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[[Factor e Farm]] is the land-based facility where we put the ''theory'' of Open Source Ecology '''''into practice'''''. Factor e Farm is not a [http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/factoryfarming/ factory farm]. Why [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E_(mathematical_constant) e]? It is a transcendental number. We aim to transcend. We push towards open source. Factor 10 reduction in price. Or at least e. Ten times cheaper means ten times the freedom. It is Factor e improvement in quality of life. It is technology for ecology.
{{OrigLang}}


We started with 30 acres of raw land in rural Missouri - a former soybean field. We paid our last electricity bill three years ago. We are getting our power from waste vegetable oil and the sun. We drink pure free rain water. We grow most of our food. We are free. Welcome to our life. We want to help others do the same. Decentralization. Regain control of your life. Be your own boss. [[Evolve_to_freedom|Evolve to freedom.]]
=Faculty House=
[[File:fachouse.jpg]]


<ehtml><center><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/p/FF0B396794CE6CDE&hl=en" /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/p/FF0B396794CE6CDE&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br>Click the arrows to see another video.</center></ehtml>
=Aquaponic Greenhouse=


The Factor e [[Distillations]] are a review of Factor e Farm in 2008.
[[File:greenhousecolored.jpg|700px]]


<ehtml><center><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/p/8222E33C29B683CE&hl=en" /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/p/8222E33C29B683CE&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></center></ehtml>
=The Factor e Farm Experiment=
Factor e Farm is a 30 acre parcel of land 1 hour away from the Kansas City International Airport in Missouri. In 2006, Open Source Ecology purchased this land - a blank slate that was a soybean field. Since then, we have been busy building infrastructure, using as much open source, libre processes and hardware as possible.


See a slide show presentation about the [[First Year at Factor e Farm]], 2007.
We are much more than a farm. At Factor e Farm, we grow ideas, and put them into practice. The name derives as a play on words - we are not a factory farm - we are Factor e Farm - e stands for the natural logarithm (exponential transcendence). And it is an irrational number - irrational or unreasonable. As George Bernard Shaw said - “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world: the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”


<ehtml><center><embed id="VideoPlayback" src="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docid=-710075551990473235&hl=en&fs=true" style="width:400px;height:326px" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"> </embed>
[[Factor e Farm]] '''(FeF)''' is a socio-technical experiment. It aims to take what civilization has learned about what it means to thrive, and determine whether it is feasible to use abundant local resources to create industrial civilization, up to semiconductor and metal production - on the scale of a parcel of land - at 2 hours of work per day - using local resources - regeneratively - achieving a modern standard of living. This is a Big Hairy Audacious Goal, but its achievement has huge implications on solving [[Wicked Problems]].
</center></ehtml>


[[Image:oekonuxtalk.jpg]]
=A Test Bed for Systems-Level Innovation=
Factor e Farm is an experiment on many levels: natural ecology, industrial production, experimental research and development, immersion education, and a transformative lifestyle. Factor e Farm combines a lifestyle immersion in the world of open source hardware, and a goal of creating the open source economy.


[http://openfarmtech.org/weblog/?p=611 See the latest presentation from 2009, given at the Oekonux 4 Conference in Manchester, UK.]
We are experimenting with what it would look like if a small group of people were able to achieve a full resilient lifestyle, by tapping solar power (direct and indirect) and appropriate industrial technology - to master infrastructure maintenance at no more than a few hours per year - to attain raw industrial productivity with appropriate, heirloom and modern technology - to ascertain production of food, housing, energy, and technology from local feedstocks. This implies significant technology, productivity and efficiency levels - essentially removing waste from the unstable model of centralized industrial production, and converting to a more congruent and ethical open source economy.
=More Information=


See the [http://openfarmtech.org/weblog/ weblog] for the latest updates.
=Data Point for a New Civilization=
The Factor e Farm experiments can be observed from many perspectives. One perspective is that of material security - feasible on first-principle calculations of solar energy energy income - that transcends the artificial material scarcity of the mainstream economy. To this end, we are testing whether it is possible to attain individual mastery of a few tens of kilowatts of multipurpose industrial power to allow prosperity with modern comforts and cultural advancements without the necessity of warfare. The key to this is open source technology and open knowhow - a construction set of modular, multipurpose tools - a civilization-in-a-box that can be a model of regenerative, information-age, industrial power.  


You can view videos from Factor e Farm on our [http://www.youtube.com/user/marcinose Youtube Channel.]
The intended outcome is mastery of individual productive power towards evolving as humans - where absolute material security allows for uncompromised pursuit of personal autonomy, mastery, and purpose.  


[http://www.flickr.com/photos/11113094@N03/ Pictures] from Factor e Farm.
=Natural History=
*Started 2022:
<html> <iframe src="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vRnR17lyeO3LitVvP0kobHaBg2Ivr4TtG7nMre0TAl-fnZCext8Ekx-9PKOoIgOwk5oEYQEy6mfdOtn/embed?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000" frameborder="0" width="480" height="389" allowfullscreen="true" mozallowfullscreen="true" webkitallowfullscreen="true"></iframe> </html>


See [http://factorefarm.org/ Factor e Farm.org] for discussion forums.
[https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Y2aL9G_ZOiXUmJIUBsa9-zVne1xWf98YyXZTghP_riw/edit#slide=id.g123f2be0d6c_0_3 edit]


The core team members are the people at Factor e Farm who are engaged actively in the reserach and development program for the Resilient Community Construction Set (formerly called the Global Village Construction Set).
=2014 Infrastructure Upgrades=
Starting from raw land in 2006, the 2014 infrastructure plan is:


<ehtml>
<html><img src="https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1NylWrlka8yZ8jzY2Hi-vhP6wxqlBCEbpH6z1ZyWtPtQ/pub?w=700&amp;h=800"></html>
<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&amp;hl=en&amp;msa=0&amp;msid=105613177309411485244.00046566d85d9fb56693f&amp;ll=39.865297,-94.374259&amp;spn=0.00722,0.005482&amp;t=h&amp;output=embed"></iframe><br /><small>View <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&amp;hl=en&amp;msa=0&amp;msid=105613177309411485244.00046566d85d9fb56693f&amp;ll=39.865297,-94.374259&amp;spn=0.00722,0.005482&amp;t=h&amp;source=embed" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">Factor e Farm</a> in a larger map</small>
</ehtml>


=What it's like at Factor e Farm=
[https://docs.google.com/a/opensourceecology.org/drawings/d/1NylWrlka8yZ8jzY2Hi-vhP6wxqlBCEbpH6z1ZyWtPtQ/edit edit]


Definitions: ''Core Team'' or ''Factor e Farm Core Team'' or ''Factor e Core Team'' refers to the full time people at Factor e Farm, who are also involved in the research and development program.
==Name==
The e in Factor e Farm is [[Euler's number]], a transcendental number - implying the disruptive nature of Open Source Ecology's work. We are not a [http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/factoryfarming/ factory farm]. At Factor e Farm, we are growing ideas. We are creating technology for ecology.  


Learn about what it's like at [[Factor e Farm]] before you come.
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E_(mathematical_constant) e] => The transcendental number.
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farm Farm] => Where we begin.


Current as of April 25, 2009.


We are on 30 acres in rural Missouri.
Those coming for [[Dedicated Project Visits]] are advised of the [[Factor e Farm General Guidelines]].


Shelter
[[image:Solar_cell.jpg|thumb]]
[[Image:Cordwood_Structure.jpg|thumb|Cordwood structure]]
[[image:Outside_Hexayurt.JPG|thumb|Hexayurt]]
[[image:Hexacube1.jpg|thumb|Hexacube]]


*[[Solar_Panels_at_Factor_e_Farm|We are totally off grid with solar panels]] that charge a forklift battery. Buildings are wired, including the new CEB workshop addition. We need to wire the two workshop silos, and install an electric fence charger for the goat pen.
==Infrastructure==
*We have wood stoves in the cordwood, earthbag, and CEB workshop buildings. We have 4 acres of wooded area, but this is not sufficient to sustain all stoves without upgrading to efficient stoves, proper solar design, Babington burner option, and central hydronic heating. We aim to address these points by end of 2009.
[[Image:Hl1.jpg|400px|thumb|HabLab]]
*[[Solar Cubicle]]s are insulated, the CEB workshop is partly insulated, while earthbag and cordwood structures feature only thermal mass.
[[Image:Hl2.jpg|400px|thumb|HabLab]]
*Buildings:
[[Image:Cordwood_Structure.jpg|400px|thumb|Cordwood structure]]
[[image:Outside_Hexayurt.JPG|400px|thumb|Hexayurt]]
[[image:Hexacube1.jpg|400px|thumb|Hexacube]]
 
*Shelter
**[[HabLab]]
***Kitchen
***Bathroom
***Bedrooms
**SolarCubes
**[[Hexayurt]]s
**[[Earthbag hut]]
**[[Earthbag hut]]
**[[Cordwood hut]] - Usual visitor area.
**[[Cordwood hut]]
**[[Hexayurt]] - uninsulated
**Tents
**2 [[Solar Cubicle]]s - $380 insulated housing unit built in one day
*Workshops
**[[CEB building]] and [[greenhouse]] - thermal mass retains heat
**Main Workshop
**Army tent
*[[Greenhouse]]
**[http://openfarmtech.org/weblog/?p=632 Solar Village] planned for 2009.
 
*Utilities
 
**Water
***Well Pump  and Rainwater catchment
***1000 Gallon tank reservoir
***2nd water pump brings water from the reservoir tanks to habLab kitchen and bath.
 
**Sanitation
***HabLab has a septic system (please limit/don't use antibacterial soaps!)
***flush toilets and [[Composting Toilet|composting toilets]]
***3 compost bins for cooking scraps
***Recycling system has outdoor segregated storage for plastics, metals, and paper products, which are brought to local recycling center.
 
**Heating/Cooling
***Wood stoves
***Thermal mass earth roofs.
***cross-ventilation
 
**Kitchen
***Stove
***Sink
 
**Communications
***Very low cellphone reception
***DSL internet with wifi
 
**Food
***400 tree fruit, nut, and berry orchard (still growing)
***We try to eat together
 
==Learning==
*We are a learning community, and we are all expected to help each other grow in practical, mental, emotional, and spiritual techniques.
*Highly value [[Education]]


Water
==Tools==
*Hand pumped water well
See [[Factor e Farm Tools]]
*Roof rain water catchment system on greenhouse, with about 1000 gallon storage capacity. Pressure tank provides water to sink in earthbag structure, CEB addition sink and shower, plus greenhouse irrigation. Hose can be extended to water the garden. Well pumping can be automated via 3" submersible pump (not available) or a manual-to-motorized handpump converter (available). On-demand electric heater is installed for kitchen sink and shower.
*Next improvement will be a deep well - beneath bedrock at 100 feet - after we build an open source [[Well Rig]]


Electricity, Internet, and Fuel
==Location==
*We presently have 1.4 kW of solar panels installed. This is sufficient to run lights, internet, appliances, and workshop tools without problems. It is ''not'' sufficient for extensive electricity usage, such as electric heaters, welders, or items left on when not needed. As such, people need to be conscious of energy usage. Battery voltage should be checked regularly (readout on inverter) to make sure there is no unaccounted energy usage or leakage. As a general rule, voltage should not go below 12.0 volts, and charging should not exceed 14.0 volts. The inverter shuts off automatically below 11 volts and above 15 volts. The overcharge condition can degrade the battery rapidly from its 20 year rated life.
*Higher power items, such as welder, are run off the tractor generator, which can produce 20 kW of electric power.
*Internet is provided. It can be supported easily all day by our available power, but it should be turned off whenever not in use.
*We make our own biodiesel for the [[LifeTrac]] tractor and Suburban farm truck.


Food
<span style="color:red"> NOTE: It is NOT ok to visit Factor e Farm without an invitation. Please see [[Visit Factor e Farm]].  
*400 tree fruit, nut, and berry orchard
</span>
*Garden with many raised beds planted out in 2009
*Asparagus and raspberries are presently available in abundance
*Orchard was planted 2 years ago from small trees.
*Chickens - eggs; [[Incubator]] recently open-sourced, and in testing. Abundant eggs and chicken meat expected later in 2009.
*Goats - milk; meat reserve if needed; present population of 7, with 2 males.
*We buy food that we don't grow on the farm
*Agricultural Permaculture tasks, landscaping, taking care of plants
*We try to eat together


Waste
=Natural History=
*2 composting toilets as described at [[Composting Toilet]].
*3 compost bins
*Need to reestablish redworm population for vermiposting, as these have died out over winter.


Sanitation
Near Blank Slate, 2009:
[[Image:molly_sink.jpg|thumb]]
*Installed hot water, dish washing sink, and shower in CEB addition
*We have an indoors sink in the earthbag structure; pressure tank froze last winter, and this winter we aim to have the pressure tank in a heated space.


Finances
[[Image:blankslate.jpg]]
*Finances are handled individually. Factor e Farm provides electricity, internet,  and Core Team members are responsible for their foo. Project  See [[Transparency]]
*[[1000 True Fans]] campaign provides ongoing funding. Currently 38 subscribers.
*Project-based crowd funding is deployed via ChipIn and PayPal.
*Need to set up donation handling via Revolution Money Exchange.
*We (by Core Team principled consensus) will negotiate the level of financial responsibility and joining costs for prospective Core Team members based on the interests and resources of the applicant


Governance
2014:
*Priorities of the Resilient Community Construction Set (formerly called [[Global Village Construction Set]]) determine direction and funding allocation. Director of Research and Development is responsible for setting research and development priorities, as well as for determining necessary infrastructure improvements.
*Council of Elders settles disputes by mediation. Council of Elders is presently being recruited. Core Team selects Councils of Elders by ''principled consensus''. Anyone may bring up a topic for mediation, and in case of any objections, the decision to enter mediation will be determined by 'principled consensus' of all core team members.
*Board of Academic Advisors is currently being recruited.
*[[Rules of Conduct]]
*Core Team members are required to study consensus techniques and conflict resolution techniques. We expect all participants to accept the responsibility for effective conflict resolution.


Legal
See [[2014 Concept Infrastructure Budget]]
*Legal structure and land tenure is discussed at [[Transparency]]


Learning
=Site Boundaries=
*DSL internet connection
 
*Wireless router
[[File:site.jpeg]]
*We are not set up well for training Core Team members in various skills for living, research, and development work. We typically require prospective members to come with skills, and this point is negotiable.
 
*We are a learning community, and we are all expected to help each other grow in practical, mental, emotional, and spiritual techniques.
OpenStreetMap View
 
<span style="color:red"> NOTE: It is NOT ok to visit Factor e Farm without an invitation. Please see [[Visit Factor e Farm]].  
</span>


Tool Use
<html>
*People may use tools either:
<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://www.openstreetmap.org/export/embed.html?bbox=-94.37982,39.85737,-94.36568,39.86661&amp;layer=mapnik&amp;marker=39.86251,-94.37624" style="border: 1px solid black"></iframe><br /><small><a href="http://www.openstreetmap.org/?lat=39.86199&amp;lon=-94.37275&amp;zoom=16&amp;layers=M&amp;mlat=39.86251&amp;mlon=-94.37624">View Larger Map</a></small>
**by bringing their own
</html>
**demonstrating proficiency in using and maintaining Factor e Farm tools
*We are also building various tools, and whoever builds one may also use it and teach others to use it


Build technology for ecology to easily provide the above and replicate it at low cost for others
==Climate==
*The [[Global Village Construction Set]]
[http://www.wunderground.com/weatherstation/WXDailyHistory.asp?ID=KMOMAYSV2 Nearby weather station]


We are seeking interns for our research and development program to help develop open source technology for building resilient communities. This includes designing and building "permanent agriculture," agricultural machines, infrastructure buildings, and metalworking products. We don't just make diagrams or theory, we make machines that help people achieve their dreams. Please consider [[Volunteer|volunteering]] at Factor e Farm.
[[Temperature]]


=Links=
*[[Democratic Decline]] - Factor e Farm was started in response to the democratic decline of 2006.
*'''[[First Year at Factor e Farm]]''' - the beginnings. Start with chickens and eggs and polyethylene, like any hippie would.
*[[Site Management]]
* [[Factor e Farm Site Plan]]
* [[Distillations]]
* [[History]]
* [http://blog.opensourceecology.org/?p=2012recent Blog Presentation]:
* See the [http://blog.opensourceecology.org/ blog] for the latest updates.
* You can view videos from Factor e Farm on our [http://www.youtube.com/user/marcinose Youtube Channel.]
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/11113094@N03/ Pictures] from Factor e Farm.


[[Category:Factor e Farm]]
[[Category:Factor e Farm]]
[[Category: Resilient Communities]]
[[Category:Places]]
[[Category: Outdated Information]]

Latest revision as of 18:48, 9 March 2024

Faculty House

Fachouse.jpg

Aquaponic Greenhouse

Greenhousecolored.jpg

The Factor e Farm Experiment

Factor e Farm is a 30 acre parcel of land 1 hour away from the Kansas City International Airport in Missouri. In 2006, Open Source Ecology purchased this land - a blank slate that was a soybean field. Since then, we have been busy building infrastructure, using as much open source, libre processes and hardware as possible.

We are much more than a farm. At Factor e Farm, we grow ideas, and put them into practice. The name derives as a play on words - we are not a factory farm - we are Factor e Farm - e stands for the natural logarithm (exponential transcendence). And it is an irrational number - irrational or unreasonable. As George Bernard Shaw said - “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world: the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”

Factor e Farm (FeF) is a socio-technical experiment. It aims to take what civilization has learned about what it means to thrive, and determine whether it is feasible to use abundant local resources to create industrial civilization, up to semiconductor and metal production - on the scale of a parcel of land - at 2 hours of work per day - using local resources - regeneratively - achieving a modern standard of living. This is a Big Hairy Audacious Goal, but its achievement has huge implications on solving Wicked Problems.

A Test Bed for Systems-Level Innovation

Factor e Farm is an experiment on many levels: natural ecology, industrial production, experimental research and development, immersion education, and a transformative lifestyle. Factor e Farm combines a lifestyle immersion in the world of open source hardware, and a goal of creating the open source economy.

We are experimenting with what it would look like if a small group of people were able to achieve a full resilient lifestyle, by tapping solar power (direct and indirect) and appropriate industrial technology - to master infrastructure maintenance at no more than a few hours per year - to attain raw industrial productivity with appropriate, heirloom and modern technology - to ascertain production of food, housing, energy, and technology from local feedstocks. This implies significant technology, productivity and efficiency levels - essentially removing waste from the unstable model of centralized industrial production, and converting to a more congruent and ethical open source economy.

Data Point for a New Civilization

The Factor e Farm experiments can be observed from many perspectives. One perspective is that of material security - feasible on first-principle calculations of solar energy energy income - that transcends the artificial material scarcity of the mainstream economy. To this end, we are testing whether it is possible to attain individual mastery of a few tens of kilowatts of multipurpose industrial power to allow prosperity with modern comforts and cultural advancements without the necessity of warfare. The key to this is open source technology and open knowhow - a construction set of modular, multipurpose tools - a civilization-in-a-box that can be a model of regenerative, information-age, industrial power.

The intended outcome is mastery of individual productive power towards evolving as humans - where absolute material security allows for uncompromised pursuit of personal autonomy, mastery, and purpose.

Natural History

  • Started 2022:

edit

2014 Infrastructure Upgrades

Starting from raw land in 2006, the 2014 infrastructure plan is:

edit

Name

The e in Factor e Farm is Euler's number, a transcendental number - implying the disruptive nature of Open Source Ecology's work. We are not a factory farm. At Factor e Farm, we are growing ideas. We are creating technology for ecology.

  • e => The transcendental number.
  • Farm => Where we begin.


Those coming for Dedicated Project Visits are advised of the Factor e Farm General Guidelines.


Infrastructure

HabLab
HabLab
Cordwood structure
Hexayurt
Hexacube
  • Utilities
    • Water
      • Well Pump and Rainwater catchment
      • 1000 Gallon tank reservoir
      • 2nd water pump brings water from the reservoir tanks to habLab kitchen and bath.
    • Sanitation
      • HabLab has a septic system (please limit/don't use antibacterial soaps!)
      • flush toilets and composting toilets
      • 3 compost bins for cooking scraps
      • Recycling system has outdoor segregated storage for plastics, metals, and paper products, which are brought to local recycling center.
    • Heating/Cooling
      • Wood stoves
      • Thermal mass earth roofs.
      • cross-ventilation
    • Kitchen
      • Stove
      • Sink
    • Communications
      • Very low cellphone reception
      • DSL internet with wifi
    • Food
      • 400 tree fruit, nut, and berry orchard (still growing)
      • We try to eat together

Learning

  • We are a learning community, and we are all expected to help each other grow in practical, mental, emotional, and spiritual techniques.
  • Highly value Education

Tools

See Factor e Farm Tools

Location

NOTE: It is NOT ok to visit Factor e Farm without an invitation. Please see Visit Factor e Farm.

Natural History

Near Blank Slate, 2009:

File:Blankslate.jpg

2014:

See 2014 Concept Infrastructure Budget

Site Boundaries

Site.jpeg

OpenStreetMap View

NOTE: It is NOT ok to visit Factor e Farm without an invitation. Please see Visit Factor e Farm.


View Larger Map

Climate

Nearby weather station

Temperature

Links

Retrieved from "https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/index.php?title=Factor_e_Farm&oldid=294199"