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“So when you have large families and you have what sociologists call a high retention rate of between 80 and 90%, yeah, that's where you end up with, you can get a doubling rate of, you know, about every 20 years.” – Steve Nolt Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. - Ecclesiastes 4:9 (ESV) PHOTO CAPTION: A buggy sits on Amos Stoltzfoos' farm behind his family's Pennland Greenhouse business, located on 1365 Georgetown Road. (WHP) |
“So when you have large families and you have what sociologists call a high retention rate of between 80 and 90%, yeah, that's where you end up with, you can get a doubling rate of, you know, about every 20 years.” – Steve Nolt
Amish expert, Steve Nolt, was right - the Amish population have more than doubled every year in North America, for two reasons: they have large families and a high retention rate of 85% to 90%. They need more land. Due to their four core values: Faith, Family, Community and Simple Living, they have managed to maintain their communities well. Their ‘cousins’ - the Hutterites and Mennonites are historically Anabaptist and share a strong emphasis on family and community. Large families are seen as a blessing and a way to strengthen community bonds, and are common within the Anabaptist Trio communities.
This blog post is like a ‘Part 2’ from PA Amish families moving farther west as their populations hit record high, I will post an article of ‘Amish farmer: Littlestown community embraces growing Amish population’ before I write my thoughts of teamwork and family.
Amish farmer: Littlestown community embraces growing Amish population
by Grace Miller
Tue, December 9, 2025 at 11:51 AM
Updated Tue, December 9, 2025 at 2:39 PM
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A Day in the Life on an
Amish Farm. PHOTO CAPTION: A photo on Amos Stoltzfoos' farm behind his family's Pennland Greenhouse business, located on 1365 Georgetown Road. (WHP) |
It’s a world where the rhythm
of the day follows the rising and setting of the sun, and each moment is filled
with purpose, family, and tradition.
No electricity or modern
machinery—just simple tools, the strength of their hands, and a deep commitment
to the land.
What aspect of Amish farm
life fascinates you the most? Let us know in the comments!ADAMS COUNTY, Pa. (WHP) — When Amos Stoltzfoos moved his family to Littlestown in 2020, he said they were one of just 11 Amish families in the area.
Today, the owner of Pennland Greenhouse says his family is one of around 85-90 Amish families in the settlement, which also stretches down into Maryland.
His story exemplifies a small trend researchers at Elizabethtown College said they’re seeing with more Amish families moving from the Lancaster settlement to parts of Adams County and Maryland.
According to recent data from the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College, the Amish settlement that contains Littlestown and Carroll County, Md., is made up of around 225 Amish people.
The entrance to Amos
Stoltzfoos' property off of1365 Georgetown Road. One path leads to the family's
home and the other leads to their business, Pennland Greenhouse. (WHP)
Stoltzfoos said he moved from Mount Joy to his 120-acre farm, located off of 1365 Georgetown Road, due to the difference in land prices. He said when they were initially looking to buy, farmland in Lancaster County cost somewhere between $30,000 and $40,000 an acre. Meanwhile, the land he ended up buying in Littlestown cost closer to $7,000 an acre.
He said it’s been encouraging to see more Amish families move to the area, emphasizing the Amish’s strong focus on community. Stoltzfoos said he’d never want to be seen as standoffish.
“We’re not focused just on our church community, but also the Littlestown community,” he said during an interview with CBS 21 inside his home, located just a flight of steps down from the greenhouse.
A photo on Amos
Stoltzfoos' farm behind his family's Pennland Greenhouse business, located on
1365 Georgetown Road. (WHP)
Stolzfoos added that since moving to the area several years ago, he’s seen a great reception from non-Amish neighbors. The majority of customers at Pennland Greenhouse are non-Amish, he said.
One of those customers is also a Littlestown business owner — Lisa Noble of Heals with Deals Thrift, Tanning & Coffeehouse.
Noble said she always gets her summer flowers at the Stoltzfoos’ greenhouse, and she loves seeing more Amish in the area.
“I think the community is excited that the Amish are here, that farmlands are being preserved,” she said, “and we love seeing the horse and buggies around town.”
14 He causeth the grass to
grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth
food out of the earth; 15 And wine that maketh
glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which
strengtheneth man's heart. – Psalm 104:14-15 (KJV) PHOTO CAPTION: The
McCallum Daughters on their horse and buggy [PHOTO SOURCE: https://thechurchatspringfield.com.au/ladies-corner/] BLOG: https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-mccallums-one-of-australias-few.html BLOG: https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-mccallums-and-their-community.html BLOG: https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2024/07/the-mccallum-family-musical-group.html BLOG: https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/08/springfield-farm-fresh-produce-mccallum.html BLOG: https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/11/einfache-leben-mccallums-and-their.html 
Noble, who opened her business in 2020, said an Amish family bought the farmland behind her shop and has already introduced themselves.
“I think the Amish are the perfect neighbor,” she said.
She said construction is underway on the neighboring farm property, and the family is set to move in January.
Noble is also no stranger to the occasional Amish customer.
“They have a driver,” she said, “so the women get their driver, and they come in the van and they shop, and we get materials and things, so they buy those items.
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Amish family coming out of a vehicle. [PHOTO SOURCE: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=704002987493487&set=p.704002987493487] https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/07/john-troyer-memorial-award.html |
“And so I love seeing them in here. They enjoy the ice cream as well,” said Noble, whose shop is known for its affogato — two shots of espresso over a scoop of Hershey’s ice cream.
“They're going to be farming the land, which makes me very happy to know that we're going to continue to have the farmland there and that there are so many of the Amish moving into our area now,” she said.
“It's a wonderful area. It's beautiful here, and adding them is just a bonus.”
It’s something Stoltzfoos values, too. He said he spends most of his time out on the farm rather than behind the counter.
“I don’t consider myself a business owner,” he said. “I’m a farmer at heart.”
A post set up outside
the Adams County National Bank on 444 W King St. in Littlestown where people
can tie up their horse and buggies. (WHP)
Several other Littlestown residents who didn’t want to be identified also said they were happy to see more Amish around — a sentiment police chief Charles Kellar echoed.
“I think it's been very positive,” said Kellar, who is also the borough manager. “I mean, a lot of the concerns in this area is land development.
“So when the Amish buy the farms, they stay farms. You know, you do need development to support your tax base, but yeah, basically they're preserving some of the farmlands.”
Most of the farms are located right outside the borough, Kellar said, noting that Littlestown tends to see more Amish move through the area on Sundays.
He said the borough hasn’t had to make any infrastructure changes due to the buggy traffic.
There was one concern expressed in a borough meeting about cleaning up horse droppings on the road, but Kellar said it’s not anything he’s concerned about.
Kyle Kopko, Amish researcher at Elizabethtown College and former executive director for the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, previously told CBS 21 that researchers are seeing more interaction between Amish and government entities in the Lancaster settlement, where populations are growing.
In terms of Littlestown, though, Kellar said the borough tried to involve the Amish in a produce stand project, but it was short-lived.
“We did, you know, we talked to them briefly about participating in vegetable stands and stuff. And we did do one that wasn't very successful, but the Amish did participate in that,” Kellar said, noting that the Amish are always welcome at borough events.
During leaf collections, the borough does give the leaves to an Amish farmer, Kellar said.
He and Noble both referenced the Adams County Bank, which installed a post out front where residents can tie up their horses and buggies while getting service inside.
Noble said she’s working to re-establish a Littlestown chamber of commerce in hopes of attracting more people to town. She hopes to involve Amish businesses, too.
She said she met with various borough officials and business owners to discuss, and the group has decided to start meeting once a month.
“There's a lot of businesses in Littlestown that people don't know about,” Noble said. “Maybe they are electricians or plumbers or things, and they don't have a storefront, but they're here
“So we want to get them known as well and then hopefully reach out to the Amish and see if they want to join us as well.”
“The Amish don’t need
food stamps and they have tons of children.” [PHOTO SOURCE: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=839479218685362&set=a.162621859704438] BLOG: https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/11/book-review-hannahs-children-women.html BLOG: https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/10/john-troyer-memorial-report-2025.html BLOG: https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/07/john-troyer-memorial-award.html
MY THOUGHTS:
Due to their high fertility and high retention rate, the Amish have established 9 new communities [as of July 2025]:
1. Lexington, Jefferson County, Indiana
2. Vevay #3, Switzerland County, Indiana
3. Mount Sterling, Montgomery County, Kentucky
4. Friendsville, Garrett County, Maryland
5. Hersey #2, Osceola County, Michigan
6. Dadeville, Dade County, Missouri
7. Rock Island/Spencer, Van Buren County, Tennessee
8. Camp Douglas, Juneau County, Wisconsin
9. Port Loring, Parry Sound, Ontario
SOURCE: https://amishamerica.com/the-amish-population-has-grown-over-130-percent-this-century-2025-report/
Just like the Amish are repopulating Nebraska’s Sandhills, those PA Amish are doing the same thing, by moving west of Pennsylvania to for example, Littlestown, Adams County. This increase is part of a larger trend where Amish families from the denser Lancaster County settlement move west to find available farmland. It is estimated by researchers that a new Amish community is formed once every few weeks (or minimum once a month).
“The strength of a
family, like the strength of an army, is in its loyalty to each other.” -
Mario Puzo [PHOTO SOURCE: https://wheelbrothers.com/2014/01/16/the-strength-of-a-family-like-the-strength-of-an-army/] https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/10/john-troyer-memorial-report-2025.html https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/07/john-troyer-memorial-award.html
The Hutterites are another good example of a growing community. They are actively expanding their land base in North America, driven by high birth rates and communal needs, often purchasing farmland in the Dakotas, Montana, Alberta, and Saskatchewan, though facing some provincial restrictions and local tensions due to their rapid growth and efficient farming practices. This expansion is not just agricultural; some colonies are also diversifying into manufacturing, but land remains crucial for their self-sufficient lifestyle, leading to both economic success and community growth.
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" Community is like an old coat, you aren't aware of it until it is taken away." – Amish Proverb Amish women and children watching barn raising. [PHOTO SOURCE: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=898808412356259&set=pcb.898808449022922] [ALBUM SOURCE: https://www.facebook.com/goutamgolu22/posts/pfbid02B1c7DaXDbPLubqFPgcyka8yRCAyvHecJ64YQNpBfLD2kpbusM3zHS4dXo1nzz9sLl] A barn raising, also historically called a raising bee or rearing in the U.K., is a collective action of a community, in which a barn for one of the members is built or rebuilt collectively by members of the community. Barn raising was particularly common in 18th- and 19th-century rural North America. A barn was a necessary structure for any farmer, for example for storage of cereals and hay and keeping of animals. Yet a barn was also a large and costly structure, the assembly of which required more labor than a typical family could provide. Barn raising addressed the need by enlisting members of the community, unpaid, to assist in the building of their neighbors' barns. Because each member could ask others for help, reciprocation could eventually reasonably be presumed for each participant if the need were to arise. The tradition of "barn raising" continues, more or less unchanged, in some Amish and Old Order Mennonite communities, particularly in Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and some rural parts of Canada. The practice continues outside of these religious communities, albeit less frequently than in the 19th century. Most frames today are raised using a crane and small crew. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barn_raising https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2023/06/team-preaching-is-like-barn-raising.html https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2024/11/plain-people-and-mutual-aid-why-we-live.html |
A minimum of three households is required to establish a new Amish settlement, based on demographic definitions of a community. These households must include individuals capable of holding church services. While a new settlement can begin with as few as three, established church districts typically consist of 20 to 40 families. Littlestown has about 85 to 90 families, it has increased from 11 families in 2020. I hope and pray that their Amish population will grow more like those in Maryland AKA Gortner Amish, where it is a mixture of both Old and New Order Amish combined community.
Build houses and live in
them; plant gardens and eat their produce. – Jeremiah 29:5 (ESV) McCallum Family with their draft horse [PHOTO SOURCE: https://maps.app.goo.gl/GiMm1XG6suX6Mkvk8] BLOG: https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-mccallums-one-of-australias-few.html BLOG: https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-mccallums-and-their-community.html BLOG: https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2024/07/the-mccallum-family-musical-group.html BLOG: https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/08/springfield-farm-fresh-produce-mccallum.html BLOG: https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/11/einfache-leben-mccallums-and-their.html https://www.agriculture.com/family/26-bible-verses-for-farmers
As of November 24, 2025, The McCallum family of Tasmania are expecting another ‘Para-Amish’ family to join their community. As a new Amish settlement is formed every once a month, I pray and hope for one more family to join them and it will make a new one, this time in Tasmania, Australia.
I encourage those Amish-Mennonite community to work as a team as though they are a family, I mean teamwork and family together as it will help their businesses and community engagement to flourish. See the Springfield Farm Fresh Produce - McCallum Family
Our mission is to continue to
provide an educational format for grass-based agriculture that supports low
energy and a non-industrial way of farming, encourages family lifestyles that
promote economical and healthy rural living skills, and seeks to build morale
and enthusiasm in the farming community. There is no reservation or
entrance fee required for the day’s activities. Food stands will be provided by
the parochial school’s special education parents. There will be containers for
a freewill offering if you would like to contribute toward the furtherance of
the Family Farm Field Days. Sessions will be running simultaneously. Planned
children’s activities will be offered throughout the day. [PHOTO SOURCE: https://amishgateway.com/event/family-farm-field-days/]
I will post four quotes about teamwork and family, before I post a sermon from Nate Bange about church community:
Very
few burdens are heavy if everyone lifts. – Amish Proverb [PHOTO
SOURCE: https://www.pinterest.com.au/amishw/amish-proverbs/] https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2023/06/team-preaching-is-like-barn-raising.html
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Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success. - Henry Ford [PHOTO SOURCE: https://www.azquotes.com/quote/99148?ref=family-togetherness] |
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“When a team feels like a family, they will go all out to love and serve one another.” — Perry Noble [PHOTO SOURCE: https://quotefancy.com/quote/1789917/Perry-Noble-When-a-team-feels-like-a-family-they-will-go-all-out-to-love-and-serve-one] |
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To me, teamwork is a lot like being part of a family. It comes with obligations, entanglements, headaches, and quarrels. But the rewards are worth the cost. - Pat Summitt [PHOTO SOURCE: https://www.azquotes.com/quote/549453] https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/07/wiedertaufer-frauen-bei-der-arbeit.html |
Don't Shoot the Sheep!- Nate Bange
Sunday December 28, 2025
https://www.weavertown.org/2025/12/28/dont-shoot-the-sheep-nate-bange/
VIDEO SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/live/i7cvOm0PY0c?si=oRoZVsI8lAh0sofJ
Zelt Erweckung - Amish Mennonite Tent Meeting Revival at Sequoia Bible Fellowship
Coblentz Tent Meetings with Gospel Preaching! Evangelist Andy Coblentz - An Amish
Mennonite Brother from Kentucky Held at Squaw Valley Rodeo Grounds, May 28,
2012 VIDEO SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaIjRfB2XJ4 PHOTO SOURCE: https://images.app.goo.gl/jUDXmsR8Qkh3z8kW6 https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/02/sermons-on-hebrews-10-verse-24-to-25.html
RELATED
LINKS:
" Community is like an old coat, you aren't aware of it until it is taken away." – Amish Proverb
JOHN TROYER MEMORIAL REPORT 2025
https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/10/john-troyer-memorial-report-2025.html
https://amishamerica.com/amish-population-ranking-by-state/
https://amishamerica.com/10-oldest-amish-settlements/
https://amishamerica.com/5-amish-population-facts/
PA Amish families moving farther west as their populations hit record high
https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/11/pa-amish-families-moving-farther-west.html
19 The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens; 20 by his knowledge the deeps broke open, and the clouds drop down the dew. - Proverbs 3:19-20 (ESV)
Scottsdale, Northeast Tasmania
https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2024/11/scottsdale-northeast-tasmania.html
The Amish, a strange community
Dubbed
3.38M subscribers
1,151,321 views Oct 13, 2024 ÉTATS-UNIS
Welcome to Pennsylvania, the birthplace of the Amish in the United States. They are a Christian ethno-religious group of Germanic origin and are known for leading a simple, peaceful and austere life, keeping themselves aloof from progress and influences from the outside world. After several months of attempts, we finally succeeded in filming the daily life of this community from another age.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzWWkH0VxNU
Minnesota Amish Community
https://amishamerica.com/minnesota-amish/
https://worldcrunch.com/eyes-on-the-us/amish-america-minnesota/
“Let every nation know... whether it wishes us well or ill... that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and the success of liberty.” - John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address (20 January 1961).
AMISH REPOPULATING NEBRASKA’S SANDHILLS
https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/04/amish-repopulating-nebraskas-sandhills.html
https://amishamerica.com/visiting-the-amish-in-the-middle-of-nowhere-10-photos/
Gortner Amish Community
https://amishamerica.com/5-old-but-surprisingly-small-amish-communities/
http://www.mountaindiscoveries.com/images/ss2013/amish.pdf
http://www.mountaindiscoveries.com/stories/ss2003/gortneramish_plain.html
“Make it easier for churches and religious communities to run schools, succor families, and aid the needs of human life. Religion is the best family policy.” ― Catherine Pakaluk, Hannah's Children: The Women Quietly Defying the Birth Dearth
Lovina Eicher is an Old Order Amish cook, mother, and author of The Essential Amish Cookbook and several other cookbooks. She writes the popular syndicated column Lovina’s Amish Kitchen, which appears in 36 newspapers around the United States along with a Facebook page with nearly 5,000 followers. Lovina and her husband, Joe, have eight children and 15 grandchildren (as of October 12, 2025). They live in rural Michigan.
https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/10/introducing-lovina-eichers-amish-kitchen.html
https://99wfmk.com/misconceptions-michigan-amish/
THE MCCALLUM AMISH-MENNONITE FAMILY LINKS:
If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. - J. R. R. Tolkien
The McCallums – One of Australia’s few Amish families
https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-mccallums-one-of-australias-few.html
The Church At Springfield
https://thechurchatspringfield.com.au/
True community arises out of transformation, and only transformation can make real community. – Eberhard Arnold
The McCallums and their community
https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-mccallums-and-their-community.html
“I make music to touch the souls of people as it’s a language we all can speak.” — Andre Rieu
The McCallum Family Musical Group
https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2024/07/the-mccallum-family-musical-group.html
Love Is Work Working together with others is the best way to test our faith, to find out whether or not we are ready to live a life of Christian fellowship. Work is the crucial test of faith because such a life can come into being only where people work for love. Love demands action, and the only really valid action is work. Christian fellowship means fellowship in work. – Eberhard Arnold
Springfield Farm Fresh Produce - McCallum Family
https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/08/springfield-farm-fresh-produce-mccallum.html
The family that works together, eats together, and prays together, stays together. – Amish Proverb
Einfache Leben: The McCallums and their growing community
https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/11/einfache-leben-mccallums-and-their.html
“I wish you music to help with the burdens of life, and to help you release your happiness to others.” - Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano Tuner Compass
From an Amish family in Tasmania, to a Chinese Australian widow in Darwin, piano tuner Martin Tucker encounters people across Australia. Through his craft the audience is introduced to a network of community, soul connection and listening, bound together by the vanishing skill of a piano tuner committed to his calling.
(ABC, Compass, 2021)
See 4:22 to 8:25 of video for the McCallum Amish Mennonite Family
BLOG: https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-mccallums-one-of-australias-few.html
BLOG: https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-mccallums-and-their-community.html
BLOG: https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2024/07/the-mccallum-family-musical-group.html
BLOG: https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/08/springfield-farm-fresh-produce-mccallum.html
VIMEO SOURCE: https://vimeo.com/539429269/5a910346a1
RUMBLE VIDEO: https://rumble.com/v705yag-piano-tuner-compass.html
BITCHUTE VIDEO: https://www.bitchute.com/video/iuvkk7OjQpWM
MENNONITE HISTORICAL SITES LINKS:
https://inoldcities.com/how-to-visit-mennonite-history-sites-in-europe/
https://hutt-writevoice.blogspot.com/2015/10/more-on-huttererpark-opening-in.html
http://www.religionen.at/151016_uebrige_brocken_englisch.pdf
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