by Ben Nuelle
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey encourages Iowans to consider choosing an Iowa grown Christmas tree to decorate their home this holiday season.
Northey said selecting a fresh Christmas tree can be part of a great family tradition.
He also says it?s an opportunity to connect with an Iowa farmer and support the local economy.
?I talked to some Christmas tree growers and this past weekend and I think it was a great weekend for growers. Certainly, 100 farms across the state and 1,500 have been waiting for harvest. We think of Corn and Soybean harvest and that is over in most of the state but Christmas tree harvest is just beginning,? Northey said.
Over 39,000 trees are expected to be harvested this year.
?We have a $1 million worth of Christmas trees likely to be sold and other versions whether it is wreaths that will be a part of those sales so we encourage folks to certainly look for real Iowa trees to be a part of their celebration. Also, we want them to experience getting out the farm, meeting the farmer, and buying an Iowa Christmas tree, Northey said.
It takes 6 to 12 years to grow a Christmas tree before it is ready to be sold. Most tree farms in Iowa are 3 to 8 acres in size and sell trees by choose and harvest method, where a customer comes to the farm cut their own tree.
A directory of tree farms across Iowa is available on the Iowa Christmas Tree Grower?s website at iowachristmastrees.com. On the site there is a ?Find a Farm? link on the top left-hand corner of the page.
