Running the gauntlet
Dairy farming can get messy. Inside an Amish barn in Lancaster County.
Dairy farming can get messy. Inside an Amish barn in Lancaster County.
Similar Posts
Most Amish and some Mennonite farmers use steel wheels on their tractors, an aspect of church rules that encourages slower and less driving. It’s hard to get a fast (or at least a comfortable) ride when you feel every pebble in the road thanks to the unforgiving metal. Thus steel wheels deter unnecessary trips (in contrast, in a few Amish communities, rubber-tired tractors have meant…
Did you know there are Amish in Texas? Since the late 1990s, a community has existed near Beeville in Bee County. This is about a 2-hour drive from the Mexican border. As you can see in these photos, the climate and landscape here are rather different from what Midwestern Amish are accustomed to. This small community has some businesses and agriculture (including fig and citrus trees), but it’s…
Amish population figures are available for 2013 on the Amish Studies website. Among the new numbers you’ll find: Total church districts is estimated at 2,056 The Amish population has risen 20% since 2008 The top 10 states with Amish account for 92% of the total population “High-growth” states over the past 21 years include New York, Minnesota, and Tennessee. Â Among the “slow-growth” are Delaware and…
New York state is home to a large number of Amish communities–around 30 settlements–totaling over 70 church districts. New York ranks as the state with the sixth largest Amish population and has attracted a large number of out-of-state ‘immigrant Amish’–in fact, more than any other state since 2002. Brock shares photos from an Amish settlement in Montgomery County, New York. This particular community was founded in 1986 by Amish from…
I compared statistics from the 2003 Amish Settlements Across America by David Luthy with numbers from the 2012 Raber’s Almanac to come up with a list of 5 fast-growing Amish settlements over the past decade. Past calculations have found the Amish population to double roughly every 18-20 years;  these communities would be exceeding that, some by a significant margin. Why “fast-growing” and not “the fastest-growing”? There…
Today’s photos were all (except for the first two) recently taken by a reader in the Holmes and Wayne County area.  By last count there are 238 church districts in this settlement, more than any other Amish location, with over 30,000 Amish people living here. The Holmes County community is a sprawling settlement, spanning 20-some miles, as the crow flies, from north to south and east…
6 Comments
Nice cow barn!! Most Englisher dairys are not kept that clean! Sounds like your having a great summer so far. We love the family Bible library, and use it much for study. We follow a swiss anabaptist confesson, much like the mennonite dortrecht(1632). We do use commputers for bussiness. Much liked cooler weather for this week. Harvest beginning…
Good articles and photos! I found your blog yesterday looking for information on Topeka – Nappanee – Goshen Indiana areas. It’s one of my favorite areas to go bicycling. I was wondering if the percentage of the Amish who make their living in agriculture has gone down significantly in the last 10 years. I didn’t find the answer, but I’ve enjoyed what I have found, and have learned a few new things, too. (Other Amish areas where I’ve gone riding are Holmes Co., Ohio, the southern Michigan counties (St Joe, Branch, Hillsdale, Calhoun), Kentucky along the Ohio River, Adams Co., Indiana and elsewhere along the Wabash, and maybe others I can’t think of at the moment. I sometimes talk about it in my bicycling blog, even though it isn’t my primary purpose for being in those places.)
Family Bible Library book set
Adam I always appreciate your comments on the blog here…and great to hear you have the FBL! Do you remember when/who you got it from? They typically just sell directly so maybe a student or someone was in VT. If I can ask, are you aligned with a mennonite group or more along the lines of river brethren or german baptist perhaps..? I regret that I’m not as well-versed in all of the other anabaptist-related groups.
The barns and farms here are absolutely beautiful. The Amish here, true to form, seem to try to keep things tidy. Gives the kids something to do at the very least.
You are about to get pretty busy it sounds…
Dairy farming--Lancaster Amish vs. Indiana Amish
Among the Amish, agriculture has definitely declined across the board, though if you go out about 30 years the change is more drastic-that is roughly when the small business ‘movement’ started picking up steam and many Amish started opening up furniture shops and the like.
Dairy is still pretty strong in Lancaster County however, especially compared to a place like Northern Indiana, where I spent 3 months last summer–the majority as you may know build RVs in LaGrange/Elkhart Counties and in the Nappanee settlement. In Allen County, a settlement of over 700 families just outside Fort Wayne, I think I found maybe one or two full time farmers. In Lancaster County I’ve had a few church districts where almost everyone under 60 farms.
And John, glad you found it. Was just reading about your ride through Topeka. That is a very nice town, unlike towns like Shipshe or Berlin as you pointed out–much more peaceful atmosphere.
I see tons of bikers here in Lancaster County–solo riders to big groups–all county roads here are paved, which must be a plus.
Nice blog and pix by the way! You’ve seen some great places…
We follow an swiss Apostolic statement of faith(swiss brethren). We worship with another farming family in our homes. Most brethren near a congregation worship in a simple church building. We used to visit Amish and Mennonite friends in Lan Co that my mother circle lettered when i was growing up. I grew up in Ellington CT were a large swiss settlement is, moved to VT for availible farmland. The FBL was my fathers, a PA native.
Hi Adam, I see, thanks for sharing. Sounds like you and the other family are the only ones of your faith in the area, hope that doesn’t get too lonely.
Nice to hear the FBL was passed down to you. As it’s been out 30+ years I run into that alot.