Often compared to Amish or Mennonites, Hutterites are a communal people belonging to a peace-driven Anabaptist sect that lives by the principle of non-resistance — the practice of not resisting authority, even when it’s unjust. Nearly 50,000 of them live around the Western U.S. and Canada in colonies of 80-150 people made up of families who live and work together. Faith, family and hard work make up the core value of the Hutterites. Jake Waldner (right, pictured with farm hand Brian Kleinsasser) is one of those members. His colony supplies chicken, duck, some produce, and occasionally bread to The Resort at Paws Up — a luxury ranch promoting the Western lifestyle. It’s an odd juxtaposition — Hutterites supplying food to a resort that offers luxury camping for tourists at upward of $500 per night — but Waldner doesn’t see it that way. He needs income and the resort needs products, and they both see it as a great friendship. Waldner is responsible for raising about 8,000 chickens, 1,000 ducks, and 1,000 turkeys each year on his state-of-the-art farm, which encompasses 9,600 acres, including a 12-acre garden. The animals are raised free range, without hormones or antibiotics, and are fed barley and wheat grown on the farm. After they’re processed and packaged, Waldner himself delivers them to farmers markets, local grocery stores, individuals, and establishments like Paws Up. The Hutterites don’t do it this way because it’s trendy; it’s simply how things have always been done. Unlike the Amish, Hutterites have all the latest technology, from GPS-driven tractors to smartphones and tablets. Each part of the farm — fields, blacksmith, hogs, etc. — has its own boss. Men are expected to take care of their own chores first, then pitch in wherever they are needed. They're working sunup to sundown most of the time, though on rainy days, "We goof off like anybody else," admits Waldner. For him, the fun is getting to interact with his loyal customers.
