Another View of “American Colony”

Written by: Mark Waldner on Friday, June 1st, 2012

On May 29th, the first of ten episodes of “American Colony: Meet the Hutterites” aired on National Geographic Channel. A film crew spent months filming the King Ranch Hutterite Colony from the Dariusleut branch of Hutterites near Lewistown, Montana.

The online video clips and the episodes are interesting and entertaining, not only for the regular audience of National Geographic, but also for many of the 49 000 Hutterites who live on colonies scattered throughout the plains in the USA and Canada. The trailers, deleted scenes and photos po....

“Who Will Help Recycle this Bag?”

Written by: Linda Maendel on Wednesday, May 30th, 2012

In recent years gigantic grain bags have become a common sight on the prairies. Like giant white sausages, stretched out across fields, these bags are quick to set up when farmers run out of grain storage space. However, once the ‘grain sausages’ are emptied there are tons of plastic begging to be recycled.


Green Acres Hutterite Colony, near Bassano, Alberta answered this call. They operate a large scale recycling business, Crowfoot Plastics, the first of its kind in Alberta. I learned about ....

Pentecost & Communal Living

Written by: Louie Vetter on Monday, May 28th, 2012

The Pentecostal holidays are some of the most important days that Hutterites celebrate because those days commemorate the descent of the the Holy Spirit on Christ’s Apostles, the beginning of the early Church and the arrival of the first apostolic communities. Hutterites follow this example and share material goods in common.

After Jesus was crucified and then rose from the dead, he spent 40 days on earth showing himself to be alive to many and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.
Then before Jesus ascended into heaven....

Prayer Request for Gene Stahl

Written by: Louie Vetter on Tuesday, May 22nd, 2012

We are asking for your prayers for Gene Stahl who had a very serious accident, and for his wife Evelyn and his family. Gene is the father of seven children: daughters Crystal, Carmen, Geena and Taya; and sons Travis, Cody, and Anthony. The manager of the beef operation at Deerfield Colony, near Lewistown, Montana; he is 38 years old; devout Christian, family man, and hard worker.

The colony runs 900+ range cows on Sage Creek, about 15 miles from the home place. Gene, an accomplished horseman, who has been riding since the age of three, was m....

There Went Out A Sower to Sow

Written by: Louie Vetter on Friday, May 18th, 2012

It's springtime on the colony.

The doldrums of winter are over, the grass is greening, the trees are budding and it's time for sowing. The early morning air is filled with the chirping and songs of the newly arrived birds of summer. The April and May showers have replaced the cold dry air of winter with the fresh earthy smells of spring. Newness and excitement fills the air and soul alike.

The equipment operators, restless after a winter full of shop and barn work are bursting with energy and anxious to start the annual sowing season. The....