The standards held by Demeter for Biodynamic certification tend to be more stringent than that of Organic certification. What then are some of the differences between Organic methods of growing and Biodynamic? The Biodynamic farmer conceives her or his farm in terms of forces and processes, whereas the Organic farmer tends to think in terms of substances that can and cannot be used–nitrogen, neem oil, etc. The Biodynamic farmer relies upon a minimal amount of nutrients from remote sources and, ideally will generate the richness of the soil through cover-cropping and the use of manure from animals that dwell on the farm. The farm is thus to be self-sustaining. Organic fertilizers bought from a garden store provide only a bandage for what should be a goal of total and complete healing and vitalization of the soil and her plants. The Biodynamic farmer realizes that by importing fertilizers, problems from the source may be brought onto the farm. When we purchase a bag of peat moss, for example, we are not only depleting the world's peat lands that have been forming for 360 million years, but regarding our health, peat may contain traces of heavy metals such as mercury. The source of mercury may be methane that has penetrated upward from great depths and binds with the peat above. The Biodynamic farmer also uses specifically prepared homeopathic herbs and minerals for the compost and for the farm that were outlined by the founder of Biodynamic farming, Rudolf Steiner, in his "Agriculture Course" from 1924. Also, and as different from Organic farming, Steiner believed that much like the moon affects the tides, so does it affect the growing phases of planting and harvesting. Take, for example, a juicy tomato that is made mostly of water. Of course, that tomato plant that is exposed all night to the forces of the moon and all day to the forces of the sun will be greatly impacted by those forces. Therefore, complex stellar and planetary Biodynamic calendars chart the influences of these forces for gardeners and farmers to follow to achieve optimum growing conditions and cosmic vitality for the crops. An Organic tomato-while delicious and safe to consume-is thus not the same as a Biodynamic tomato. When you consume Biodynamic food, you are ensuring the highest quality of healing and protection for your body and for the environment. To date, there are only a handful or Demeter Certified farms in the United States (about 110), but the number is growing as Biodynamic methods of farming and gardening have made great inroads, especially in the production of wine. In a nutshell, Biodynamic produce is 100% organic, but, in addition, the Biodynamic farmer/gardener has gone beyond these safeguards to bring the farming process more closely in tune with nature and her unseen forces of vitality.