Merry Christmas... tree farms 🎄

Merry Christmas from the Gravel Road. You're dealing with an Arctic Blast outside, so we're here to warm your brain with info-tainment you didn't know you needed.

Candid video of Santa & his reindeer after they subscribed to The Gravel Road

Here's what we have this week:

• 🎄Christmas tree farms

• 🍗Rare roast beast

• ❄️Cold weather tips

• 🎉2023 considerations

CHRISTMAS TREE FARMS

Less than 25% of the US population buys real Christmas trees, but that small percentage equates to ~30 million real trees purchased annually. The result is a tree-mendous $380M annual industry.

Who are raising all these trees? Christmas trees are currently grown in all 50 states as well as Canada. There are 15,000 farms growing trees with over 100K employees working to get your tree ready to torture your cat for 2 months. The top producing states are Oregon, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Washington.

Today's Christmas tree industry boasts a diverse list of producers ranging from small, hobby farms looking for some side income to massive tree farms. The largest of these farms is Holiday Tree Farms located in Corvallis, Oregon. The family owned farm harvests and ships ~1 million Christmas trees each year. That demands 900 employees working to cover the 7,500 acres of harvest area; even using helicopters to help with large tree removal.

How did it all start? How far do you want to go back? The first recording of a decorated Christmas tree was in Latvia in 1510. America's first Christmas tree farm was planted in New Jersey in 1901 (that's 121 years ago) by W. V. McGalliard. He seeded 30,000 saplings on some rocky soil which was unfit for crop production, and in 1908 started selling the first crop of trees for $1 each.

Thinking about starting your own Christmas tree farm? It very well may be a complimentary product line to add to your existing farm. A 40 year veteran of the Christmas tree business, Gregory Bartels, provides some tips and insight in this article. Keep in mind, that the average Christmas tree sold to consumers took 7 years to grow, so make sure you plan accordingly. Finally, reach out to someone currently in the industry in your state, with this handy slide show.

You, too, can experience this joy:

CHRISTMAS DINNER

Now that I finally lost my Thanksgiving weight, it's time to gear up for the Christmas dinner pounds. So what's on everyone's menu?

Potatoes took the top two spots for favorite Christmas dishes, per a Crestline survey. Roasted potatoes (91%) and scalloped potatoes (83%) topped the survey, which shouldn't come as a surprise, since Americans eat more than 29 pounds of potatoes per person each year. Want to start a potato farm to capitalize on that demand? Learn more about growing potatoes with these tips.

Where's the protein? Roast beef came in as the top ranked meat for Christmas dinner with ham coming in second. Googling "Christmas roast beef recipe" turns up more than 100 million results, so it would be prudent to start gearing up your direct-to-consumer beef marketing plan to take advantage of Christmas '23. Planning a year in advance will ensure you have supply to meet the higher demand of the holiday season.

Creative opportunities for producers is the growing trend to gift food as Christmas gifts. Food gifting (holiday season) is a $21B industry which is expected to continue to grow by 4%+ annually. When you add in the remainder of the year, we're talking about a $33B opportunity. Some of the highest demand gift products are neatly packaged: cheese, fruit, meat, nuts, and assorted sweets... or if you really want to go niche, add fruitcakes to your line of products. (just don't send one to The Gravel Road...)

Inflation concerns continue to put a damper on the Christmas season, but don't let that impact your Christmas dinner plans... here's some budget-friendly recipes to keep supporting farmers and ranchers even though $1 today has 10% less buying power than this time a year ago.

Finally, there's a lot of opportunities for the specialty ag producers to capitalize on boosting sales during the holiday season. Reach out to us ([email protected]) with questions/assistance starting and growing your business.

incredibly, rare roast beast didn't crack the Top 10...

Whatever is on your Christmas dinner menu this year, The Gravel Road wishes you incredible peace and happiness during this season. (Isaiah 9:6)

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SEEDS

• ☃️The current Arctic Blast is affecting most of the US & Canada, and is especially concerning to livestock producers in states where this is a 'once-in-a-generation event'. Here are some tips to keeping livestock healthy and safe:

  • Cattle

  • Sheep & Goats

  • Pigs

  • Horses

  • Poultry

  • Fish

• 🚜Cold Weather Machinery: Equipment has a knack for breaking down at the worst times, especially in this type of weather. Thanks, Murphy. Here are some suggestions for winter operation of your equipment, in hopes that when a breakdown happens, it will be in your nice, heated shop...

• 🎉2023 is only 8 days away. Now is the time to go through your year-end checklist and ensure your farm finances are squared away for the New Year. New to the farming business? We're happy to help you, just reach out.

• 🥂Speaking of the New Year, you may have thoughts of "resolutions" tumbling around in your head. Instead of resolutions, we recommend you create a list of SMART Goals for both your personal growth and your business growth. Here's a few categories we use:

  • Faith

  • Relationships (Family & Friends)

  • Nutrition/Fitness

  • Personal Financial

  • Personal/Professional Development

  • Business Financial

  • Business Growth

MEME OF THE WEEK

That's a wrap, folks.

❄️Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!❄️

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