FarmHer Profile: Soraya Alem and Jarvi Schneider, Otter Oaks Farm
Farm name and location: Otter Oaks Farm, Woodstock, IL
Years farming: Since 2022
What are you growing/producing? Best-seller? We grow a variety of specialty crops. Our biggest successes have been sungold tomatoes, collards, kale and rainbow chard.
Why farming? We chose farming because of our history on our own families’ farms, to help expand access to local, organically-grown foods, and to create a shared creative space on land of our own.
How do you feel about being a woman-identified farmer? When I think about it, I feel very proud, especially as a queer woman and Jarvi as a trans farmer. We were lucky to start our farm in Chicago through organizations whose mission it is to help women, queer and BIPOC farmers succeed.
I have utilized every resource provided and it has shown the incredible strength, resilience, and fortitude of the people that keep the wheels of local food-networks going.
We definitely haven’t built Otter Oaks Farm alone, and that’s what all the women in my life that raised taught me about being a woman; supporting others and letting them support you.
Biggest win/what makes you happiest? Our biggest win is getting to be a part of The Working Farms Fund, helping us achieve our greatest dreams of stewarding and protecting land that can support our farm, other farmers, community events and our family.
Biggest challenge? The biggest challenge has been the unexpected obstacles that pop-up with every project, especially now as we are expanding our growing capacity and building infrastructure in Woodstock. Everyday is a new mound of choices to make, but each challenge we face makes us more resilient and moves us closer to seeing our vision come to life.
How are you thinking about your farm in the future? Even though we have so much to occupy our minds with in the present, we are always driven by what we see for our future. We see multiple acres of specialty and nutrient-dense crops, a refurbished dairy barn to share with others, a thriving incubator program for young farmers, and a place where people feel safe to gather and connect through food and music.
“Regenerative /ecological” practices on the farm? We practice no-till, crop rotation, cover cropping, sister planting, and though we are not certified, all of our crops are grown organically.
Anything else you want to share? We are so excited to join the McHenry county community of farmers! Since acquiring our land in Woodstock last year, we have felt so welcomed and can’t wait to meet more growers.
