From Filmaking to Farming Goshen Green Farm Brings Biodynamic Farming into Focus

With the onset of fall, Goshen Green Farm, a biodynamic farm located on Route 207 prepares its beds for the long winter ahead, implementing some interesting concepts.

Santi Hitorangi and his wife Susan Hito-Shapiro, both filmmakers who met while working on projects in Los Angeles, decided to enter the world of biodynamic farming after they moved back east ten years ago to be closer to Susan's father who was ill. Susan, who grew up in Rockland County is also a former law student and became concerned about health issues regarding Indian Point. Santi, who is originally from Easter Island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean grew up with farming and enrolled at the Pfeisser Institute in Rockland County to study the principles of biodynamic farming established by Rudolf Steiner.

"In biodynamic farming," according to Santi, "you use everything on your farm to grow what is on your farm." You create "intelligent soil" combine it with an "intelligent plant" and the result is a biodynamically grown fruit or vegetable that actually has more flavor and more healthful qualities that those found in an average supermarket.

"The biodynamic legacy is to make you a better human being," he said. Healthier food grows from land that is not overtaxed, over fertilized or sprayed with pesticides. "We do not use anything synthetic."

It is not enough to be classified organic, which nowadays can include using chemicals considered natural by the new regulations. A biodynamic farm must create its own compost with only organic materials, use the manure from its own cow which is fed only organically produced food and grain and no antibiotics.

Goshen Green Farm does not have its own cow yet, but gets the manure from a reliable local source. Santi creates his own "teas" for different purposes. One of the "teas" is created by combining silica, crushed stone quartz into a powder stirred for an hour by hand and then applied holistically by hand, brushing the plants throughout the field in a pattern that would energize all them. It enhances the light to the plant early in the morning and it works with the metabolism of the plant to make it grow in equilibrium with the sun.

It is as much a philosophy as it is a farming process. The process of enlightening the soil involves packing the horns of a cow with a manure a couple of days old and burying it in the ground for a year. Santi said that the horn is the concentration of power of the cow and it is the most sensitive rather than toughest part of the cow. In the spring when the horn is unearthed, the manure is taken out of the horn and 3-4 grams are stirred first clockwise and then counter-clockwise creating "chaos" and then combined with water which, he said, becomes an entity to apply to the plant in the afternoon when the plant "goes to sleep and its soul becomes intelligent."

They use garlic, which they grow, to create a natural pesticide. They burn other dried plant remains from plants they have grown to smudge the plants as well for protection. They irrigate and water plants with sprinklers and plant only certified organic seeds.

"By next year 75% of our crops will be planted with our own seeds derived from our own plants," said Santi. Some of the plants they grow and distribute to local health food stores or restaurants include chives, lettuce, swiss chard, garlic, basil, several varieties of tomatoes, turnips, beets, fennel, bok choy, kale, parsley, cilantro, several types of beans, cucumber and several varieties of lettuce. They also grew rice for the first time as suggested by a representative of the Cornell Cooperative Extension on some of the wet areas of their property which lies on both sides of Route 207.

They currently farm five acres and plan to expand into pockets of their property without cutting any trees. They believe that everyone should plant a garden and experience eating food that they planted themselves.

"It brings back dignity to you," said Santi as his wife shucks beans out of the hulls for the winter. Once people realize that these vegetables taste better and fill you up faster, he hopes it will become the "coolest, latest trend."

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