Northwest Iowa — The search for the perfect Christmas tree is a family affair shared by many northwest Iowa families each year, and this year’s crop is good, thanks to a good growing season.
The president of the Iowa Christmas Tree Growers say you’ll have a good selection of Iowa-grown trees this year. Jan Pacovsky, says the growing season that helped the state’s two main crops of soybeans and corn was also kind to tree growers.
Pacovsky says too much water and not enough can impact tree growth, but the growers she’s heard from are pleased.
While growers across the state are looking forward to a good season, Pacovsky won’t have trees again this year as they continue to recover from a heard of deer which ate the trees on her farm. If you head out to a farm to cut your own tree, she says look for one that appears to be in good health.
She says many people think tree farmers simply put the trees in the ground and wait until they are tall enough to be cut and trimmed.
While there are all kinds of artificial trees that come in box and some with lights already in the branches, Pacovsky says many of the customers at the tree farms are repeat customers. Many parents bring their kids to re-live the tradition of when they went out and got a tree as kids.
The Iowa Christmas Tree Growers Association represents 98 tree farms in the state. A directory of tree farms across Iowa is available at: www.IowaChristmasTrees.com. Go to the “Find a Farm” link on the top left-hand corner of the page. The location of the farms is listed as well as a phone number and hours of operation for each farm. The Iowa Agriculture Department says the farms devote over 15-hundred acres to Christmas tree production in Iowa and as a result harvest approximately 39-thousand-500 Christmas trees each year. The Ag Department says Christmas Tree growers contribute a one million dollars to Iowa’s economy.
