Amish adapt to market push while staying true to faith
Amish communities expand into business as Harley and Nelson Gingerich run framing and kiln operations with eight full time workers. Elders warn that market ideals may erode humility, yet many insist family, faith, and private lives will keep the close, separate society intact.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Gingerich Sawmill
Drakesville
Harley
Nelson Gingerich
Iowa
Harley Gingerich
Orva Yoder
Yoder
John Yutzy
Yoder Lumber
Wagler
Bloomfield
Dorothy Schwieder
Schwieder
Ames
Amish Farm Community Shifts to Steel-Wheeled Tractors
In Iowa near Fairbank Amish settlements moved from horse powered farming to steel-wheeled tractors during the 1940s. The community includes about six church districts in one area and eight districts west of a line, with 20 to 30 Old Order families adopting tractors as part of the modernization.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Alvin Yoder
Clayton County
Orva Yoder
Elmer
Dorothy Schwieder
Iowa
Iowa State University Press
Schwieders
Menno Kuhns
Drakesville
Elizabeth
God
Technology helps Amish entrepreneurs adapt to modern demand
Amish business leaders blend old rules with new tools to stay competitive. Diesel powered shops drive equipment including a 13 000 sanding machine, while phones enter via shanties and voice mail networks. Some embrace faxes and online billing, yet avoid ownership of cars and full electric grids, balancing efficiency with community values.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Orlan
Andy Raber
Oak View
Buchanan County
Raber
Noah Yutzy
Dutch Building Center
Yutzy
Harley Gingerich
Nelson
Drakesville
Gingerich
Titus Wagler
Bloomfield
Wagler
Kalona
Buchanan
Clayton
Davis
Gazette series highlights Amish life in Iowa communities
Orlan Love and Cliff Jette spent three months earning trust in four Iowa Amish settlements. The reporters documented daily life with consented photographs, balancing privacy with public interest. Love leads The Gazette Northeast Iowa Bureau from Quasqueton, while Jette joined after graduate studies in Ohio.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Gazette
Orlan Love
Cliff Jette
Iowa
Love
The
Quasqueton
Buchanan County
Jette
University of Ohio
Athens
Also Mentioned on This Page
William Yutzy
Alvin
Holmes County
Ohio
David Yoder
Floyd Graber
Midwest Truss
Waukee
Georgia
Mississippi
Chicago
Kraybill
Joe C. Yoder
Hazleton
Elizabethtown College
Elizabethtown
Yoder Woodbending and Carriage Co
Elkport
Tove
Gazettecommunications.com
Fairbank
Ewest
Igen Edgewood
Elkport/Garber
Washington
Cedar Rapids
Iowa City
Gazette Map
Orian
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