in it.
For a really concise and insightful description of biodynamic agriculture look no further than the home page of the BDAA – the Biodynamic Agricultural Association, with whose kind permission we reproduce it here:
The Essence of Biodynamics
A biodynamic farm functions as a strong, self-sustaining and vibrant single organism that recognizes and respects the basic principles at work in nature. It is a complete system in which all the different components of the farm are seen as parts of a greater whole. With farm animals at the centre a self-sustaining, balanced and harmonious environment is the result.
Special manure and herb-based preparations are applied to the fields and compost to enhance and stimulate the microbiological life in the soil and improve fertility. These have been shown to significantly improve the health and well being of soil, plant and animal as well as enhancing the vitality, flavour and keeping qualities of the produce for the benefit of the consumer. With the soil sequestering up to 25% more carbon than conventional farming methods, the health of the planet is also cared for. Biodynamic is a sound basis for sustainable food production.
Further to this biodynamic farmer recognizes that the life of a farm is exposed to wider as well as internal farm-based influences. The more subtle rhythms associated with the sun, the moon and the planets form the basis of an annually produced planting calendar. This guides the farmer towards appropriate times for cultivation and sowing for maximum quantity and quality.
The result is a rich and diverse farm built on sound organic principles that is embedded and sensitized to its surroundings. It produces food with such an individual quality that, as with wine, it can be described as having the ‘terroir’ of the farm – the sense of the place where it was grown.