A new generation of Biodynamic consultants is developing. What is our common ground with them? They are all well introduced to Biodynamic agriculture and movement. They are closely connected with the ideas of the agricultural course of Rudolf Steiner. And they bring in a new culture and language as they are located in countries with a developing Biodynamic movement. We would like to present in this newsletter three new Biodynamic consultants. This should be continued in the next editions.
Agnieszka and Lukasz Chinon, conversion farm in Poland (left picture) Agnieszka (right) with Anrdeja Videmsek, Eva Gehr and hemp farmer Gintautas (right picture)
Agnieszka Rousseau from Krakow, a wine and fruit-growing expert, graduated as a pharmacist (Krakow) and oenologist (Montpellier). After practical winemaking training years in France (Gascogne, Roussillion, Languedoc) and other countries (England, New Zealand, Australia), she now runs a vineyard in Poland with her husband. There she develops biodynamic wines adapted to the local climate and special soils, from the vineyard to the cellar. Winnica Wielicka is already a popular winery in Poland. She will become the first recognized biodynamic consultant in Poland with BFDI accreditation. This success is due in no small part to the Wanderschule, which specifically promotes independent development and competence building in Eastern European countries with young biodynamic national organizations. Agnieszka has promoted training for advisors in Eastern Europe with the help of an Eramsus+ project in Lithuania,Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia. As part of this training, Agnieszka attends international meetings to train advisors in different climate zones, soils, market conditions and specialist areas and accompanies the active conversion with recognized Demeter advisors. We are delighted that our network of advisors in Eastern Europe has been enriched by the addition of Agnieszka, an experienced and passionate wine and fruit-growing advisor.
Jan Moser Vavricka with converting winegrower Marek Vybiral (left picture), Jan (3rd from left) with Eva, Zmago Petric and Georg Meissner at the Lithuanian advisor training programme (right picture)
Jan is a Czech winemaking expert and cellar master at the biodynamic winery Vitikultur (Sepp Moser) in St. Pölten, Austria. Originally raised and educated in the Czech Republic, he studied economics in Prague and then specialized inorganic and biodynamic farming. His speciality and passion is clearly wine. He also has a few years of experience with state control measures at the CzechMinistry of Agriculture and a keen interest in certification issues. This mixture creates a good basis for advising Demeter conversion farms in the CzechRepublic in the future. To achieve this goal, however, one formal step is still missing: recognition as a consultant by the BFDI. The preparations for this have been made (further training in counselling by the Wanderschule in PL. LI. CZ and SI, as well as practical mentoring with recognized Demeter advisors). In the near future, BFDI and interested winegrowers in the Czech Republic will also be able to benefit from expert advice in the field of viticulture. Jan Vavricka is an active member of the board of the Czech-Slovak biodynamic association and is already supporting winegrowers who are interested in biodynamic farming methods. We look forward to working even more closely with Jan and the Czech winegrowers in the future.
Sergio Stancich Sergio im Gespräch mit Eva und Zmago Petric (left picture), Weinbauer aus Slowenien Sergio (3. v. r.) im Kreis der Beerenanbauer der Kooperative Zadrugar in Serbien (right picture)
Sergio was born in Slovenia and started his professional life as a graduate of a commercial apprenticeship. He was soon promoted to the management of a Slovenian-Italian bank, where he managed a branch with several employees. But this life did not satisfy him. After leaving the bank, he and his wife set up a biodynamic wine and agrotourism business near Piran, Slovenia. During this time, he has been involved in the practical and theoretical aspects of agriculture, especially viticulture. His natural wines were made according to an old Roman recipe, the „Teran“. Today he lives in Trieste and works as a biodynamic consultant in Italy, Slovenia and Croatia as well as Romania and Serbia. He has completed his further training and recognition with Demeter advisors from Wanderschule and passed the BFDI quality peer review. He is already travelling as a Demeter consultant in the Balkans. In the past 2 years he has started an intensive cooperation with the Rudolf Steiner Centre in Donj Kraljevec and has already accompanied a dozen converters in Croatia. Sergio is an experienced counsellor, always interested in the conditions and backgrounds of his clients.His protégés are in the best of hands with him. We at Wanderschule are delighted to be working with Sergio in the Balkans.
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