This reference was inevitable. At some point in conversation with Holden, the philosopher Rudolph Steiner will always make an appearance. It tends to drive those who think that ‘magical thinking’ and anthroposophy have no place in sustainable agriculture completely nuts, and I have heard Holden referred to sniffily as a ‘biodynamic intellectual’. He tells me about the need for restoring soil vitality by going further than organic with homeopathic preparations, planting and harvesting, and taking into account the movement of the sun and the moon against the background of the planets in order to capitalise on favourable circumstances.