Purdue News

February 2, 2001 Not just farmers: More Amish families are finding off-farm income WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – There is a shift in the Amish community from farming to owning small businesses, and with any change there are challenges. Steve Nolt, assistant professor of history at Goshen College in Indiana, will be speaking about this trend March 29, from 10 a.m. until noon in Walnut Creek, Ohio. His presentation, "Rural Economic Development," will be part of "Serving Amish and Anabaptist Communities: A Conference for Professionals." The conference will be March 28-30 at the Carlisle Village Inn. It is cosponsored by the Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service, Michigan State University Extension and Ohio State University Extension. "I will be talking about the move toward small business and other alternatives to farming on the part of many Amish families," Nolt says. "I will be explaining some of the factors behind this shift, the cultural responses Amish bring to such projects and some of the special problems they face." Nolt grew up in Lancaster County, Pa., with Amish neighbors. From there, he developed an interest in Amish history and culture. Today he is a leading researcher in examining the economic development of Amish and Anabaptist communities. Nolt's primary area of research is in comparative studies of how Amish communities in various places respond to both similar and different situations in their respective contexts. His research has been conducted in eastern Pennsylvania and northern Indiana, so he hopes his work will offer a comparison for conference participants from Ohio and other states. The results of Nolt's Lancaster, Pa., small business study were published in his 1995 book "Amish Enterprise: From Plows to Profits," co-authored with fellow researcher Donald Kraybill, who also will speak at the conference. Nolt is in the middle of a four-year project collecting data in Indiana for his research. He and colleague Tom Meyers have visited all 19 of Indiana's Amish settlements. "The diversity within Indiana is remarkable and illuminating," Nolt said. "Many people – even close neighbors – still think about the Amish only in terms of farming. But other types of economic activity are becoming the norm." Nolt said he hopes the conference will be an opportunity to pass on the knowledge he's gained from his research to other professionals who work with Amish and Anabaptist communities. "In a way, that's what the whole conference is about –learning more about a changing people that are often assumed to be unchanging," he said. Nolt has published numerous books and articles on Amish and Mennonite groups, including "A History of the Amish." "Serving Amish and Anabaptist Communities: A Conference for Professionals" will include sessions on understanding Amish/Anabaptist culture, family life, health and human services, relationships with government agencies, and rural economic development. Other topics will include a panel of local citizens and a discussion centering on agricultural production, public health and safety, and rural sociology and community development. Located in the heart of Amish country, the conference also will include tours. Participants will be able to choose a tour topic to fit their professional interests and needs. The four tour topics include: health, safety and human services; law enforcement, justice and government; business and industry; and agriculture and natural resources. Full conference registration is $155 per person or $210 after Feb. 15. Interested participants also can register for a single day at a cost of $60 per person, $70 after Feb. 15. To receive a conference registration form, visit Holmes County's Ohio State Extension Office at (330) 674-3015. Source: Steve Nolt, stevemn@goshen.edu Writer: Jane Houin (330) 674-2585; houin@valkyrie.net; Beth Forbes (765) 494-2722; bforbes@aes.purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page