Hutterites speak a German dialect, reserving English for dealings with others. Those relationships have improved. Pam Schrader agrees. The commune resembles a small-town neighborhood. Trees grow in generous clusters, kids ride their bikes on paved sidewalks, and an underground sprinkler system waters the grass.
Women spend most of the day preparing large meals they serve to the men in the dining hall.
Women and men eat separately. But the Hutterites do not live strictly off the land. Their communal income is primarily from their on-site hardware store and truss company, Golden Rule Lumber and Willowbank Truss. The trusses are sold through contractors to customers across the country. Wipf has a fax machine and desktop computer in his office and a laptop and two-way radio at home.