Springtime Chores for the Amish

The peaceful communities of Cannelton and Montgomery hidden in southern Indiana become very busy places each Spring. There is the early plowing and planting of both the fields and the pristine vegetable gardens, the frequent visits among the families...catching up after the long winter and caring for the new births of the Belgian and Percheron foals...foals that will grow into productive members of the Amish community.

I spoke to the gentleman on the plow as his 8 horse team turned to head down the next furrow. He plows 40 acres with his team of Belgians. Even with 8 horsepower, he told me that he must let his horses rest for a brief period after pulling the length of the field before beginning to break the next section.

He told me that this large Amish community has been established in Southern Indiana since the 1700's. His ancestors immigrated here from Canada after they relocated originally from Germany. History has literally stood still for these families aside from the modern necessities such as the rubber tires on the plow. But the traditions of the Amish culture remain in tact and still form the fabric of the patchwork quilt covering the rolling hills of their beloved farms.

Dan