Christmas tree farming

Christmas Tree Farming Seen Ups and Downs

Dan Forestry, Industry News Release

Christmas tree farmingChristmas tree farming is similar to other types of agriculture in many ways. Tree farming has seen ups-and-downs in production levels and prices. There are currently at least a few Christmas tree farms in every state in the union. Many are small choose-and-cut farms, while all of the country’s farms are run by families. However, Doug Hundley, seasonal spokesperson for the National Christmas Tree Association, says a Christmas tree growing cycle is completely different from traditional commodities.

Cycle

Oregon, North Carolina, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania are the top-five producers of Christmas trees, with number one Oregon and number two North Carolina producing 50 percent of the trees sold every year. To ensure enough demand, Christmas tree farmers have to stagger their planting because of the long growing cycle.

Stagger

While Christmas trees might look the same, there are a dozen different types grown around the country.

Types

Hundley says Christmas tree farmers are similar to other agricultural groups because they’ve recently registered their own checkoff system with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. They’re conducting a campaign on social media platforms to promote Christmas tree sales with the campaign titled “It’s Christmas, Keep It Real!”

From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting News Service.