368. Mark Rathbone, Biodynamics and Soil Carbon

·44 min·4 clips

Mark Rathbone, a second-generation biodynamic farmer, reveals how his father started this method in 1965 and why he knows no other way.

The episode features an interview with Mark Rathbone, a biodynamic farmer from Save Our Soil in northern Victoria, Australia. Mark explains he is a second-generation biodynamic farmer, with his father starting the practice in 1965 after attending lectures by Alex Botelinski. He runs a 50-acre seasonal vegetable farm, using five acres at a time, and supplies produce to Melbourne markets weekly. Mark describes the challenges of transitioning from dairy farming during the 2000 drought to vegetable farming, focusing on direct customer sales. He details biodynamic methods, including preparation 500, which involves cow manure in horns to introduce microbes into soil, and other preparations like 501-507 for compost and light enhancement. Mark shares how biodynamics transformed his soil from four inches to four feet deep over 20 years, improving water infiltration from weekly to monthly irrigation. He contrasts this with conventional farming, criticizing superphosphate for harming fungi and standard soil tests for ignoring living biology. Mark discusses climate observations, noting colder winters and hotter summers, and believes biodynamics offers resilience. He explains practical techniques like deep ripping, strip grazing, and careful tillage to minimize soil disruption. Mark highlights the flavor of his produce, with customers often returning after tasting melons, and speculates on links between soil health and gut health. He mentions resources like Australian Demeter Biodynamics and his website biosoil.net.au to demystify biodynamics, emphasizing practical over spiritual aspects. The conversation touches on related topics like Masanobu Fukuoka's 'The One-Straw Revolution,' Charles Massey's soil carbon claims, and biological pest controls like dipel. Mark concludes by advocating for regenerative farming methods that work with nature.

As heard by us

A grounded conversation on biodynamic vegetables, living soil, pasture rotation, mulch, microbes, and the limits of some soil testing.

Mark Rathbone makes biodynamic vegetable farming feel like a set of practical decisions rather than a loose philosophy. From a seasonal vegetable farm in northern Victoria, he connects soil carbon to rotation, pasture, mulch, roots, grasses, and microbial life, explaining why…

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You get a farmer's view of how soil microbes, mulch, fungi, and carbon matter on a 50-acre seasonal vegetable farm in northern Victoria.

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