Hutterites

[grassmarketeer]

Our local colony can be very useful, but they are our worst neighbors in many ways. When the colony arrived the local town crashed and will never recover. The school in town struggles and the merchants are leaving. The buying and selling power of the colonies is incredible. The networking of information flow from colony to colony to make deals happen is staggering. Intercolony barter and trade is running rampant. I suspect that the BLACK MARKET intercolonial trade and multigroup buying power from out of area sources, are two reasons for their success. In colony daycare and schooling are 2 others. The thievery of their youth is a result of unpaid labour and the fact that their youth are jelous. The saying "if you can't beat them join them," just doesn't work.

[grassfarmer]

Grassmarketeer, I accept your local colony may not be the best behaved one -as someone else said they contain the good the bad and the ugly just like any other society. Non Hutterites sold the land to allow the colony to be established so half the blame for your town dying must lie with them surely? The information sharing and collective bargaining power on the trade front is one of their strengths but isn't that what is continually sought on this forum? - a willingness to work together as a united industry to get a fairer deal with our produce buyers? Yet if they are called Hutterites they are seen as a mafia type organisation.

[grassmarketeer]

Grassfarmer, When locals sold to this colony not one of them knew they were selling to a colony. They were told they were selling to a 'big ranch'. If it was properly identified as a colony some would not have sold and other locals would have dug deeper in their pockets to buy. Information sharing is of paramount importance to the future for all. However, Hutterites are akin to the organized crime funded street gangs of the inner city. The council on each colony is their protector. As the population on our colony has increased to near splitting levels for the third time in 45 years, the youth have found themselves with too much time and no money. Have you never seen a large van full of drunken Hutterites? Ever had your child's TV or ghetto blaster stolen? How about the time that we had our neighbors gun waved in the face of the lady of the house. Ever seen a payloader driven through the wall of a quonset when the owners were not there?
Granted, the Hutterites are the first to help when things go wrong (ie fire etc).
The Hutterites have just about always made full restitution, but only when reasonable proof exists. These things are not easy to prove though. As well, many things are not missed for extended periods of time. RCMP involvement helps but it is fruitless since virtually any punishment is always administered In-House. It is a great way to have it since it saves sooo much money for the taxpayers and the Boys are not destroyed mentally. But it hides the problems from the rest of Canadian Society. I've never yet seen one with a criminal record, or their name dragged through the local newspaper.
Furthermore, do they ever record all the cash brought in by the sale of farm produce (radishes,carrots peas,potatoes,eggs etc.)
Finally, I am jealous that they can buy in bulk,often in multiple colony purchases, at a rate I never will be able to get for myself. They can find the deal on barley or feed 200 miles away and make it happen through intercolonial help. These are great benefits. I am just lacking the ability to do the same and it is just wishful thinking that we will ever be that well connected that we can do the same. We may get close, but never the same particularily since they rarely share with us. The more successful farms in my area with three generation living together in close proximity still won't ever have what the colonies do. Intercolonial competition will only place them in integrated multicolonial circles. Why were they discriminated against in Europe to the point they left and what concessions were made to them to want them to settle here? Do we really know the extent of that or are we really uninformed?
Most of us have European routes yet does Europe have any Hutterites?
It seems that with a cheap food policy in Canada and a farm population that vows never to bear arms (not even against the gov't) may be just what this gov't needs to keep the urban masses content.

[grassmarketeer]

Grassfarmer, When locals sold to this colony not one of them knew they were selling to a colony. They were told they were selling to a 'big ranch'. If it was properly identified as a colony some would not have sold and other locals would have dug deeper in their pockets to buy. Information sharing is of paramount importance to the future for all. However, Hutterites are akin to the organized crime funded street gangs of the inner city. The council on each colony is their protector. As the population on our colony has increased to near splitting levels for the third time in 45 years, the youth have found themselves with too much time and no money. Have you never seen a large van full of drunken Hutterites? Ever had your child's TV or ghetto blaster stolen? How about the time that we had our neighbors gun waved in the face of the lady of the house. Ever seen a payloader driven through the wall of a quonset when the owners were not there?
Granted, the Hutterites are the first to help when things go wrong (ie fire etc).
The Hutterites have just about always made full restitution, but only when reasonable proof exists. These things are not easy to prove though. As well, many things are not missed for extended periods of time. RCMP involvement helps but it is fruitless since virtually any punishment is always administered In-House. It is a great way to have it since it saves sooo much money for the taxpayers and the Boys are not destroyed mentally. But it hides the problems from the rest of Canadian Society. I've never yet seen one with a criminal record, or their name dragged through the local newspaper.
Furthermore, do they ever record all the cash brought in by the sale of farm produce (radishes,carrots peas,potatoes,eggs etc.)
Finally, I am jealous that they can buy in bulk,often in multiple colony purchases, at a rate I never will be able to get for myself. They can find the deal on barley or feed 200 miles away and make it happen through intercolonial help. These are great benefits. I am just lacking the ability to do the same and it is just wishful thinking that we will ever be that well connected that we can do the same. We may get close, but never the same particularily since they rarely share with us. The more successful farms in my area with three generation living together in close proximity still won't ever have what the colonies do. Intercolonial competition will only place them in integrated multicolonial circles. Why were they discriminated against in Europe to the point they left and what concessions were made to them to want them to settle here? Do we really know the extent of that or are we really uninformed?
Most of us have European routes yet does Europe have any Hutterites?
It seems that with a cheap food policy in Canada and a farm population that vows never to bear arms (not even against the gov't) may be just what this gov't needs to keep the urban masses content.

[grassfarmer]

Grassmarketeer, I don't think it could be concluded the Hutterites were brought here from Europe by the Canadian Government to supply a cheap source of food in the knowledge that they wouldn't take up arms against the Government.
As far as their history in Europe is concerned you could read up more at "www.hutterites.org"
Briefly, they have a history of fleeing religous and political persecution dating back to the 1500s. Jacob Hutter, their founder, was burned at the stake in Innsbruck in 1536 for refusing to renounce his faith.
They were then caught up in the religous wars that swept Europe in the 1600s that saw anyone that didn't agree with the faith of the ruler of their country at that time being killed or forced to flee to yet another country. Eventually they moved to the Ukraine region of Russia where they prospered for a while before again being forced to flee - this time to the USA in 1874. In 1918 after the Great War ended they moved into Canada and founded the current population.

As far as the crimes you have witnessed, how are these any different to the crimes committed by anyone else in Canadian society? Because they happen rurally? - every night on TV we see stories on murders,armed robberies, stabbings, drug dealing, gun crimes and drunken Hutterites are no different than drunken anyone else - have you ever been on a bus/plane with drunken soccer fans? These to my mind are just cheap shots aimed at a group of society that you admit you are jealous of - what about looking at it from their point of view?
There was a widespread belief around here a few years ago that local colony members were responsible for a large spate of rural thefts - until a local(Canadian non-Hutterite) couple left the area and the stealing stopped abruptly.

[cowman]

Well grassfarmer, as I stated earlier some of the young ones are wild little devils...and its not just the boys!
But that is okay it is the way of the world?
However the basic strenth of the Hutterites has always been their religion and that is fast dissappearing? Along with the rest of Canadian society I might add?
And like you say there are very good Hutterites and there are ones who leave a lot to be desired! Sort of like the general population, anywhere?
They are good farmers and they take care of their own and that is admirable, I believe?

[cakadu]

Years ago I found out a little bit about the leader of a colony. Yes, he is a protector and part of that protection includes being responsible for the souls of the people in the colony. Puts a lot of emphasis on one person.

I try not to make judgments about people based on what a few "bad apples" do. No matter what profession, religion etc. you will always find those that are not the most upright of citizens - it doesn't mean that all are bad.

We might all be better off if we took some lessons on being able to work with one another in a more collaborative fashion and loose the independent streak.

I firmly believe that with a few notable exceptions, there is always some good in people - it may just take a while to find it.

[grassmarketeer]

Grassfarmer, It is not uncommon for stealing to stop abruptly after they baptize the wild devils.
Some of my relatives were forced to flee the Crimea area of Russia too. Unfortunately for them most disappeared. Others spent many long years exiled to Siberia. But hey their resistance helped the pacifist Anabaptists to flee that extra few paces.
It should be obvious that the Canadian Gov't in the past went as far as advertising free homesteads to put the working poor out onto the land. Now that the land is in production and supporting the subsequent industry. The gov't has the larger tax base.
However, from some preliminary examination it would seem that even the local weld shops that pay town business tax,pay cpp,employment Ins, hire journeyman welders, pay income tax, and deal with workman's compensation are losing lots of business to colony fabricaion shops and repairs.
Could it be that living communally and sharing everthing is the only way to go?
I admit I take a few pot shots but wake up and smell the coffee. The trend is out there that large corporate farming is coming fast. We hear all the stories that life insurance companies are buying large tracts of land, but I do not see it. All I see is 'look there its another colony.' Some say well then get big or go home to the city. Colony expansion doesn't even mean competition in the land market anymore. They are so vertically and horizontally integrated that they are already controlling profits in the supply chain by manufacturing critical components. Good for them!!
But I would just like all farmers/businesses to be subject to the same rules. I have three veterinarians in my immediate family but they swear they are not allowed to sell/give Rompin or Lidocaine to me. So, I borrow what I need to from my local colony that does all their own veterinary work including C-sections etc.(no Dr. of Vet Med. there). It is difficult to put into words but it just feels like I'm on the tiny hind teats while the colony chaps have the main supply. Good for them, at least one of us do. What lies ahead? Will colonies continue growth rates of the last 30years? I bet someone out there has some good anecdotes of how well the Native Indians are getting along with the Hutterites for neighbors. I would love to hear them. Is it true that the hutterites and the native indians are the only two populations thriving in the rural area of the Praires.

[grassmarketeer]

Grassfarmer, What do you think the rest of us could learn from the hutterites? At my kitchen table I can bang with my knife all I want and more bread will not show up unless I get up and get it!Am I doing something wrong?

[grassfarmer]

Grassmarketeer, What could we learn from the Hutterites? well I believe we could study their model of success and efficiency and look for some pointers. Imagine farm communities that are able to expand by doubling their acreage every 25 years or so - a very different story from most prairie farmers. Perhaps their scale is working for them - if they can beat chemical and tractor companies prices down by working cooperatively that is a great advantage and one we could maybe learn from.
The main thing that I learn from them is the need for intensity of production - I don't mean by that just confinement livestock operations, I mean running multi-facet operations with a diversity of species and crops. They are value adding to grain by feeding it to geese, using the meat and filling duvets with the feathers as an example. Using their extensive shops to create welded products during the quiet winter months is another value adding product. The key in this to me is that a typical colony of say 10 sections supports over 100 people - all getting their sole living from the land. Single family farmers can't make a living off three sections of grainland so they try to buy six. Without adding the intensity of production to the operations it doesn't pay off. So we get lots of guys farming "crop insurance" - how admirable is that?
It's funny you mention Natives in your last post - and use the same ignorant terminology that was used against the Natives by the early settlers "wild devils". Looking back the settlers could have learnt a lot from the "savages" of the wild west - with their sustainable, non resource-
depleting lifestyles instead they chose to create the most damaging, wasteful society on earth.
I think the fact that you condemn the Hutterites for so much yet then use them to procure medicines smacks of hypocrisy.