Nadir - The reason I said planting by the moon is only doubtful is because I had not yet researched it. But, I rest assured it is a load of superstitious bull crap(planted in cow horns buried to be deified). Just because it is in the farmers almanac doesn't give it credibility. Zodiac planting is also in there. A root vegetable is not going to grow better because when it was planted the earth was winning in the gravity pull between it and the moon suggesting downward growth(root) will be favored. A root vegetable will amount to nothing without its upward growth and green leaves. Moon gardening is superstition, and superstition is a sin.
You raise some interesting points, like the very meaning of the word "Biodynamics", but I disagree with you on doubting the efficaciousness of planting by the moon phase. My family on both sides have been farmers and ranchers probably for eons, or at least hundreds of years. My Grandpa grew some amazing crops, loads of different vegetables on one lot in the city. He planted a lot of things by moon phase and certain things on certain days. Combined with a certain techniques that I presume were passed down to him, he always had the best potatoes, corn and other such eadibles.
I myself am not much of a gardener, but I have seen the difference of seeds planted a day before the beneficial time, and on the day of. There is a difference in the rapidity of growth. The same applies to my brother, who is more avid in this area then I probably will ever be...
Also, the moon has affects on people too, especially in my family. Some folks are more sensitive to the moon then others. Let's take a near full moon, for example: During the days nearing and of a full moon, various people experience increased sɛҳuąƖ urges/interest -or whatever the proper way to put it is- and some have a feeling of overall wellbeing in the area of personal health. I myself am among these people.
As for this "ritual composting" stuff, yea, maybe it is occultic in some of it's origins, but there are ways to do the same thing with similar results. Here in Texas there is a very succeful ranch which focuses on cattle efficency on pasture, and the way they fertilize the ground is by filling big barrels with manuer, water, molasses and maybe a couple of other things. They mix it up and let it "brew" for 2 months or so before spraying it on the pastures. The idea is to culure a lot of healthy microbes.
Personally, unless one really is doing it in a religious sort of way, I cant see much wrong with burying compacted manure and plant ingredients; Though wrapping them in animal gut in certainly foreign to me and likely all the other old farmers in this area. But,
I think unless the intent of occultism is there, then mimickig certain practices are not harmful or problematic. People have been grinding up rocks and bones and burying their concoctions for ages and ages without any occultic intent. They just see that it works... Even the Native American Indians (of whom I descend to a degree) used certain practices, most famously using fish as fertilizer for corn.
Another example of this sort of practice can be found in the book "The Book of Incense" by Morita. The Japanese have a very special type of incense where various materials are ground up, pressed into pellets, coated with honey, stored in a clay jar, buried in tge ground and left to age for 3 years. It's not agriculture or have anything to do with manure, but the concept of aging theproduct for certain effects is the same.
That's all I can think of at the moment, hope others can chime in with more knowledgeable things then my inexperience can.