It wasn’t long ago that Christmas tree growers were worried about the long-term future of their industry. But today that worry has transformed into renewed optimism, according to Gary Crawford with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Marsha Gray, executive director of the Real Christmas Tree Board, says, ”The industry met the demand in 2021 and will do so again this year. This is a year with few surprises.”
Gray says their annual survey found that 86% of real Christmas tree buyers had no problems finding a nearby place to get their trees in 2021.
“Our grower survey tells us the demand for real trees is healthy,” Gray says. “Retailers see steady consumer interest in real Christmas trees, and supply is pretty well matched to that interest.”
Like many other sectors of U.S. agriculture, Christmas tree growers say their input costs have risen compared to last year. Consequently, many growers had a 5% to 15% increase in their wholesale prices compared to last year.
Sources: USDA, National Association of Farm Broadcasters