Thanks to all of our clients for making this another record breaking season! And fall hasn’t even happened yet! The lab has been steady all summer and sales were brisk in April, May, and June and continued a slow, but steady pace throughout the summer. Louisa got a workout with sales and the lab when I was in Australia the last two weeks of June. To show our appreciation, we have various sales and awards programs announced throughout this issue.

FALL SALES: To encourage you with mineralization of your soil, Tenn. Brown Rock phosphate will be discounted $10/ton to $45/ton FOB the mine, near Nashville, Tenn. The new NKS Plus product, ammonium sulfate, humates, Montana Grey Rock phosphate and parametric rock will we discounted by $5/ton to growers. These rates are affective upon receipt of this notice and are good until Dec 31, 2001.

GROWER FEEDBACK: CSI will issue a $10 credit to any customer who sends us a written report on the use and results of any one of our products, services or devices. Letterhead stationary, if available, and permission to use freely with or without your identification would be appreciated.

NEW PRODUCT: Mt. Grey Rock will be available in pelletized form late fall. This will still be OMRI certified and the standard price is [Not available at this time.]

NKS Plus: Our newest bulk commodity for mineralization/activation. NKS Plus is a fantastic, OMRI approved, sulfur, potash, calcium, iron and other trace mineral source. It is mined from an ancient deposit is Nevada. It is a great replacement for the very expensive 0-0-50. Although it contains less potash, it has proven to release potash reserves in soils. [Remember, there are tons of unused minerals in your soil that are not thought of as being agronomically available under typical “chemical/biologically dead” conditions.] [See enclosed brochure for info and pricing.]

HUMIC ACIDS: CSI now offers variety of liquid and powdered humic acid products to meet your needs. We now have access to the “Russian” type that supposedly work at very low concentrations that are now being manufactured in PA. We can get acid or alkali extractions from Agri-Energy of IL and a new micronized/suspendable powder from NM.

DEVICES THAT WORK: Again this season, the brave souls [innovators] that have tried the Veges Sound Machine have been pleasantly surprised by the performance. A California garlic grower, working with our Dealer, JB Meyer of LoVolt, had a 12″ increase

in growth on the treated area vs. the check. BIG IMPROVEMENTS: The inventor is adding a 12-volt timer and solar panel to the unit. He is also offering a shippable stand for assembly on site. Growers will still need to purchase 3 five-foot PVC pieces locally to complete the unit. Please read directions and use only the correct pipe or you will blow the sound unit. If my operation was growing high value crops and I couldn’t use chemicals to rescue them from diseases and insects, I would certainly consider a sound unit as it has shown to increase growth, nutritional content/brix, insect repulsion, etc qualities in a variety of crops. Field use has shown the coverage to be up to 100 acres or more. The new units will be priced at $950 FOB. Stands are $—- FOB. JUST A REMINDER: Tapes of the sound produced by the Veges unit with a music overlay can be very effective in homes, yards, greenhouses, etc. Special fall price on tapes is $20.00 FPP.

TO CHANGE IS TO GROW: Dr. Dirt (That’s me.) is adding a major paradigm to his thinking about agriculture. He is not forsaking his beliefs in mineralization and bio-activation, but he is adding a new dimension to his understanding. He is ready to start offering help to growers in gathering more of the free energy that the cosmos offers.

Although I have been aware of the agricultural paradigm called Biodynamics for years, I have never read/studied/absorbed much about it. There was always a vague feeling that it did offer the “next step” in energy gathering technology. During my visit to Australia in Jan, I read, [no, more like devoured] a biography of Rudolph Steiner, the inventor of the BD system. Then I ordered a copy of his Agriculture Lectures form Acres USA. This allowed me to fully appreciate Hugh Lovel’s lecture and slides on his BD technology and towers at last Dec.’s Acres convention. Now I am hooked!

In order to “hook” someone like me, the paradigm has to be definable, logical, and practical. Biodynamic technology grew out of the responses to German/Austrian farmer’s requests for help from Dr. Steiner. At the time, around the 1920’s, Dr. Steiner was making major contributions in the fields of education, philosophy and medicine. He was considered a clairvoyant, meaning he could see deeper into the material world than most people. He was able to see which cosmic energies influenced plants and soils, and how to capture and apply these energies/frequencies to soil and plants.

His methods of gathering the energies were rather strange, to say the least. He used various animal parts such as cow horns and stag bladders as vessels to collect/draw in the frequencies. This, of course, follows Dr. Phil Callahan’s work where shape/form determines frequency absorption. The animal shapes were filled with manure or plant matter as the absorptive material. After one or more complete seasons of absorption, the concentrated material was used to make a homeopathic solution for spreading on soil or plants. Homeopathic solutions are extremely diluted water solutions that have been stirred, percussed [pounded] or shaken to where there is almost no physical material in the solution, but the frequencies have been imbedded in between the molecules of water. And, “Yes, Virginia, the water does remember.” [See, Science and Human Transformation by William A. Tiller, Ph.D. Call 1-800-469-8653 to get a copy.]

The followers of Steiner did their best to follow his principles in Europe, USA, Australia and other countries. The BD movement had noticeable successes and lots of failures too, but the major problems were that they didn’t follow through on one important principle. They also asked you join the “”Church of Biodynamics” and become a true believer in order to share in the paradigm. The part they missed is the Horn Clay, which connects the energies of the soil to the atmosphere above the soil. They also failed to recommend some physical trace mineral shortages, thinking that all physical material shortages could be made up with frequencies. The BD group of practitioners has remained small in the US due to the philosophical constraints and mixed results.

Thanks to Hugh Lovel and Greg Willis, among others, the horn clay connection has been made and the method of making preparations/remedies, as the materials are called, has been simplified. More importantly the application of the frequencies has changed from a physical spraying of the acreage with remedies/preps, to the use of a tower for the constant broadcasting of the desired frequencies. To avoid confusion and contention with BD proponents who may not embrace the new concepts, the technology and practice is referred to as “Quantum Agriculture. Please refer to Acres USA for recent articles by Hugh Lovel for further philosophical and scientific explanations. CSI has already placed four towers on one of our larger clients in NE running irrigated crop circles and Hugh Lovel is busy placing them as well. I feel the towers can be an excellent addition to any farming or grazing operation. They can cover up to 2000 acres at a very reasonable cost and may be an excellent alternative to trying to fertilize rangeland. Hugh Lovel is also experimenting with rain influence and seems to be successful so far. Please see the enclosed brochure and call to discuss if you wish to learn more.

HERBICIDE REDUCTION: Mineral balancing, timed surface sprays, towers, tillage, etc. can all help reduce the need for herbicide. If you still discover you need a post emerge, both Nitrozyme seaweed and Fish Agra can reduce the rate required. One pint of Fish Agra with Roundup can cut the rate 25-50 % and one cup of Nitrozyme can cut post emerge types by 25-75 %. Pre-emerge types can be cut with the use of Restore. [See CSI Price list.] Yucca makes seaweed work better and longer, so if you are using Fish Agra, which has some yucca in it, with Nitrozyme, you are gaining efficacy. I wouldn’t think of going across a field with a necessary chemical, without feeding the plant/soil system with something good. One of our MD based clients is doing very well with his soybeans using the fish/seaweed combination as a foliar feed and only source of fertilizer. The rates would be one pint of Nitrozyme and 1-2 qt. Fish.

SPEAKING OF SEAWEED: The May issue of Hay & Forage reports the following: “Animal scientist Richard Evans and agronomist Roscoe Ivy, base on Monroe Co. MS, sprayed both fungus free and fungus-infected tall fescue with the marine algae during a two-year trial. Treating fescue with a seaweed emulsion produced steers with increased resistance to diseases and better weight increases, Evans reports.”

AWARDS PROGRAM: Starting in calendar year 2002, any customer/client purchasing $10,000 or more in products, services or devices will be given a free weeks stay at any RCI

condominium resort in the world. Eligible customers will be sent an RCI catalogue with over 3500 resorts to choose from. Resorts sleep up to 6 people with 2 private bedrooms and a pullout sofa so you may take friends and family. Most units have fully equipped kitchens and a huge array of activities on or near the site. Travel to and from the resort, meals and activity costs are not included. CSI will make booking arrangements for you on the dates of your choice, subject to availability in a given season and given part of the world. Customers will be asked to pay for the “swap fees”, which are currently $130 for domestic swaps and $162 for international swaps. There is also a $49 fee for the quest certificates that are required, since the units are “owned” by Phil and Louisa and we would not be accompanying you to the resort. The fees or parts thereof may be waived for greater purchase levels. Approximate value of package is $900-$1200 for the weeks lodging. Several customers have already qualified this year, so it is not an unreasonable goal for a medium to large farm operation.

FALL PROGRAMS: Fall is the time to spread minerals, humates, compost and ammonium sulfate. If your calcium levels and organic matter levels are reasonable, you will get and early warm up of the soil in spring and moderation of next summer’s soil temperatures by using the ammonium sulfate in mid to late fall. The ammonia will convert slowly to nitrates in the spring, giving you that nice flush of early growth [usually before your neighbors]. Using sugar or molasses will make the difference even more dramatic. The sulfate sulfur will make for quality protein, not nitrates, in the forage. This applies to all perennials from grasses to apples to grapes and berries. Row croppers will also find great benefits from temp control to quality crops. Let our lab help you determine just what are the best materials to balance the minerals and activate the bacteria and fungal systems.

PLAN AHEAD: There have been too many frantic calls for insect or disease rescue from growers who have failed to provide any immunity building practices at planting or earlier foliars. If you need the rescue material “yesterday”, be prepared to authorize a 1,2, or 3 day delivery by UPS COD at increased expense or wait at least 5 days or more. Most materials keep for at least 2 seasons, so I would consider buying enough Crop Guard in Row to use at planting and have enough left for at least one rescue spray. It will be available in 15 gal drums to go UPS or 30 gallon drums by truck. In row rate is 12 oz/acre and foliar rescue treatment is 2-4 pints/acre with a sticker for sucking and chewing soft bodied insects. Includes mites, aphids, whiteflies and immature stages of most insects. [Certified Organic]

WARNING: Excess sugar in the row at planting can cause short-term N tie-ups. Use sugar and molasses on a broadcast basis in fall or spring. Use either with your N, but try to broadcast that too. Using 2-4 lb. in the row is not excessive.

SCHEDULE: CSI will have a booth at the Acres Conf. On Dec. 6, 7, 8. I will be speaking with Hugh Lovel about Quantum Ag and the new tower systems during the conf.

Phil will be in Australia from Nov 1-14, but Louisa will be running the lab and office.