Amish Controversies

Most Amish farmers are conventional farmers. But organic farming has taken off in some communities over the past decade or two despite some practical and cultural roadblocks. One of those communities is the Kalona, Iowa settlement, where today you’ll find over 90 certified organic operations, described in a recent Washington Post article as “one of the […]

Continue Reading Amish Dairies Unhappy Over “Big Organic” Milk Practices

Amish salve-maker Samuel Girod received his sentence Friday: LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – A federal judge sentenced a Bath County Amish farmer to six years in prison on Friday morning. A federal jury handed down guilty verdicts against Samuel Girod in March for misbranding products. After serving six years, Girod will have three years of supervised […]

Continue Reading Samuel Girod Sentenced To 6 Years In Prison

You may recall the story of Kentucky Amishman Samuel Girod, convicted by a federal jury in March: The Kentucky Amish farmer made and sold several homemade products, some of which suggested bold curative properties, in a business running for over 20 years. These include a “black salve” called “To-Mor-Gone” (with a sales pamphlet claiming it to […]

Continue Reading Amish Appear At Kentucky State Capitol Ahead of Salve-Maker Sentencing

From the Bangor Daily News: Despite a very divided vote by the legislature’s IFW Committee, the state’s Amish hunters won the right to wear red instead of orange while deer hunting in Maine. LD 426 was sponsored by Representative McCrea of Fort Fairfield, who was joined at the hearing by several young Amish men who testified […]

Continue Reading Maine Amish Hunters Can Now Wear Red (Instead Of Orange)

From the Bowling Green Daily News (Kentucky): RUSSELLVILLE – A trial date has been set for 13 members of Auburn’s Amish community who have been cited for violating a local ordinance that requires them to clean up after their horses. Authorities have accused the Amish defendants of running afoul of Auburn’s ordinance setting forth the […]

Continue Reading 13 Amish Going To Trial Over Manure Ordinance

An Amish bishop in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania is in the news for failing to report sexual abuse of two children in his church by another church member. From Lancaster Online: An Amish bishop in Dauphin County is facing charges after being accused of failing to report two cases of alleged sexual abuse of children. Christ […]

Continue Reading Amish Bishop Charged For Failing To Report Abuse

Do you recall the recent story of the Amish man who had survived 14 buggy crashes? Levi Shetler is a member of the Swartzentruber Amish group, which does not use the orange safety triangle and other otherwise-common safety features. It looks like change is coming to the group’s approach to vehicle safety – at least […]

Continue Reading Swartzentruber Amish Testing Unusual Buggy Visibility Solution (Updated)

If you’re not familiar with the term “Amish taxi”, this refers to a service common in Amish areas of size. Non-Amish drivers, often with large-volume passenger vans, provide hauling services for their Amish clientele. Taxi drivers ferry their Plain passengers to and from doctor’s offices, shopping outlets, family visits, and work destinations. You’ll see ads […]

Continue Reading Amish Taxi Drivers: Profiling Targets?

Why are we fascinated by stories of people both joining – and leaving – the Amish? Over the ten years I’ve run this website, stories on those topics have consistently gotten a lot of attention here. We could point to several reasons. For one, I believe entering or exiting a community with firm boundaries contains its own built-in potential for drama. Amish-born writers like […]

Continue Reading Why Lorina Mast Left The Amish

Samuel Girod’s federal trial began this week. The Kentucky Amish farmer made and sold several homemade products, some of which suggested bold curative properties, in a business running for over 20 years. These include a “black salve” called “To-Mor-Gone” (with a sales pamphlet claiming it to be “very good at removing tumors”), and a “Chickweed Salve” which had […]

Continue Reading Kentucky Amish Farmer Goes On Trial Over Homemade Health Products