Testing the Impact of Anaerobic Ferments on Crop Health
Written by Mary Hathaway, OFRF’s Research & Education Program Manager, and Samantha Otto, FLT Program participant
Samantha Otto is the founder and farmer of The Woven Trifecta, a 10 acre farm in western Michigan. Currently in transition to organic, the farm focuses on diversified vegetables for a CSA, local farmers market, as well as farm to school sales throughout the school year. Samantha raises Jacob sheep for fiber as well as assorted poultry for meat and eggs. The livestock is rotationally grazed on just over 3 acres of pasture, with 2 acres of no-till beds in production.
Samantha has a decade of hands-on farming experience and is a graduate of Michigan State University’s Agricultural Technology program. Since she started the farm, her primary focus has been on cultivating no-till organic vegetables and cut flowers. But as a curious farmer, she is continuously exploring innovative approaches to sustainable agriculture. Last year, as a participant in the Midwest GRIT program, she began integrating grains into her system, and she has also recently incorporated livestock into her rotations to create a closed-loop system to help improve soil fertility.
