Christmas tree farm business plan
Plants digestthe best specialty crops for small are here: home / high-value trees / how to start a christmas tree farmhow to start a christmas tree mas tree you’re looking for a profitable cash crop for your small acreage, consider growing christmas trees. By planting a portion of your acreage with new trees each year, it will provide a steady income as the trees mature in an average of eight years and are harvested and much income can christmas tree farming produce? Most tree varieties are ready to harvest at the popular height of 5 to 7 feet in around eight years. Allowing for loading areas and access roads every 12-15 rows, you can plant about 1,500 trees per acre, using the standard 5′ x 5′ spacing. To provide a stable yearly income, most growers plant or re-plant one-eighth of their acreage every year, which is about 200 trees per ing to the american christmas tree association, the average price of a tree at a u-cut lot was $46 last year. As the costs of growing christmas trees are mostly labor for maintenance, such as mowing for weed control and shearing the young trees, a small grower who does their own work can keep most of the three most popular christmas trees are balsam fir, douglas fir and scotch pine. Balsam fir has a natural cone shape, so it needs fewer shearing to look s fir is the most widely grown christmas tree in the northwest u. However, it does require regular shearing to develop the desirable cone shape of a traditional christmas growers purchase their trees as seedlings or transplants ( a seedling that has been transplanted to a new growing bed to encourage root growth) from one of the wholesale growers around the country specializing in conifers. The cost of seedlings or transplants is low when you consider that the mature trees can be harvested two years sooner than trees grown from seed. Trees that will be harvested at a height of 5-7 feet, which is 90% of the christmas tree market, are planted on a 5′ x 5′ grid to allow plenty of room for sunlight to reach the young trees so growth will be even and not of the big attractions of christmas tree farming is the small amount of work it takes. Little is required for the first four years, then an annual pruning helps the trees bush out for the fuller shape that buyers growers make as much, or more, from selling greens, garlands and wreaths than from their cut tree sales. An experienced wreath maker can produce 6 to 8 wreaths per s near a town find selling their trees direct to customers brings the best profits, although it takes more time. For other growers, selling their trees with the help of a community organization such as kiwanis or rotary makes sense, as the prices are higher than selling to may be surprised to learn that the market for live christmas trees is growing, as the buying public is turning it’s back on plastic artificial trees in favor of the ‘real thing. That’s why the number of small christmas tree farms is growing steadily every year. If you’re interested in a sustainable and profitable crop, why not start tree farming on your small acreage. This green business can be a win-win for you and our you can see, growing christmas trees on a tree farm can bring much higher profits to growers. To learn more about growing high-value trees, read growing trees for profit, available to start a tree farm.
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Tree farm business plan
Exotic” christmas trees can bring extra profits to to start a backyard tree nursery for under $ under: high-value trees tagged with: christmas tree / crops / start a christmas tree gas: a humble vegetable worth raving aboutenjoy farm life: take time to watch the piglets play6 reasons why market farmers should grow radishesoverwintering root vegetables: 3 methods for successbring color & flavor to your garden with 3 unusual kale varietiesgrowing, harvesting & enjoying mustard greenschoose the right type of apple picker for your harvest7 ways you can better market sweet pepperssunflowers: get the most from these multipurpose plantswhen in drought: how to help your crops during dry conditionswild mushrooms: workshops are the best way to learn about themunderstand the difference between good & bad : barry cruver/ j. Keeler johnsondecember 19, year, people across the nation purchase christmas trees for their holiday celebrations, and while artificial trees are popular these days, there is always a demand for real trees that provide the scent, ambiance and one-of-a-kind appearance that artificial trees just can’t equal. While large-scale christmas tree farms satisfy some of this demand, perhaps your farm has the potential to fill a local ’s say that you have a few acres—even slightly rocky and uneven ones that aren’t ideal for keeping livestock or growing crops, such as corn or potatoes. Why not embrace the nature of the field and use it to grow christmas trees? You dig in, though, the obvious question is this: can christmas-tree farming be a profitable endeavor for a small-scale hobby farm with little space to spare? Let’s explore what’s involved and find aware: it takes mas trees—unlike most crops—take much longer than a single season to reach maturity. Christmas trees can take eight to 10 years from planting until harvest,” says tom harbinson, facilities & hospitality manager of the jones family farms and winery in shelton, conn. That is a long-term commitment to the crop that a farmer should be aware of going into it. Farmers often chose imperfect fields for growing christmas trees, but if you want to give your trees the best start in life, choose a field with well-drained soil. And though it’s easy to think that the trees will simply grow themselves without any maintenance, that isn’t the case. It is a crop that does still need care, such as pruning and shaping—making sure a single leader points upward to eventually hold a star or angel for a family’s tradition—as well as being aware of diseases that can attack and diminish a tree,” harbinson says. Each tree must be sheared every summer once they have reached 3 years of age and roughly 5 feet in height to ensure that the branches grow thickly and form a beautiful christmas tree can also be tricky to establish the trees during the early years of their life, when they are vulnerable and require careful watering and weeding care. There can be challenges in the early seedling stages regarding irrigation of the crop, particularly with drought that many areas of the country are facing,” harbinson ’s a very small window of time when the harvest of christmas trees can be profitable, and farmers should keep this in mind. Nobody is buying christmas trees in july, so beware that although the activity of caring for the crop can be year-round, the harvest is obviously a seasonal one and return of revenue for your input creates craters and valleys over a span of time,” harbinson the right sly, not every tree will work as a christmas tree. There’s a reason why broad-leafed deciduous trees aren’t used for christmas celebrations: they drop their leaves in the fall and dry out quickly when cut. Even a tree cut on christmas eve might be shriveled and brown by christmas a result, the needle-leaved coniferous trees—which hold their beautiful appearance for much longer after being cut—are the ideal choice for christmas trees, though some members of this family are more popular than others. Fir trees are among the most desirable species to use as christmas trees, with douglas fir being particularly ideal for beginners to grow.
For a completely different look, pines such as scotch pine or white pine can be grown, although you might find that there isn’t as much demand for these less traditional types of christmas course, the biggest question for a hobby farmer is whether growing christmas trees on a small scale can be profitable these days. With any crop, there will be expenses involved—depending on the size of your christmas tree plantation, you might need equipment for planting, pruning and harvesting. But according to the penn state cooperative extension’s sample douglas fir budget, even a single acre of christmas trees can yield a sizable profit (in excess of $10,000) when properly managed. In addition, growing christmas trees can potentially offer tax benefits; be sure to research the potential savings and requirements with an accountant before diving into christmas tree beyond the financial possibilities, there’s another reason to consider growing christmas trees. Unlike many crops, growing christmas trees allows you to be part of something bigger and more meaningful than simply growing a crop. Christmas celebrations are about traditions—the special foods and recipes created, the times together in family celebrations,” harbinson says. The activity of scouting for, selecting, harvesting and decorating a freshly cut christmas tree to enhance your home for weeks on end is a special gift. Many kinds of crops, worrying about selling them isn’t a concern; if you’ve grown a small crop of potatoes in the corner of your farm, you might find it more enjoyable to eat them yourself than attempt to sell them. Obviously, this doesn’t work as well with christmas trees, because unless you are planning a massive christmas celebration involving dozens or hundreds of trees, the only way to get the benefits of the crop is to sell are a few different ways to sell your christmas trees, depending on personal preference and how many are ready to harvest. One option is to let individuals come to your property and pick out the tree they would like; this works well if your inventory is small and if you want to charge a high price for your tree—selling directly to the end user cuts out the middleman—but if you have hundreds of trees, the logistics of selling each tree individually might not be feasible. Also, be sure to obtain appropriate liability insurance before opening your farm to consumers; the policies and options vary from state to r option is to sell your trees in bunches to larger businesses that can resell them individually; you might not get as high a price for each tree, but the reduced hassle of selling your trees in large groups can make it worthwhile. You can also blend the two approaches, cutting down your own trees and selling them at a predetermined time and location; this can save you from having people stop by your farm at random times to pick out a christmas e these trees are small and have many branches, they don’t make quality lumber, unfortunately, and they’re not well-suited for firewood either, so leftover christmas trees will likely have to become mulch if you want to gain back some of your preparing to invest in a christmas tree crop, do some research in your area to determine what trees and sale methods might be popular. If harvested trees are widely available in your region but no one is offering a u-pick option, you might be able to fill a niche. Also, you might find that some types of trees are in higher demand than others; if you can identify the species and styles that are most desirable, you’ll have a head start on your way to more than christmas you’re looking to expand on your farm’s new christmas theme, try growing holly, as well. This beautiful shrub grows attractive red berries and has long been a part of christmas celebrations, with the branches being used as decorations. Because only the branches and not the entire plant are desirable, hollies can produce a steady supply of branches for years and years, making them a worthwhile addition to your christmas tree farm. Perhaps you won’t grow enough to make a huge profit, but selling holly branches alongside your trees might help you encourage customers to keep coming back for your unique, home-grown offerings.
Be careful , though: if your farm is also home to pets and livestock, holly’s leaves, fruits and seeds can be toxic to some article appeared in the november/december 2016 issue of hobby farms. Keeler johnson is a writer, farmer, blogger and videographer with a passion for pruning trees. He lives on a farm in northern wisconsin, where he cares for more than 100 apple trees and one 40-foot pear tree that should have been pruned long diseasesgo to crop diseases section basil downy mildew brings big trouble to gardensbasil downy mildew is infecting basil crops in dozens of states. Corn smut—it looks gross, but you can eat itthis corn fungal disease is actually a delicacy in mexican culture—though if you find it in your garden, you'll never get rid of rsgo to flowers section sunflowers: get the most from these multipurpose plantssunflowers have multiple components that are good for food, structure, pollination and medicinal uses. Here's an overview of this remarkable ng mums: tips for pruning this fall-flowering plantpinching mums is not a difficult task, but it is a necessary one. Grow sturdier, stockier and better flowering mums with the simple practice of & use sweet anniealthough sweet annie doesn't produce large, striking blooms, the luscious fragrance of the foliage and flowers is something to enable javascript to view the comments powered by enter your email below and you will be notified every time publishes a new / crops / start a christmas tree gas: a humble vegetable worth raving aboutenjoy farm life: take time to watch the piglets play6 reasons why market farmers should grow radishesoverwintering root vegetables: 3 methods for successbring color & flavor to your garden with 3 unusual kale varietiesgrowing, harvesting & enjoying mustard greenschoose the right type of apple picker for your harvest7 ways you can better market sweet pepperssunflowers: get the most from these multipurpose plantswhen in drought: how to help your crops during dry conditionswild mushrooms: workshops are the best way to learn about themunderstand the difference between good & bad : barry cruver/ j. Grow sturdier, stockier and better flowering mums with the simple practice of & use sweet anniealthough sweet annie doesn't produce large, striking blooms, the luscious fragrance of the foliage and flowers is something to enable javascript to view the comments powered by enter your email below and you will be notified every time publishes a new t and service reviews are conducted independently by our editorial team, but we sometimes make money when you click on ’s christmas tree farm, bethlehem, n. Bought 27-million farm-grown christmas trees that rang up nearly $1-billion at the cash christmas trees are small business as well. It takes more than 15,000 christmas-tree farms to produce that annual harvest, most of them small, family-owned businesses with longstanding ties to their new england is usually what we associate with our currier & ives vision of christmas trees, the leading producer is oregon in the pacific northwest, followed by north carolina, michigan and pennsylvania, according to the national christmas tree association (ncta). Tree farms can run anywhere from 5 acres to hundreds of acres, ricky dungey, ncta's public relations manager , told businessnewsdaily. It takes the typical 6-to-7-foot tree five-to-eight years to typical tree, though, is no longer typical, dungey said. There's now a greater selection of sizes available, including 3-foot tabletop trees, "condo" trees that are 4-to-5-feet tall and skinny enough to fit in smaller spaces and "cathedral-size" trees suitable for display in the great rooms of mcmansions. Trees are the only crop sold to the final buyer 'as is,'" said that doesn't stop growers from giving mother nature a helping hand. Christmas-tree farming is more complicated than just planting a seedling in the ground and circling back when it's the right size to cut down and turn into a christmas ng season for christmas-tree seedlings runs from january through march, depending on the part of the country. Some trees don't know how to be a christmas tree," said steve abel, a veterinarian whose second life is spent as head of abel's trees, where he grows some 30,000 christmas trees on a 40-acre farm in new york state's hudson river valley and about 80 miles north of new york trees can be trimmed in as little as 30 seconds, abel said, but it takes more time to bring the unruly branches and bare spots of others under control. We've kind of copied that artificial look," said fred battenfeld, whose family has been growing and selling christmas trees since the mid-'50s on 100 acres about 25 miles north of abel's trees. Christmas trees outsell the artificial variety — most of which are made in china — by more than three to one, the ncta -grown trees come two ways — pre-cut or cut your own.
True christmas-tree aficionados, like their locavore comrades, like to forage for their trees at the source. Their numbers are growing; 24 percent of farm-grown-christmas-tree buyers last year took the cut-your-own lane christmas tree farm, tantoul, kan. Credit: national christmas tree abel and battenfeld run cut-your-own-tree feld's father began planting christmas trees in what had been an apple orchard in the '40s because of changing crop economics that made trees more lucrative than apples. At that time, cut your own tree was in its infancy," he , whose land has been in his family since the 1850s, sees cut-your-own as part of a growing interest in shared activities and creating family memories. Battenfeld applies herbicide in the spring and mows between trees at least twice each mas-tree farming is not without its own hazards and challenges. Marauding deer invaded one christmas-tree farm in iowa last year and nibbled up between 10,000-and-12,000 trees, worth an estimated $80, is also pressure on the land itself, particularly for farms that are within the orbit of large metropolitan areas such as new york city and became attractive for residential recession put the kibosh on the aggressive conversion of farmland into housing tracts in new york's hudson river valley, with raw land now going begging, battenfeld said. Christmas trees 'greener' than evolution of the perfect american christmas surprising truth: christians once banned was senior writer at sweeney vesty, an international consulting firm, and was vice president of communications for iquest analytics. Air force and has a masters in journalism from the university of mas on the farm: a how-to for christmas tree mas on the farm: a how-to for christmas tree courtesy of the weir tree farm. One of them looked up at the long, straight rows of christmas trees growing on our hillside in the distance. I had to chuckle because if those were indeed grapes, the glass of wine i had just poured him would probably have been much higher far from the glamorous perfection of napa valley, i had to concede there was a certain country elegance to the field of trees. At that point, they had been sheared for the year and i had just brushhogged between the rows, so everything looked pretty manicured and put it’s this postcard image that tempts so many people to want to get into christmas tree farming. The reality for all of us in this business, though, is that there are few chances to just stand and admire the trees. And that’s just the growing end of the business; there’s also the all important marketing and sales work that some tend to overlook when contemplating the start of a christmas tree are many reasons to get into christmas tree farming – the chance to get outside, the satisfaction of keeping agricultural land productive, and the possibility of a small income stream eventually, perhaps chief among them – but, like most things in life, there’s more to it than meets the eye. Though i’d be reluctant to call growing christmas trees “farming” in front of a dairy farmer who rises at 4 a. People tend to think they can just stick some trees in the ground and they will miraculously pay for their property taxes,” observed nigel manley, manager of the rocks estate in bethlehem, new hampshire. Which is an education center for the society for the protection of new hampshire forests, as well as a working christmas tree farm with more than 45,000 trees in the said that when he gets inquiries from people “looking for a crop where they haven’t got to do anything,” or “hoping to make a quick buck by planting christmas trees,” he tries to provide a bit of a reality check. Many are horrified to learn that they’ll have to be out planting trees in the cold in april and shearing them in the heat of summer, and that they may have to spray for bugs and apply weed control.
Most prospective growers don’t realize that, even starting with a five-year-old seedling, it takes about 8 to 10 years to produce a christmas tree. Went into christmas tree farming with my eyes wide open, having grown up the son of a vermont county forester who also grew christmas trees. My summers during junior high and high school were spent shearing christmas trees on larger farms nearby. Over the course of 10 years we planted 8,000 trees, and we now plant and sell about 500 trees per year. I’m sure we would have made more if we hadn’t been able to learn from ately, every state in the northeast has an association of christmas tree growers, and i’ve found fellow farmers almost universally willing to share their expertise. Everything that i learned came from going to other people’s farms and joining the new hampshire-vermont christmas tree association,” said those who already own open land, or who are considering such a purchase, there are a few basic factors to consider before planting christmas trees. There are some species and varieties touted by nurseries to “tolerate” wetter conditions, but the reality is that every tree does best on well-drained soils. If you have ground that’s wet for long stretches of the year, consider the cost of installing drainage before planting or look for other land. To you’ve got a good site and are ready to take the plunge, the next hurdle is planning the layout of the field: for better or worse, you’ll be stuck with your decision for years, maybe decades, to come. I’ve seen many farms where tree spacing (the distance between rows and between the trees in the rows) was clearly done with an eye toward growing as many trees as possible. That’s an understandable but shortsighted g trees at 5-by-5 feet will allow for more than 1,700 trees per acre, while 6-by-6 spacing yields about 1,200. It’s hard to imagine when the young transplants are first put in the ground, but even 6-by-6 spacing will be pretty tight by the time the trees are fully grown. As a general rule, allowing a little extra space may result in fewer trees to sell, but it will make it easier to work in the trees, mow between the rows, and provide for more air circulation, which can reduce disease a layout is settled upon, tree species must be determined. When i sheared trees in high school in the 1980s, scotch pine, white pine, and douglas fir were commonly planted varieties. Some farms are experimenting with “exotics” like korean fir, turkish fir, meyers spruce, and the like, with the hope that they not only offer options to buyers, but also some resistance to pests and diseases that are affecting other species on their trait many growers look for is late-breaking buds. Most years, trees such as fraser and canaan fir (a variety of balsam) will break bud after the danger of frost has course, some of these start-up decisions and dilemmas can be bypassed by purchasing an existing christmas tree farm. It’s not uncommon to see established tree farms come on the real estate market, and this may offer an easier route into the business than starting a farm from scratch.
In sanbornton, new hampshire, the fox family recently purchased a thriving christmas tree farm with 3,000-plus trees as part of a lifestyle change when they moved from california. The fact that it was a christmas tree farm sounded a little more fun than farming, say, wheat,” said denise fox, who does much of the work on the farm, while her husband nick works a fulltime marketing job (unrelated to the farm). Said she’s been fortunate to have ongoing guidance from the farm’s previous owner. It would be very difficult to jump into an existing christmas tree farm without training,” said the long rotation period for christmas trees might seem to take some pressure off, there’s little time to be wasted during the decade it takes to grow a christmas tree. Nigel manley said he regularly gets calls from people who planted christmas trees a few years earlier and suddenly wondered what’s next. I usually hear from them when the trees have gotten to be about four feet tall, and they think it’s probably time to start shearing them,” he said, with a truth is that even newly planted trees require some attention. At the very least, it’s important to cut out double tops: leave a double top for four years and you’ll have two complete trees, neither of which will be salable. The work is done by hand (i use a 16-inch shearing knife) and it takes me pretty much all summer and into the early fall on our farm. I’ve found shearing to be the most time-consuming, but also most rewarding aspect of growing christmas trees. Transforming the wild new growth into a cone shape provides instant warwick, new york, kurt emmerich has been planting christmas trees since 2005 and is just getting ready to open for selling this year. He, too, has been struck by the amount of work it takes to maintain trees. I had planted thousands of trees in the past with a hoe dag in oregon, so the planting was the least of my problems. But i had never dealt with the mowing and the shearing and the equipment and everything that goes into maintaining the trees. The species grown as christmas trees generally don’t regenerate naturally in open fields, and are at a disadvantage when it comes to competing with grass and weeds for sunlight, water, and nutrients. It’s essential to limit this competition, especially when the trees are younger/ch said he now has his weeds under control, but his next challenge is bugs. At first the pressure isn’t too bad, but once the trees start to have some economic value, the bugs decide it’s time to move in and destroy them,” he said with a halting are the challenges that make me wonder if i should have invested in the stock market instead. Despite the uncertain performance of mutual funds in recent years, there’s no threat of them being infested by the gall midge or balsam twig doesn’t grow on considering the cost of running a christmas tree farm, be liberal with your projections.
The amount of equipment you need to purchase is pretty insane,” said fox after just a couple years in the business. Netters work by pulling trees through a cone-shaped funnel, temporarily flattening branches against the trunk, then wrapping trees in nets to make them easier for customers to handle and n equipment, supplies, and planting stock, kurt emmerich figures he’s spent tens of thousands of dollars getting his tree farm established – and that’s not counting the initial costs of the land, property taxes, and insurance. All the money invested in our christmas tree farm, tami is convinced that the best is the $90 we hand over each year to rent a porta-potty during our sales season. It’s fine to have hundreds of people at our house, she says, but not in our ’s a stereotype, but i think it’s true: farmers are often very good at growing things, but they have a much harder time when it comes to selling things. I’ve heard many stories of people getting started in christmas tree farming by planting 5,000 or 6,000 trees their first year. I wonder if any such undertaking has ever been learning the ropes, it’s much easier (and cheaper) to make mistakes on 100, or even 500, trees than it is on 5,000. Besides, selling christmas trees depends on repeat business, so it makes no sense to put in a huge one-time planting without continuing year after year. And even if a new farmer were diligent and lucky enough to get such a massive initial planting to maturity, the challenge of selling that many trees without an established name would likely prove impossible. There are very few choose-and-cut farms in the northeast selling thousands of trees each year, and the wholesale market might be even more difficult for a new farm to break ng fewer trees initially makes it easier to ease into sales once the trees mature. I tell people who have four-foot trees to start buying in trees [from other growers] and selling those. Get your signage up, start talking about your farm, get a mention in the local paper,” he stresses. Around the northeast and you’ll see plenty of former christmas tree farms that now are forests. Whether it’s christmas trees or widgets, you need to have a plan for marketing and selling your you do get people to your farm, you’ll find that christmas tree customers are a curious and unpredictable bunch. Last year, i had a fellow who insisted on tying his tree to the roof of his suv with the top pointing forward. Having seen plenty of umbrellas turn inside out in the wind, i politely suggested that, given the direction the branches naturally grow, it would probably be better to flip the tree in the other direction. I thanked him for his business and walked away wondering how many needles (or branches) would be left on the tree when he reached his selling christmas trees is almost always a feel-good experience and it’s rewarding to be a part of that. Unlike shopping for life insurance or a car battery, christmas trees are a purchase that people are excited about.
When people found out we had bought the farm and were going to keep the christmas tree sales going, they were so grateful. I can’t count the number of customers who approach me throughout the year to tell me they can’t wait to come again to buy a tree. For many, going out to cut a christmas tree is a family tradition, and now our farm is part of k white, along with his wife, tamara, and son, aidan, operate meadow ridge farm in middlesex, vermont. Working in the christmas trees gives him the chance to take a break from his “real” job as a writer/editor and get outside. 2012 by the author; this article may not be copied or reproduced without the author's : christmas trees, kurt emmerich, new hampshire, northern woodlands, the rocks estate, tree farm, tree farmers, tree plantation, weir tree farm. We planted 1500 trees the first year and another 1000 trees the second most of which i’m planning to harvest as lumber. Am i the only one that never factored in all the mowing and constant removal of thorn bushes which grow 10x faster than the trees? It’s good exercise and quite the change from my weekday job as a systems 21, 2014starting a small christmas tree farm is something i have been considering and researching the past year. My husband and i are looking at buying an existing farm (neither of us have grown christmas trees before,) and the thought of starting from scratch seemed both daunting and fraught with peril :) you brought up several points that we hadn’t thought about, as well as some we had, but with great perspective. 21, 2016i actually wanted to plant 1000 trees each year starting with this year but am rethinking the idea. I thought 8 and that included buying a 3yo 02, 2016i want to know what do you do with the tree stumps after the trees are cut? 18, 2016you are definitely correct…i have a tree farm here and have 4 acres of trees mostly frasier and white spruce.. Love the people that come back every year and comment how nice my trees are…. I have been thinking about a change in jobs for a while and have wanted and been planning a christmas tree farm with also a pumpkin patch. I’d like to do it full time, but the drop in salary until the farm is completely up and running is daunting. Are the trees cut down in the field, loaded onto a smaller trailer, then brought to a central location to be netted and loaded on a larger tractor trailer? 08, 2017hello, i was very interested in getting started in a christmas tree farm but was unsure of it because of where i live, in fl.
Here are a few helpful hints:-use branches from unsellable trees to make wreaths and sell to florists.
