Circumstances make cases: Hutterite farmers pose for magazine ad

Alberta Views magazine this month carries a full-page advertising for Alberta Milk, unusually featuring three three Hutterite men. According to a post on cbc.ca, the three, from the Hutterite Brethren of Viking are posed with sunglasses and suspenders in front of their herd of cows.

Hutterites usually object to being photographed, for religious reasons.

Mike Southwood, the general manager of Alberta Milk, said most Hutterite colonies declined to participate. The ad was shot three years ago and has appeared twice before in newspapers without attracting any attention, said the story. .

Kurt Wipf, who is in the ad, said the men agreed to pose because it promotes their industry without conflicting with any religious or traditional aspects of their culture.

In Alberta, Hutterites have won the right not to have their photographs on driver's licences.

The Wilson colony in southern Alberta argued in court that the government's rule violated its charter right to freedom of religion. Members believe the Second Commandment in the Bible ("Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image") prohibits them from willingly having their picture taken.

The Alberta Milk advertisement is a surprising move, said Ben Graham, who specializes in agricultural marketing, but savvy on both ends.

"It's always a benefit for the producer to be profiled and for the producer group or organization that markets the end product to focus on their top producers," he said.

James Frederes, who studies Hutterite culture at the University of Calgary, said when there isn't a religious conflict, Hutterites can be a pragmatic group.

"They are embracers of technology par excellence. If it makes them more effective and more efficient in terms of their financial activities, they're prepared to enter into it," he said.