Amish Controversies

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Amish Pet Food Company Sales Shut Down By Judicial Order

There’s a dispute ongoing between two raw pet food companies with ties to one another. Answers is the name of the established company; Amish farmers in PA have supplied it with raw materials for its foods for years. Kure is the upstart brand founded by some of those same Amish suppliers last year. Apparently two sisters who worked for Answers left the company and began…

Daniel Gingerich Surrenders Over 500 Dogs, Banned From Breeding Business

This story happened several weeks ago, but is a follow up on the puppy mill case in Iowa covered here back in October. Breeder Daniel Gingerich of the Seymour, Iowa Amish community surrendered over 500 dogs in early November, and has been banned from breeding and selling dogs: Daniel Gingerich hoarded more than 500 dogs throughout his multiple properties in Seymour, Iowa, which were all…

Tennessee Amish Drug Case Update (& Video)

Tennessee Amish Drug Case Update (& Video)

A few updates to last week’s news of an Amishman in the Ethridge, Tennessee community being caught with 25 pounds of marijuana. I also made a video on the story (below) which includes a number of the following points: The Amishman in question, Chris Appleby, was a convert to the group. According to this WKRN story, he arrived about seven years ago and joined the…

Tennessee Amishman Arrested In Possession of 25 Pounds of Marijuana, Guns, Cash

This is a bizarre story out of the Ethridge, Tennessee Amish settlement. A 33-year-old Amishman has been arrested for possession of 25 pounds of marijuana. Lawrence County police also seized firearms and an undetermined amount of cash. The report from News 4 Nashville: LAWERENCE COUNTY, TN (WSMV) – Lawrence County police officers located 25 pounds of marijuana in the residence of an Amish Lawrence County…

Yet Another Amish Teen DUI In This Pennsylvania Community

Sometimes I refer obliquely to certain Amish communities having a bad reputation for the behavior of their youth or as regards consumption of alcohol. Keeping in mind that Amish communities can be quite different, of course. In many communities, poor behavior from youth is not common or little-tolerated. And different communities have different approaches to alcohol. That’s all to preface the news of yet another…

Authorities Seek Alleged Iowa Amish Puppy Mill Operator

Via the Ottumwa Courier: CORYDON — The Wayne County sheriff says he is considering filing criminal charges against dog breeder Daniel Gingerich for animal neglect. “We are definitely looking at filing some criminal charges,” Sheriff Keith Davis said Thursday. “After reading the (federal inspectors’) reports, I believe some charges are warranted and that we are able to do that.” Davis said he has been contacted…

Lancaster Amish Organic Farmer Must Pay $250,000, Faces Possible Jail Time For Food Violations

Lancaster Amish Organic Farmer Must Pay $250,000, Faces Possible Jail Time For Food Violations

A Lancaster County Amish farmer faces hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines and potential jail time for repeated violations of food safety laws. Miller’s Organic Farm, owned by an Amos Miller in Bird-in-Hand, has been described as “tangling with federal authorities for several years over its food handling practices” in this report by Fox43: U.S. District Judge Edward G. Smith, Jr. found Amos Miller…

Amish-Raised Neighbor Reacts To Supreme Court Decision: “Devastated”

Lizzy Hershberger lives in the same community as the Fillmore County, Minnesota Amish group who won an appeal case at the Supreme Court last week. She is concerned over wastewater leaking into the ground in her area. Hershberger said that she was “devastated that this is the outcome.” This caught my attention as I believe this is the first opposition – or at least strong…

Supreme Court Sides With Amish In Gray Water Case

The Amish plaintiffs appealed this case to the Supreme Court back in March (if you’re new to this story, here’s a summary of the issue, and some further explanation shared with us by expert witness Karen Johnson-Weiner). At the time, it was unclear whether it would even be heard. And it seemed unlikely, as the Supreme Court only hears 100 to 150 of the roughly…

NY Man Charged With “Burning Down” Amish Mailboxes Using Molotov Cocktails

NY Man Charged With “Burning Down” Amish Mailboxes Using Molotov Cocktails

An upstate New York man used explosive Molotov cocktails to “burn down the mailboxes” of two Amish “business associates”. It’s been well-documented that Amish can be targets of vandalism and harrassment. Some cases are driven by pure dislike of the Amish, or as a sort of boredom-killing prank. This case seems to have had a financial motive behind it. According to the story in WNYT…