Ohio Amish hurt by higher fuel prices

Ohio's Amish community, the world's largest, is known for shunning the use of cars, tractors and electricity. But the plain people in the rolling hills of Holmes County and elsewhere still feel the pinch at the pumps.

That's because some Amish have left their farms for work in construction, tourism and furniture making. So they pour diesel into generators to power sanders and table saws, or they chip in gasoline money for a van ride to a construction site or visitors center.

And the Amish who have remained on the farm use generators to power washing machines and irrigation equipment.

"They use fuel in different ways, but certainly they use it," said Steven Nolt, a historian specializing in Amish culture at Goshen College in Indiana.

While they avoid many modern conveniences, the Amish never objected to technology outright, Nolt said. Rather, faithful Amish employ technology selectively and with some consideration, avoiding machines that might weaken community cohesion.

Ray Miller, a volunteer at the Mennonite Information Center in Berlin, doesn't own a car. But he is sensitive to the cost of gasoline because he relies on a van service for the 50-mile round trip between home and the center.

As of Friday, the cost of a ride had risen to $1 a mile, and as he ushered visitors into the information center for presentations, Miller lamented how much his volunteer work is costing him.