Once upon a time...
There were no Christmas trees planted on our farm at all.
As with many small family farms, we grew a variety of crops and raised several kinds of livestock. Many acres of hay, wheat, barley, oats, corn, and soybeans were grown, with smaller fields of pumpkins, tomatoes, strawberries, and sweet corn. Cows, chickens, pigs, ducks, and geese also roamed various areas of the farm. Quite a busy place!
Our first Christmas trees were planted in 1977. They weren't much bigger than a pencil, and were planted one at a time with a simple digging bar. As the tree business expanded, the rest of the farm eventually scaled back. Today we still have cows and chickens as well as the ever present farm cats. Much time and effort is still spent making hay for local buyers, and a few acres of grain are still grown. As we began to sell more trees, the amount and size of our equipment grew so that just a few people could handle the increased volume, and ever improving quality of trees. In order to manage 50 acres of Christmas trees, we have acquired a fleet of mowers, planters, shears, chainsaws, and small tractors each suited for different tasks.
Our sales equipment has also expanded greatly to help you handle your tree. Where there was once a guy with a saw and some rope, we now boast a small arsenal of gadgets. There are more than a hundred bow saws and kiddy saws, too (they love to help!). 125 custom-made tree carts are available to roll your trees back in from the field. Tree balers wrap your tree up. Shakers clean out the needles, snow, and occasionally a cute, furry, little creature. Tree drills put a hole in the trunk for the modern pin style tree stands. And specialized equipment is used to make wreaths.
We hope you enjoy your time in the fresh air and open spaces of our farm, and thank you for making us part of your Christmas tradition. Merry Christmas!