Farm Interview with Barry Gleason of Marian Farms 9/17/09
Name of Farm: Marian Farms
Name of Farmers: Gena Nonini and Barry Gleason
Location of Farm: Fresno, California in the San Joaquin Valley
Acres Cultivated: 80 (40 of which are devoted to grapes)
Age of farm: 100 years of family farming and became Biodynamic in 1993
Crops Spiritual Foods Receives from them: almonds, grapes, raisins
Other Crops Grown on the Farm: oranges, lemons, herbal prep, flowers, row crops, and have an on-site distillery (mainly for tincturing herbs and Espirito de la Valada, their signature brandy)
Before you sit down to read this interview, Barry Gleason recommends grabbing a bunch of his biodynamic grapes and popping them in the freezer for twenty minutes. By the time you’re done, you’ll have a delicious candy-like treat—with a spiritual life force!
If you are wondering where these delicious grapes originate, Gleason is speaking about the grapes grown on the other side of the country at Marian Farms. Marian Farms is an 80-acre biodynamic farm seated in the heart of the San Joaquin valley. This farm is handled by Gena Nonini, the owner of the property and farm. The property has remained in her family for nearly a century. Although half of their land is devoted to the cultivation of grapes, to maintain biodynamic standards of biodiversity they grow many other crops as well. On top of cultivating many row crops, Marian farms operates their own CSA and even sends some shares through the mail.
What Gleason loves most about farming is, to name a few of the perks, working with the spiritual forces of the universe, the healing of the soil by biodynamic practices, working in harmony with the Earth, harvesting food which contains a life force, and of course, the beauty of their product.
Why Biodynamic? For Gleason this was an easy question to answer. It fit squarely in their farm’s mission, which he states as: “to grow and produce the healthiest possible foods while nourishing and healing the earth through biodynamic practices.”
Marian Farms uses the nine biodynamic practices originally designed by Rudolph Steiner from Marian Farms’ website. They are:
#500: Horn Manure: Cow manure is packed into cow horns and buried in the ground over the winter. After stirring—greatly diluted—in water for one hour, it is applied to the soil. It develops soil structure and humus and promotes extensive root growth in plants, better enabling them to take up water and nutrients. This preparation establishes the relationship between the plant and earth forces.
#501 Horn Silica: A tiny amount of quartz crystal, finely pulverized, is stirred in water for one hour and sprayed on crops, typically in late spring or early summer, to stimuate photosynthesis and enhance the light metabolish mf plants. Silica influences the appearance, aromas, falvors, and keeping qualities of crops. This preparation establishes the relationship between the plant and cosmic forces.
#502 Yarrow: Helps plants to attract trace nutrients and increases sensitivity to water.
#503 Chamomile: Influences calcium activity and stabilizes nitrogen.
#504 Stinging Nettles: Influences potash and calcium forces and stimulates soil health.
#505 Oak Bark: Provides healing forces to combat harmful plant diseases.
#506 Dandelion Flowers: Stimultes the relationship between silica and potassium so that silica can attract cosmic forces to the soil.
#507 Valerian: Influences phosphorous and warmth forces, protecting plants in the cold.
#508 Horsetail: Prevents or lessens the effects of mildew and fungus on plants.
(for more information, please visit; http://www.marianfarmsbiodynamic.com/what_is_biodynamics.php)
A simple definition of biodynamics is an advanced farming system emphasis on food quality and soil health through compost, rotation, and cover cropping. First and foremost, by employing biodynamic practices, you are healing the soil. But equally as important is Biodynamics’ “acknowledgement of working in the world of the etheric.” As he explains, there are formidable forces behind the physical—“unseen behind the scenes” and feels that it is important to not only acknowledge these forces but to work in concert with them. Gena, the owner of the farm, employs biological and dynamic practices. They do this not only with crop rotation, crop cover, and seed saving but also with special biodynamic preparations like festival sprays.
(see:http://www.marianfarmsbiodynamic.com/what_is_biodynamics_newfsp.php)
Gleason is a passionate advocate for Biodynamic practices; when asked what the future of food contains he believes that the future of food lies in biodynamics because of biodynamic agriculture’s ability to heal the soil. “We’re going to have to make some dramatic changes in farming otherwise we’re going to end up in the dustbowl” he remarks. No doubt, he says, that the world is experiencing a lot of suffering—he attributes this to etheric forces getting colder and becoming damaged—but as a positive example, biodynamic food continues to heal the soil and thus produces a healing product for the earth, body, and spirit.
He attributes the success of his grapes to biodynamic preparations and methods. Although grape crops grown via conventional and conventional organic agriculture have suffered dramatically according to Gleason, he says their grape crops continue to thrive and have seen no damage.
Marian Farms' grapes are also unique in that they are not treated with gibberellic acid or "gibbed", as most grapes are in both the organic and conventional markets. Gibberellic acid-3 is a commercially produced plant growth regulator (i.e. growth hormone) which is sprayed on seedless grapes to increase grape size and yield.
Of course, there are always natural threats to his crops—for grapes, he says, mildew is the biggest problem. But this is easily taken care of with a medicinal spray, produced on the farm (in accordance with biodynamic requirements) from medicinal herbs grown right on the farm. And of course there are always challenges from nature – mainly pests – but the “healthier your soil is, the less problems you have in the first place. “