×
A Farmer's Love
Living Biodynamics and the Meaning of Community
Paperback
March 2011
9780983198413
More details
- Publisher
Portal Books - Published
11th March 2011 - ISBN 9780983198413
- Language English
- Pages 144 pp.
$14.00
A Farmer’s Love is the story of the author's spiritual journey and how his relationship to the Earth evolved from an experience of basic utility to an experience of abiding love.
Farmers seldom bare their souls in books, but Walter Moora struggled and wrestled the words in this book from his heart. He offers more than specific descriptions of farming; he tells his life story as a biodynamic farmer and how he learned the lessons of creating healthy ecosystems on the farm through biodynamic preparations and by planting according to the stars.
The author learned early in his farming career that working with Nature is infinitely more satisfying and ultimately far more successful than working against Nature with chemicals. His experience of farming biodynamically on four continents taught him to listen to what the land itself asks for. A Farmer’s Love explains how nutrition in the food we eat comes directly from nutrition in the soil in which the plans grow. The book also explains ways the author learned to work with the soil to make it nutrient-rich without the use of synthetic chemicals. It chronicles Walter’s experience of learning both the physical and spiritual aspects of creating a whole, healthy farm ecosystem.
Through his life experiences, the author learned to trust his intuition, to take risks around his values, to find his soul’s destiny, and to deal with death and loss by trusting that the very best things can come directly from the very worst things.
A Farmer’s Love is for those who want to enrich their spiritual connection with the Earth and for budding farmers everywhere who are interested in caring for the Earth in a new way.
“Ever wish you could sit down with your favorite biodynamic farmer over a cup of tea and listen to his or her life story? This is your chance! In a refreshingly unguarded, conversational tone, Walter Moora introduces us to the mysteries of biodynamics and shares the intimate details of his lifelong quest for meaning, healing, and right relationship to the land. Enjoy!”
—Robert Karp, Executive Director, Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association
“A Farmers Love is not so much about farming as it is a diary of one man’s life experiences, which include his love of farming. A heartwarming story.”
—Frederick Kirschenmann, Ph.D., President of Kirschenmann Family Farms and international leader in sustainable agriculture“Walter Moora’s story tells of his lifelong struggle to honor himself, his purpose, those he loves, and the land that holds us all is the overarching metaphor of our times as we work our way back to our place in the web of nature and forward into a new, more evolved way of being.”
—Penny Kelly, author of Robes: A Book of Coming Changes
“People everywhere are recognizing that one of the most important actions they can take for the health of their families, the environment and the future is to grow healthy food. In A Farmer’s Love, Walter Moora offers inspiration and practical ideas for starting or deepening your journey for growing delicious, healthy food that will nurture you and a better world.”
—Alisa Gravitz, Executive Director, Green America
“Walter Moora...introduced us to biodynamics on his Wisconsin dairy farm several years ago. He balances intelligence and intuition in imparting his considerable knowledge and wisdom, and it is a great pleasure to be able to learn even more from this trusted resource. We’re confident that Walter’s book will do the same for others.”
—Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, former wine columnists for The Washington Post and coauthors of The Flavor Bible, winner of the 2010 Nautilus Book Award and 2009 James Beard Foundation Book Award
C O N T E N T S:
1. Letting Go
2. A Birth and Almost a Death
3. Cast Out of Nature
4. Th e Flight of a Bird...and Biodynamics
5. Falling in Love
6. Cresset Farm
7. Searching for Our Place
8. Washing Windows, Growing Vegetables, Baking Bread, and Back to Farming
9. My Hardest Years
10. Susan Introduces Me to My Kindred Spirits
11. A Vision Quest in Ecuador
12. Biodynamic Farming: My Life’s Work
13. Standing between Heaven and Earth
14. Spiritual Beings Stand behind Matter
15. Th e Farm as an Ecosystem
16. Th e Biodynamic Preparations
17. Th e Horn Manure and Horn Silica Preparations
Epilogue
Appendix
Cited Works and Further Reading
Walter Moora
Walter Moora was born in the jungles of Borneo in 1949 of Dutch parents. By the end of high school, he knew he wanted to be a farmer and began his life path. Realizing that conventional farming fights nature instead of working with her, Walter left New Zealand in 1972 to learn how to work with nature through biodynamic methods. For thirty-five years, he has lived in the US and worked on Camphill community farms, as well as his own. In 1998, Walter's wife was killed in an automobile accident. After years of deep grieving, he met a neighbor who had suffered similar grief and shared his spiritual outlook. Susan Davis had devoted her life to creating “KINS Innovation Networks” in social investing, organics, solar, micro-enterprise, corporate social responsibility and women’s empowerment. Through Susan’s Capital Missions Company, the couple began the successful Kindred Spirits Network (KINS), and invited social investors and philanthropists to visit our Nokomis Farm to learn how non-farmers can steward the Earth. In 2007, Walter sold his cattle and machinery, Susan spun off her latest KINS network, and they moved for almost a year to Vilcabamba, Ecuador. Walter currently writes, gives talks and workshops, and shares his life with Susan.
