Silver Seed Farms
Sustainable Solutions
* Landscape Gardening Services
* Solar Energy Services
* Sustainable Building Consultation
* Workshops
* Solar Energy Services
* Sustainable Building Consultation
* Workshops
Rex Rohrer, horticulturist, energy analyst, consultant, installer
Lorian Moore, consultant, outreach, website
Lorian Moore, consultant, outreach, website
You may contact us by email at silverseedfarms@gmail.com or by phone at 314-995-9247. Check out our new blog, and let us hear from you!
Workshops
Silver Seed Farms will be holding at least one, possibly two straw bale workshops in 2012; exact dates are being established at this time by homeowners. We will post dates as soon as we know. Cob and earth plaster is ongoing. Call or email for information on workshops for 2012. Click below to learn more about each workshop.
Earthen Plaster/Cob Application
- Ongoing and free! Contact us to arrange a visit and to help.
Straw Bale Building Intensive
- Coming in September and October 2012! This will be a straw bale in-fill house, with 2nd story loft room and cob interior. Details to come. Let us know of your interest. ~ Thanks!
Solar Photovoltaic Introduction
- Coming in March 2012 in Leasburg, MO. Contact us for more info.
Solar Photovoltaic Advanced
Our Mission
The mission of Silver Seed Farms, LLC is to facilitate the growth
of natural building and renewable energy practices, native gardening and
community interconnectedness. This will be accomplished through
education, experiential workshops, and helping others achieve
their personal goals of living more sustainably.
of natural building and renewable energy practices, native gardening and
community interconnectedness. This will be accomplished through
education, experiential workshops, and helping others achieve
their personal goals of living more sustainably.
Silver Seed Farms, LLC is a company which is dedicated to the belief that we can all live in a more sustainable and holistic way, as a complement to and a part of
the natural world. We believe this way, the new paradigm,
is the "blueprint" for our interconnectedness and our survival.
We want to help people think differently about their home,
in a way that balances concerns for the individual with respect for the earth.
the natural world. We believe this way, the new paradigm,
is the "blueprint" for our interconnectedness and our survival.
We want to help people think differently about their home,
in a way that balances concerns for the individual with respect for the earth.
Look through our website for more detailed information about what interests you.
Please feel free to contact us by phone or email.
Thank you for your interest!
Please feel free to contact us by phone or email.
Thank you for your interest!
Who We Are
We have been a landscape gardening business since 1989. After having built our own straw bale house in Missouri in 1994 (possibly the first straw bale house in Missouri!) and living off-grid since 1998 (well over a decade!), we have found that what we truly love and what we want to emphasize is sustainable living in its many facets. There are so many ways that we humans can live sustainably, that we can apply our ingenuity and creativity to life and make something uniquely our own.
As our interests, research and practices have changed, so have our lives. A testament to the pioneering spirit inherent in each of us, we have found that many people want to know more about sustainable practices, and they want to implement them in their own lives.
Being more sustainable is opting for a life of greater simplicity and appreciation, and taking more personal responsibility for our energy, water
and natural resource consumption and usage. It is easy to do, if one is committed to a deeper questioning of daily choices and to having a greater awareness of personal habits.
We do not have to strive for someone else's idea of "perfection".
We believe that everyone will find greater happiness in his/her heightened awareness and that the path toward sustainability is part of the fun.
We are here to offer information, as well as our consultation, installation and education services.
As our interests, research and practices have changed, so have our lives. A testament to the pioneering spirit inherent in each of us, we have found that many people want to know more about sustainable practices, and they want to implement them in their own lives.
Being more sustainable is opting for a life of greater simplicity and appreciation, and taking more personal responsibility for our energy, water
and natural resource consumption and usage. It is easy to do, if one is committed to a deeper questioning of daily choices and to having a greater awareness of personal habits.
We do not have to strive for someone else's idea of "perfection".
We believe that everyone will find greater happiness in his/her heightened awareness and that the path toward sustainability is part of the fun.
We are here to offer information, as well as our consultation, installation and education services.
Forest Buck
Please peruse our website, which carries a good bit of information, and visit us often, as things are always changing. You can also receive new posts by following our blog.
Sincerely,
Rex and Lori
Website Design
**For information on website design services, please contact us via contact form below. If you like this website and feel inspired to make one of your own, please sign up for iPage through our website at the bottom of this page. This will allow us to receive credit for your referral. iPage offsets their energy footprint 100% by purchasing green energy credits. Any website building I do is through 100% solar power! Let us know if you need assistance in getting started. Thank you! ~ Lori
Our Adventure
We receive many questions about the strawbale house we built in 1994 and have lived in since 1997. We love it. It has very high insulation value (r 30), and so it stays warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. It is very cozy, with it's thick walls, passive solar gain and adobe floor. Passive solar design uses the sun to naturally heat and light your home through south-facing windows. In addition to the passive solar, we use a wood stove for heating. We are also powered in large part by photovoltaic solar panels. Our family has lived off-grid for a good many years (since 1997), and we are very aware of energy usage, a little obsessed, really. Our son likes to check the gauge to see how much "juice" is still in the batteries!
This little adventure started out in 1991, as we began to question many of the ideas we grew up with, assessing needs vs. wants. We decided we wanted to move out to the beautiful Missouri forests, and that we should "harden" ourselves a bit to make living in a tent a little easier. Of course, much research came first. The house we lived in at that time was darling, but terribly inefficient, with it's walls made of brick and covered with plaster. A selling point for us, back in 1988, was the solar fans, but whatever efficiency they had to offer was offset by the drafty brick. The winter before moving, we blocked off all but the kitchen and living room and heated it with our "new" wood stove, an old Timberline; this reduced our electric bill a lot.
We had our first baby at home and felt infused with a new level of independence. After more research and lots of baby time, we were ready to go! We sold a lot of our stuff, stored the rest and moved into a tent, with our 11 month old baby, one dog, and 8 cats in tow at the end of April, 1994. What a time! We wanted to learn what it would be like to live without all the modern conveniences - and we did! We used cloth diapers and did our laundry in a wringer-washer, used a "humanure" composting toilet, hauled in drinking water, collected rain water, cooked our food over an open fire and on a propane camp stove and swam in the lake and showered under a solar shower, washing baby in a small tub. A 12'x12' screened-in porch became our kitchen and "living" area, when we weren't living in and exploring nature.
We had the amazing support of family and friends, which really helped our transition a lot. We began building our straw house in late October, a beautiful time to build in Missouri.
We now have a straw bale cottage and more conveniences (like solar-powered refrigerator, computer, and lights), but have continued to hold on to some of the "old" ways, too. We still use the humanure method with local sawdust (because we love it), and we cook our food in much the same ways. Our place is cozy, but roomy (1200-1300 sq.ft.) compared to modern small-footprint homes. It protects us from the harshest elements, but otherwise our doors open out onto flagstone patios, which are cradled by Missouri forest, with mossy rocks, babbling creeks and waterfalls. Of course, no scene would be complete without the helpful and loving companionship of the many dogs, cats, peacocks, chickens, and horse we have shared our lives with.
We wish you all the best in your endeavors. Happy Adventuring!
This little adventure started out in 1991, as we began to question many of the ideas we grew up with, assessing needs vs. wants. We decided we wanted to move out to the beautiful Missouri forests, and that we should "harden" ourselves a bit to make living in a tent a little easier. Of course, much research came first. The house we lived in at that time was darling, but terribly inefficient, with it's walls made of brick and covered with plaster. A selling point for us, back in 1988, was the solar fans, but whatever efficiency they had to offer was offset by the drafty brick. The winter before moving, we blocked off all but the kitchen and living room and heated it with our "new" wood stove, an old Timberline; this reduced our electric bill a lot.
We had our first baby at home and felt infused with a new level of independence. After more research and lots of baby time, we were ready to go! We sold a lot of our stuff, stored the rest and moved into a tent, with our 11 month old baby, one dog, and 8 cats in tow at the end of April, 1994. What a time! We wanted to learn what it would be like to live without all the modern conveniences - and we did! We used cloth diapers and did our laundry in a wringer-washer, used a "humanure" composting toilet, hauled in drinking water, collected rain water, cooked our food over an open fire and on a propane camp stove and swam in the lake and showered under a solar shower, washing baby in a small tub. A 12'x12' screened-in porch became our kitchen and "living" area, when we weren't living in and exploring nature.
We had the amazing support of family and friends, which really helped our transition a lot. We began building our straw house in late October, a beautiful time to build in Missouri.
We now have a straw bale cottage and more conveniences (like solar-powered refrigerator, computer, and lights), but have continued to hold on to some of the "old" ways, too. We still use the humanure method with local sawdust (because we love it), and we cook our food in much the same ways. Our place is cozy, but roomy (1200-1300 sq.ft.) compared to modern small-footprint homes. It protects us from the harshest elements, but otherwise our doors open out onto flagstone patios, which are cradled by Missouri forest, with mossy rocks, babbling creeks and waterfalls. Of course, no scene would be complete without the helpful and loving companionship of the many dogs, cats, peacocks, chickens, and horse we have shared our lives with.
We wish you all the best in your endeavors. Happy Adventuring!
Mr. Big at Silver Seed Farm
Life is like riding a bicycle.
To keep your balance, you must keep moving.
~ Albert Einstein
