AS LONG AS THE EARTH REMAINS, THERE WILL BE PLANTING AND HARVEST,  COLD AND HEAT, SUMMER AND WINTER, DAY AND NIGHT." GENESIS 8:22

On a Hutterite colony, typically one couple is in charge of the vegetable garden. They’re the ones who decide what will be planted, when the garden needs weeding or produce is ready to be picked. For these tasks, the women’s work group and sometimes the men and older children will help as well. When it’s a smaller task, like digging a few boxes of carrots for the kitchen, the gardener couple will do it with....

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....

Behold, how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity (Psalm 133). On Hutterite colonies the overarching aim, beyond earning an honest living, is to create an atmosphere that is conducive to a Christian life as King David mentioned above.

There are approximately 31,000 Hutterites in Canada, living on 340 colonies. Each colony has approximately 18 families working together to farm an average of 8,800 acres, or about 490 acres per family. A five hundred acre family farm would not be sustainable with today’s hig....