Ex-legislator in Havre urges Hutterite boycott, alleging 'unfair advantage' over other family farmer

[TexasTowelie]

A local activist is organizing a movement intended to “level the playing field” for family farms by calling for a boycott of Hutterite goods. Former state legislator Bob Sivertsen says the Hutterite communal lifestyle gives them unfair advantages over the average non-communal farmer.

Questions concerning the Hutterites and how much they pay in taxes came to the surface after Sivertsen claimed the colonies have built-in advantages because of religious exemptions and their “socialist-communal” system.

The {Havre} Herald contacted the Department of Revenue, Office of Public Instruction and county officials for available tax information on Hutterite colonies.

The numbers show that local Hutterite colonies are among the biggest real property taxpayers on the Hi-Line.

Read more: https://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/2019/06/24/ex-legislator-havre-urges-hutterite-boycott-alleging-unfair-advantage-over-other-family-farmers/1547354001/

[rampartc]

1. constitutional rights of peaceable assembly and religion give them an unfair advantage?

religious communal farms have existed in America since the mayflower, or maybe the mound builders.

[Farmer-Rick]

2. Yeah, the Amish and Mennonite also have a tax free advantage

That's why their farms tend to be so rich.

But just a warning those farmers, those religious farms, still use Round Up, pesticides and fungicides. Don't think just because they are a religion they are chemical free or organic. They use tractors and chemical fertilizers like most nonorganic farmers.

And they are shrewd capitalist. I once got cheated on some hens from an Amish farmer. I thought I was getting a fair deal on free range hens. But I was getting the farmers problem chickens that had been caged for most of their life. And I paid to take these egg eating, feather plucking abused girls off the farmer's hands. Oh well, at least the chickens adjusted despite their bad habits. And they were good layers. But man they were a difficult flock to handle.

[TexasTowelie]

3. Which one?

But man they were a difficult flock to handle.

The chickens or the religious farmers?

[Farmer-Rick]

7. The farmers obviously

[3Hotdogs]

5. According to the article link, they pay a shit load of property tax.

[Farmer-Rick]

6. Yeah, except on their church owned properties.

You can hide a lot of wealth under the guise of religion. Just ask the liar Copeland.

Just another scam to keep people ignorant.

[2naSalit]

4. They show up at the farmers' markets

and have some of the highest prices at the market and grocery stores who take local produce. They don't advertise organic produce, they rely on their religion to indicate that they are "pure and organic". Many of them don't speak English so that you have to fumble through the transaction. They also look at normal folks like they are heathens in many cases.