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Wine industry figurehead Vanya Cullen will be hosting a workshop at her Margaret River winery to teach people how to get started with Biodynamics, the chemical-free agricultural system that has helped propel her wines to international fame.

Vanya has been Senior Winemaker at Cullen Wines since 1989 and her commitment to Biodynamics has led to the creation of wines that are sought out by collectors all over the world.

In what constitutes a rare and formidable line-up of biodynamic knowledge, Vanya will be joined at the workshop by third generation organic farmer, John Priestley, and Biodynamic Agriculture Australia’s Chief Executive Officer, Hamish Mackay.

Biodynamic Agriculture Australia CEO Hamish Mackay who will be sharing his knowledge at the forthcoming workshop in Margaret River.

John Priestley has been evolving his personal knowledge of Biodynamics for over 50 years. With his wife Dorothy, he has a 50 ha property on the Paterson River in the Hunter Valley (NSW) where he runs cattle in addition to 15 ha of award winning biodynamic citrus. John is an enthusiastic proponent of the ecological approach to managing and developing our natural resources and sees Biodynamics as the most effective way to achieve this at both the gardening and farming level.

He is a wealth of practical knowledge with a keen eye for the small observations that can make a difference to farming and gardening. John’s central belief is that better results are achieved by stimulating healthy life in the soil rather than by adding costly inputs.

In 2006 he was included in the Australian Food Hall of Fame while he and Dorothy have won numerous awards for quality produce, all of which have been grown using only holistic and biodynamic methods. John has been widely utilised in an advisory capacity by the NSW Department of Primary Industries,

Tocal College NSW, the NSW Shires Association and the Kimberly Primary Industries Association in WA and he provides practical wisdom, leadership and inspiration to many farmers.

Hamish Mackay, who will be leading the workshop alongside John and Vanya, is the CEO of Biodynamic Agriculture Australia and treasurer of the Organic Federation of Australia.

From a family grazing property at Braidwood on the Southern Tablelands of NSW, in the early 1970s he worked with Economic Wool Producers Ltd, introducing sale by sample and description to the wool industry.

As part of the Demeter Bakery in Sydney, in 1977 he was involved in exporting the first organic (biodynamic) wheat out of Australia using controlled the atmosphere carbon dioxide method developed by the CSIRO.

Hamish has been working with Biodynamics for 35 years and in 1989 became the founding chairman of Biodynamic Agriculture Australia.

Participants at a recent Biodynamic Agriculture Australia workshop get involved in the construction of a biodynamic compost heap.

Biodynamic Agriculture Australia Ltd is a not-for-profit membership association created in 1989 to assist farmers adopt biodynamic methods of agriculture across Australia as a cost effective way to produce high quality wine, food and fibre, at the same time as they improve our environment.

Many growers who have adopted Biodynamics have experienced significant drought tolerance over these past seven years, maintaining greater production levels than anticipated from past drought occurrences.

The workshop at Cullen Wines will be taking place at Cowaramup on April 28-29 and will combine both theoretical and practical sessions.

Participants at the workshop will learn to;

• Build natural soil fertility

• Create and use the biodynamic preparations

• Make biodynamic compost, liquid fertilisers, and weed teas

• Prevent fungal disease

• Manage weeds and insects

• Manage climate risk

Registrations for the workshop (which are FarmBiz supported for eligible participants and tax deductible for businesses) are available through Biodynamic Agriculture Australia on 02 6655 0566.

In addition, a workshop for farmers with a focus on cropping and grazing will take place at Albany, WA, on May 1-2. Two further workshops are also scheduled for Tasmania over May 26-27 (cropping and grazing) and May 28-29 (viticulture).

Further details can be found at www.biodynamics.net.au.