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The '''North American Biodynamic Association''' (formerly '''Biodynamic Farming & Gardening Association''') is a [[w:United States|United States]]-based company that promotes [[Biodynamic agriculture]] system through educational and research programs and has headquarters in [[w:Milwaukee, Wisconsin|Milwaukee]], [[w:Wisconsin|Wisconsin]].

==History==
Biodynamic agriculture was inaugurated in 1924 by Austrian scientist [[Rudolf Steiner]].<ref name=PaullJ>{{cite journal|last=Paull|first=John|title=Attending the First Organic Agriculture Course: Rudolf Steiner's Agriculture Course at Koberwitz, 1924 |journal=European Journal of Social Sciences |year=2011 |volume=21 |issue=1 |pages=64–70 |url=https://www.academia.edu/9149070}}</ref> It is the oldest, non-chemical agricultural movement and pre-dates organic agriculture by some twenty years. Beginning in 1926, American farmers and gardeners joined the effort to test and promulgate Steiner's agricultural ideas.<ref name=usabd>Paull, John  (2019) [https://www.academia.edu/39718306/Organic_Agriculture_in_Australia_Attaining_the_Global_Majority_51_ The Pioneers of Biodynamics in USA: The Early Milestones of Organic Agriculture in the United States], 
American Journal of Environment and Sustainable Development, 6(2):89-94.</ref> By 1938 there were 39 Americans who had joined this international effort, with some reading Steiner's work in the English translation and others in the German original.<ref name=usabd>Paull, John  (2019) [https://www.academia.edu/39718306/Organic_Agriculture_in_Australia_Attaining_the_Global_Majority_51_ The Pioneers of Biodynamics in USA: The Early Milestones of Organic Agriculture in the United States], 
American Journal of Environment and Sustainable Development, 6(2):89-94.</ref> 

The Association was formed in 1938 in [[New York state]] with the support of [[Ehrenfried Pfeiffer]], a disciple of [[Rudolf Steiner]], when he immigrated to the U.S.<ref>A.D. Paschoal, "Sustainable Agriculture: An Increasing Worldwide Concern and Reality", presented at ''Second International Conference on Kyusei Nature Farming, São Paulo, Brazil'' (October 1991).[http://www.infrc.or.jp/english/KNF_Data_Base_Web/PDF%20KNF%20Conf%20Data/C2-2-029.pdf Conference presentation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928220912/http://www.infrc.or.jp/english/KNF_Data_Base_Web/PDF%20KNF%20Conf%20Data/C2-2-029.pdf |date=2007-09-28 }}</ref> It is organized as a [[w:501(c)#501.28c.29.283.29|501(c)(3)]] [[w:non-profit organizations|non-profit organization]].

==Purpose==
The Association is a non-profit, membership organization and is open to the public. It has an educational focus and conducts conferences, workshops and seminars; publishes books and a quarterly journal, ''Biodynamics''; and supports regional, grass-roots membership groups. It provides several booklets with specific instructions on biodynamic methods, including the biodynamic preparations and composting.<ref>Steve Diver, ''Biodynamic Farming & Compost Preparation'', Alternative Farming Systems Guide: ATTRA, February 1999. [http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/PDF/biodynam.pdf Document text] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509055713/http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/PDF/biodynam.pdf |date=2008-05-09 }}</ref>

==References==

<references />

==Weblinks==
*[http://www.biodynamics.com/ The Biodynamic Farming & Gardening Association homepage]

[[Category:Biodynamic agriculture]]
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