Valley Stream North High Ecology Club takes tour of organic farm

Members of the Valley Stream North High School’s Ecology Club under the direction of North High science teacher and club advisor, Stephanie Restuccio, embarked on a field trip to Crossroads Farm earlier this year. Their mission—to learn about biodynamic farming, an alternative agriculture practice rooted in the work of philosopher, scientist, and esotericist Dr. Rudolf Steiner.
Steiner’s farming methods remain highly contested among horticulture academics and scientists alike for blending mystical concepts with science-based food practices. Experts are particularly critical of Steiner’s nine described “preparations,” a handful of herbs, animal and mineral substances, and manures made into field sprays and compost—citing a lack of scientific evidence to support its alleged benefits in improving soil quality.
Still, a growing number of farmers across the nation have trended toward adopting principles of biodynamic farming—attracted to the high premium it places on creating a holistic and sound ecology and nurturing a personal, ethical connection with the land. Cultivators and growers at Crossroads Farm incorporate a medley of “organic, biodynamic, and sustainable agricultural principles of land remediation and crop cultivation,” according to their website.
Students were treated to a tour of the organic, 5-acre vegetable farm where they learned a simple, age-old farming practice key to biodynamic farming: saving seeds to be used for future planting. The budding North High ecologists then proceeded to roll up their sleeves as they harvested seeds from the buds of dead flowers to be used for new flower plantings next year to help foster genetic diversity and create new varieties of plantings.