Workshops and Events
June 10, 2017 - We had some great homestead tours at and around the Missouri Octagon, our off-grid straw bale house built in 1994.
40-50 folks visited our homestead, learning about straw bale & cob building, earthen floor, solar photovoltaic and solar thermal power, organic gardening, and options for sustainable living. There were three local farms involved where people learned about different aspects of sustainability. And, with the main event at Solis Farm folks enjoyed fun activities, visiting with wonderful local vendors, listening to great live music, and consuming delicious pizza prepared by Neily, Terry and Barbie of T. West Construction from a Silver Seed Farms cob oven (workshop)! Whew ~ lots of fun! For more information about overall event Homestead Tours and Hands-On Learning
We accommodate group visits of generally up to 20-25 people (we can be somewhat flexible on this) at our off-grid, straw bale homestead located just outside of Leasburg, Missouri (I-44 exit 214). We do ask for a minimum donation that helps us in our educational efforts, depending on the level of teaching or hands-on activities being requested. Scroll down to see what we teach. In addition to group presentations, we do workshops and even scaled-down hands-on activities for an introductory immersive experience. This summer, we still hope to have a cob oven and rocket mass heater workshops, as well as work on the homestead to complete a straw bale structure, carpentry completion for a small cabin, and move a solar PV installation. If interested in any of this, just drop us a line. |
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We do workshops here at Silver Seed Farm or will do them on-site at another location. Watch for Cob Oven Workshop, date coming soon! We also offer presentations - ranging from a couple hours to day-long events - on various aspects of solar energy and sustainable building and living. ************************************************** 2017 Events Visit us at our booth! April 8 - Washington River Festival and River Clean-Up. Visit us at our booth, along the great Missouri River. June 10 - Alternative Building and Sustainable Living Farm Tours September 23 - Green Fest at Onondaga Cave State Park. We will be giving presentations on solar energy and natural building. The straw bale/earth plaster wall will be there, and try your hand - er, feet! - at making cob! |
Scroll Down to learn more about Workshops we offer:
Cob Oven Workshop
Building with Cob
Natural Paints and Finishes Workshop
Solar Energy Introduction
Solar Installation Workshop
Straw Bale Building Workshop
Upcoming Events with Silver Seed Farms
Cob Oven Workshop
Building with Cob
Natural Paints and Finishes Workshop
Solar Energy Introduction
Solar Installation Workshop
Straw Bale Building Workshop
Upcoming Events with Silver Seed Farms
Our Cob Oven Building Workshop in Bourbon went great! Participants learned how to build an oven by actually building an oven! Now, Environmental Energy Consultants (workshop host) has a wood-fired oven. Check them out! Maybe you'll get something delicious from their new oven when you attend a workshop. ;-)
Cob (Earthen) Oven Workshop
Our hands-on workshop will teach you how to build with this most ancient building material to create a beautiful, natural outdoor oven in which to cook your food. You will learn everything you need to know to re-create an oven in your own backyard.
A cob oven is a traditional earthen oven, a building technique that is older than masonry. Earthen ovens use materials from nature, such as earth, sand and straw, often in three layers: thermal mass, insulation, and the outer finish/sculpted layer, and they bake with the three types of heat: conduction, convection and radiation.
It is thick enough to hold a lot of heat (thermal mass), and insulated enough to continue baking a lot of food over a long period of time, allowing you to be very efficient with your wood and to bake a lot of food. These ovens reach 800+ degrees, and the bread, pizza, casseroles and pudding that come from a cob oven is fabulous. "Cob" is a term used to describe the ingredients as well as the method of rolling and forming it into loaves or balls and “stitching” the balls together and actually sculpting your oven.
Come learn about it, and read more about building a cob oven here.
Also, you'll find an article about it on our blog.
Contact us to let us know of your interest.
Our hands-on workshop will teach you how to build with this most ancient building material to create a beautiful, natural outdoor oven in which to cook your food. You will learn everything you need to know to re-create an oven in your own backyard.
A cob oven is a traditional earthen oven, a building technique that is older than masonry. Earthen ovens use materials from nature, such as earth, sand and straw, often in three layers: thermal mass, insulation, and the outer finish/sculpted layer, and they bake with the three types of heat: conduction, convection and radiation.
It is thick enough to hold a lot of heat (thermal mass), and insulated enough to continue baking a lot of food over a long period of time, allowing you to be very efficient with your wood and to bake a lot of food. These ovens reach 800+ degrees, and the bread, pizza, casseroles and pudding that come from a cob oven is fabulous. "Cob" is a term used to describe the ingredients as well as the method of rolling and forming it into loaves or balls and “stitching” the balls together and actually sculpting your oven.
Come learn about it, and read more about building a cob oven here.
Also, you'll find an article about it on our blog.
Contact us to let us know of your interest.
Cob Elements: Sculpting With Earth
~ hands-on instruction ~
at Silver Seed Farms, Leasburg, MO
Learn about the properties of cob and work with this beautiful, natural and versatile material.
You can build furniture, wall sculptures, ovens, most anything imaginable. Additionally, earth plaster can be used as a beautiful, natural and non-toxic cover for walls and buildings.
You can build furniture, wall sculptures, ovens, most anything imaginable. Additionally, earth plaster can be used as a beautiful, natural and non-toxic cover for walls and buildings.
Get muddy and artistic at Silver Seed Farms, Leasburg, MO. Contact Us.
Call us at 314-995-9247 for more info.
Natural Paints & Finishes
Have a painting project but don't want the toxins? Join us for an enjoyable day, learning about and playing with natural finishes! You will learn to make milk paint, wheat paste paint, earth plaster render w/mineral and oxide color finishes, lime and marble plaster/paints and more. No additives or toxins! No synthetic VOCs! Take home a sample of your favorite color and the knowledge of how to make your own.
Have a painting project but don't want the toxins? Join us for an enjoyable day, learning about and playing with natural finishes! You will learn to make milk paint, wheat paste paint, earth plaster render w/mineral and oxide color finishes, lime and marble plaster/paints and more. No additives or toxins! No synthetic VOCs! Take home a sample of your favorite color and the knowledge of how to make your own.
Solar Photovoltaic Energy:
Generating Your Own Electricity
***Advanced Solar Installation will follow Intro class. See Footnote.***
Generate your own power from the sun, a renewable resource, and be more energy independent. Learn about solar power, how it works, and how it can work for you. In this PV Class, you will learn all about Solar PV Systems:
~ how they work,
~ how they are put together and
~ how these systems can be incorporated into your life;
Generating Your Own Electricity
- Intro class
- Advanced Installation
***Advanced Solar Installation will follow Intro class. See Footnote.***
Generate your own power from the sun, a renewable resource, and be more energy independent. Learn about solar power, how it works, and how it can work for you. In this PV Class, you will learn all about Solar PV Systems:
~ how they work,
~ how they are put together and
~ how these systems can be incorporated into your life;
- Become comfortable in your understanding of solar energy with lots of information and hands-on access to solar equipment;
- Learn about the laws pertaining solar energy, rebates and credits, and how to work with your electric provider
- Learn to assess your own electrical load at home; and
- Learn how to develop and implement your own efficiency and conservation plan, cornerstone to efficient use of solar energy.
Solar Instructor, Rex Rohrer - Horticulturist, Solar Installer, BPI-Certified Energy Analyst and Building Envelope Professional, Natural Builder and Consultant
Rex currently installs solar systems and has lived off-grid since 1998. Back to Home for contact form or you may email us at silverseedfarms@gmail.com or call us at 314-995-9247.
Straw Bale Building Workshop
Held at Environmental Energy Consultants Center, in Bourbon, MO
You are invited to attend a four-day intensive straw bale building workshop in the beautiful and rugged Ozark hills. You will learn some of the lessons we have learned, having built and lived in our own hand-built straw bale house for almost two decades, as well as helping others to build.
This workshop will cover all aspects of building a straw bale house, from discussion of all pertinent issues to actually building the structure. We will build a small, load-bearing straw bale building, with a gravel bag floating foundation and a living roof. See the Flyer.
The Living Roof workshop will be held on a different weekend, October 19 & 20. Go to our straw bale page for more info on straw bale building or natural building in general. Contact us to let us know of your interest in this workshop.
For class description, see Building With Bales Workshop.
Cost $275/person or $425/couple. Onsite camping and all meals are included, as well as free book materials.
To sign up for this workshop, go to environmentalenergyconsultants.com
Held at Environmental Energy Consultants Center, in Bourbon, MO
You are invited to attend a four-day intensive straw bale building workshop in the beautiful and rugged Ozark hills. You will learn some of the lessons we have learned, having built and lived in our own hand-built straw bale house for almost two decades, as well as helping others to build.
This workshop will cover all aspects of building a straw bale house, from discussion of all pertinent issues to actually building the structure. We will build a small, load-bearing straw bale building, with a gravel bag floating foundation and a living roof. See the Flyer.
The Living Roof workshop will be held on a different weekend, October 19 & 20. Go to our straw bale page for more info on straw bale building or natural building in general. Contact us to let us know of your interest in this workshop.
For class description, see Building With Bales Workshop.
Cost $275/person or $425/couple. Onsite camping and all meals are included, as well as free book materials.
To sign up for this workshop, go to environmentalenergyconsultants.com
Go to our blog for information and to offer your ideas and knowledge.
Previously....
Special Announcement: Build a Sustainable Utopia in 2014!
Have you ever thought of building a Utopia? What would Utopia look like to you?
We were contacted by a casting agency for a new Fox TV special, "Utopia". They are looking for people who are interested in sustainability and might be interested in being on a TV show. They want to find people who have different ideas of what a perfect society would be. "This is a new, groundbreaking social experiment. We are taking 15 people from different backgrounds, from all over the country, to one location and filming them over the course of a year, as they try to create a new society together. There are no laws or rules, except for the ones the group creates. They will have to figure out how to live, how to make money, and how they want to live their lives. The only stipulation is that each person be 21 years or older." |
The Conlin Company casting agency is interested in people from anywhere in the U.S. but would like to have some people representing the St. Louis area. If you are into sustainability or have skills to bring to this and would like to be a part of building a utopia, this may be for you. Here is a 1.5 minute video describing the adventure.
If you or someone you know is interested, let us know, and we will get you specific info. So, please share this information! It would be neat to have folks from the area on the show. The casting company will be at St. Louis Earth Day this weekend talking about this and taking applications there, too. TV shoot will start in September. |
Green Living Fair & Nature's Canvas pair up!
When: Saturday September 28, 2013
Where: Onondaga Cave State Park, Leasburg, MO
How is this different? It's the beautiful autumn weather! Instead of the heat of mid-summer, we'll be cooler and hopefully drier than on the summer solstice.
Silver Seed Farms will be at Onondaga Cave State Park with our traveling interactive straw wall! Many other renewable energy and sustainable living businesses and organizations, as well as many local artists who specialize in nature art and upcycling, will be in attendance. Enjoy the live music, arts and activities. Bring the kids! Children/Family Hours are 10:30 and 2, but there will be plenty going on all day. See the event flyer from 2011 to get an idea of this year's event and go to Onondaga Friends' webpage. The new event flyer will be coming out soon. Check out this short video collage at the 2009 event, generously recorded and created for the Onondaga Friends Association by Hermann video producers Grinning Bear Studios.
This event will include Nature's Canvas Art Fair, showcasing local artists specializing in natural art or crafts, recycle and upcycle artists, and those who reflect nature in their art.
Mark your calendar, visit and relax at Onondaga Cave State Park! Come to the Fair, and you'll also have plenty of access to the river and hiking trails, the Visitor Center or go on a cave tour in the world-renowned Onondaga Cave. Go to onondagafriends.com for more information on the Fair. Fill out the contact form, if your business would like to participate in the Fair, or if you would like to volunteer. Or just come out and have fun.
Where: Onondaga Cave State Park, Leasburg, MO
How is this different? It's the beautiful autumn weather! Instead of the heat of mid-summer, we'll be cooler and hopefully drier than on the summer solstice.
Silver Seed Farms will be at Onondaga Cave State Park with our traveling interactive straw wall! Many other renewable energy and sustainable living businesses and organizations, as well as many local artists who specialize in nature art and upcycling, will be in attendance. Enjoy the live music, arts and activities. Bring the kids! Children/Family Hours are 10:30 and 2, but there will be plenty going on all day. See the event flyer from 2011 to get an idea of this year's event and go to Onondaga Friends' webpage. The new event flyer will be coming out soon. Check out this short video collage at the 2009 event, generously recorded and created for the Onondaga Friends Association by Hermann video producers Grinning Bear Studios.
This event will include Nature's Canvas Art Fair, showcasing local artists specializing in natural art or crafts, recycle and upcycle artists, and those who reflect nature in their art.
Mark your calendar, visit and relax at Onondaga Cave State Park! Come to the Fair, and you'll also have plenty of access to the river and hiking trails, the Visitor Center or go on a cave tour in the world-renowned Onondaga Cave. Go to onondagafriends.com for more information on the Fair. Fill out the contact form, if your business would like to participate in the Fair, or if you would like to volunteer. Or just come out and have fun.
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Washington River Festival and Big Muddy Clean-Up!
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Learn about alternative building and solar energy, while getting a little muddy plastering our "roving" straw bale wall! It's free, and there will be live music and lots of vendors and organizations in attendance. Get down at the Big Muddy! See the Flyer.
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Friendly Living Gathering with Earth's Classroom
Bill and Jody of Earth's Classroom hosted this fun and educational event again, for the seventh year! Tour three very different green owner-built homes: an earth- contact green home with photovoltaic intertie and solar hot water, a round cordwood home with a sod roof and composting toilet, and our octagon strawbale home, off-grid with adobe floor and humanure composting toilet. Jody and Bill feed you lunch, as well as giving you a lot of food for thought! For information on their 2013 program, contact Jody at 573-437-7628.
Solar Picnic at Onondaga Cave State Park
Summer Solstice Saturday
Onondaga Cave State Park will hold it's annual Solar Fair, the Saturday of the Summer Solstice. Silver Seed Farms will be on hand to discuss solar energy and equipment and straw bale building. This is a fun family event each year, with every other year being the much bigger event. See below "Green Living Fair", which has a lot of presenters and green vendors available to talk with.
Some Previous Earth Day Fairs
In Rolla, at MS&T, there were a lot of people in attendance, with 700 children registered to be there. We had a lot of children and even a few adults helping us in our activity, applying earthen plaster to the straw bale wall we brought and set up. The children were really smiling, having a blast applying earth plaster (looks and feels like mud) to the wall, and some were even enjoying mixing the earthen elements with hoe and shovel in the wheelbarrow! Who knew work could be fun? A great time was had by all. A solar PV panel was powering the laptop, which ran our informational slideshow, and there was a lot of interest by adults in straw bale house building, solar power and workshops. The crowd at Hillermann's was pretty thin because of the rain, but we met some really neat people who share our interests and plan to be at our workshops.
Ozark Renewable Energy and Sustainable Living Fair
Saturday, June 20, 2009
This was a fun event held at Onondaga Cave State Park, Leasburg, MO, in June. See the 8 minute video with dialogue or the 2 minute video to get a feel for the variety and definition of sustainability. We were there with a solar panel demonstration and an earth-plaster/strawbale wall hands-on demonstration. There were quite a few renewable energy and sustainable living companies and individuals in attendance, available to discuss their expertice and interests. This fair was a lot of fun and very educational, and we look forward to the next one!
Onondaga Cave State Park depends on volunteers for special events, cave restoration and to keep the park beautiful. Go to onondagafriends.com to see how you can be a friend to this beautiful Missouri state park.
Onondaga Cave State Park depends on volunteers for special events, cave restoration and to keep the park beautiful. Go to onondagafriends.com to see how you can be a friend to this beautiful Missouri state park.
Onondaga Cave is an amazing gem of a cave set into a beautiful Missouri State Park where the Missouri river flows through. It is located a little over an hour southwest of St. Louis. Experience it. Onondaga Cave State Park, 573-245-6576.