Strut10 Posted August 21, 2005 Report Share Posted August 21, 2005 Here ya go, VermontHunter!! As requested.......here's what keeps me busy between spring gobbler season and archery season. My brother, dad & I are partners in a Christmas tree farm. Our county (Indiana County, PA) calls itself the "Christmas Tree Capital of the World". I believe there's several million trees harvested per year, here. We raise Colorado blue spruce, Scotch pine, Austrian pine, Norway spruce, concolor fir, Fraser fir, Douglas fir and Canaan Valley fir. Right now we have approximately 11,000 - 12,000 trees in the ground. We sell wholesale & retail. Our farm's unique "niche" is that we give tractor & haywagon rides to the field for families to pick and cut their own tree. That's pretty enjoyable to be a part of. It's just the farming part that's basically a royal pain in the rump. The equipment we use to run the operation includes 4 tractors (IH 584 diesel, Oliver 550 gas, Kubota 2100 diesel, Cub Cadet 1641 gas), a 4' and a 5' rotary mower, a 48" and a 46" belly mower, a 21' batwing boom sprayer, a 55 gallon PTO driven "handgun" sprayer, several Solo backpack sprayers (some of the sprays we use cost nearly $200/gal!!), a couple wagons, 2 Howey tree balers........and lots and lots of smaller stuff. Planting, mowing, spraying, spraying for something else, spraying again, mowing, spraying, shearing, cutting, baling & hauling are all a drag. January and February are the only two months of the year where there's really not some phase of things going on. The real bummer is that all the rush, rush work happens in hunting season. Right now, I'm in the process of shearing (shaping) our firs. It will take me right down to the weekend before our archery opener to get them finished up. Here's a few pics of where I'm working. This is a shot of part of one of our fields of fir, with Frasers (some unsheared) in the foreground and Canaan Valleys at the back. Here are some closeups of different firs of harvestable size. Fraser fir: Douglas fir: Canaan Valley fir: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevebeilgard Posted August 21, 2005 Report Share Posted August 21, 2005 Re: Christmas tree farmin\'..... ho ho ho. great looking product! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Andrus Posted August 22, 2005 Report Share Posted August 22, 2005 Re: Christmas tree farmin\'..... Nice pics Don! Nice little thing you got going tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanH Posted August 22, 2005 Report Share Posted August 22, 2005 Re: Christmas tree farmin\'..... very cool i bet that keeps you busy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cowpoke Posted August 22, 2005 Report Share Posted August 22, 2005 Re: Christmas tree farmin\'..... Do you have much problems with needle cast with the Colorado Blue Spruce? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Finn Posted August 22, 2005 Report Share Posted August 22, 2005 Re: Christmas tree farmin\'..... Man, I can relate. Spent many hours as a kid pruning and bailing balsam and spruce christmas trees on my great uncle's tree farm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slughunter Posted August 22, 2005 Report Share Posted August 22, 2005 Re: Christmas tree farmin\'..... me and my grandpa started a pine tree farm, but we are going to sell them alive so peaple can transplant them. there only about 5-20 inches because we planted them this spring. i hate how long it takes to mow around them. we have over 2000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VermontHunter Posted August 22, 2005 Report Share Posted August 22, 2005 Re: Christmas tree farmin\'..... Man those are definately gourgeous tree's and Im sure they keep you plenty busy buy the looks,,,,I'd love to have some of those Spruce right here in the yard,,but it seems they don't have a liking for the soil I have(mostly windsor sand) ..... I really enjoyed the pictures and thanks for sharing them with us all.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tominator Posted August 22, 2005 Report Share Posted August 22, 2005 Re: Christmas tree farmin\'..... That's pretty cool Don. I have a couple students that farm Christmas trees, and they say the same thing about it, tons of work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strut10 Posted August 22, 2005 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2005 Re: Christmas tree farmin\'..... [ QUOTE ] Do you have much problems with needle cast with the Colorado Blue Spruce? [/ QUOTE ] Nope. No needlecast at all. Shoot moth, yes. But, no needlecast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaun_300 Posted August 22, 2005 Report Share Posted August 22, 2005 Re: Christmas tree farmin\'..... Nice looking trees Don! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alisha Posted August 22, 2005 Report Share Posted August 22, 2005 Re: Christmas tree farmin\'..... If you need any extra lights or ornaments I think my mom can hook ya up. LOL! Great looking trees ya have there! They look quite a bit better than the ones mom and I saw on the Christmas Tree farm we passed by in Ohio on the way to Cabelas! I guess the lack of rain there has really hurt the growth of them? Oh, and this has nothing to do with your trees, but I figured I would mention how bad the roads suck in Ohio.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
007hunter Posted August 22, 2005 Report Share Posted August 22, 2005 Re: Christmas tree farmin\'..... Where are you located in Indiana County? That wouldn't happen to be your Christmas tree farm that I see while going down 422? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buckee Posted August 22, 2005 Report Share Posted August 22, 2005 Re: Christmas tree farmin\'..... I used to work on a Christmas tree farm years ago, shaping the trees to make them fill in right as they grow and harvesting. Kind of enjoyed it Your trees look great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alisha Posted August 22, 2005 Report Share Posted August 22, 2005 Re: Christmas tree farmin\'..... Oh by the way....... in the first pic....... I'd like that green one....... in the back to the right of those two smaller ones..... ya know which one I'm talking about, don't ya? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strut10 Posted August 22, 2005 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2005 Re: Christmas tree farmin\'..... [ QUOTE ] Where are you located in Indiana County? That wouldn't happen to be your Christmas tree farm that I see while going down 422? [/ QUOTE ] Nope. Not ours. Were about 15 miles east of 422.....over near Plumville. Alisha.........If that's the one you want, you'd better come get it tagged right now. The green ones go fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newarcher Posted August 22, 2005 Report Share Posted August 22, 2005 Re: Christmas tree farmin\'..... So you are the one...... Thanks to you, I spent many a long, cold, wet night unloading Christmas trees at Pike Nurseries here in Atlanta. Let me tell you, you haven't lived until you have been unloading wet Christmas trees that are half frozen in a heavy rain. You further haven't lived until a pretty large Douglas Fir slides off the truck and lands on your toe because some rookie unloader wasn't careful. Sounds like a great business that keeps you outside. New Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strut10 Posted August 22, 2005 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2005 Re: Christmas tree farmin\'..... You also haven't lived until: ...You've baled 14' blue spruce that weigh 200 lbs. each for a 10 hour day and you're the "stuffer" (the guy on the baling crew who picks the tree up and starts it into the baler). It's usually 20 degrees, windy and snowing on that day, too. ...You've sat on a tree planter and stuck 5000 seedlings into the ground. ...You've sheared a 12 hour day when it's 90 degrees. ...You've dropped all your shearing equipment and ran like a fool because there's a hornet's nest in the tree you just whacked into (I think the bees are my biggest peeve about shearing). ...You've slid a 60 hp diesel tractor & haywagon (with a family of customers on it) 100 yards down a steep , narrow road...........BACKWARDS. Yep. I'm the one!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tominator Posted August 22, 2005 Report Share Posted August 22, 2005 Re: Christmas tree farmin\'..... [ QUOTE ] Oh, and this has nothing to do with your trees, but I figured I would mention how bad the roads suck in Ohio.... [/ QUOTE ] That's because our illustrious stiff of a governor is siphoning road money for his golf games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhino Posted August 22, 2005 Report Share Posted August 22, 2005 Re: Christmas tree farmin\'..... Looks great Strut and it sounds like it's a lot more work than I thought it was. I never imagined there was that much spraying involved though. Sounds like you've had both your good and bad moments. I can relate to the hornet's and bees experiences. You know it sucks to be about the slowest running guy when that happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snapper Posted August 22, 2005 Report Share Posted August 22, 2005 Re: Christmas tree farmin\'..... Oh sure...don't show a picture of the thick ones that we drove out during bear season! LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buckbuster11 Posted August 22, 2005 Report Share Posted August 22, 2005 Re: Christmas tree farmin\'..... HEY........what are you doing in the lounge? Nice trees, although that doesnt look like a great amount of fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruttinbuc Posted August 22, 2005 Report Share Posted August 22, 2005 Re: Christmas tree farmin\'..... Hey Strut 10, real nice trees. I traveled trough that area some time ago and the title of Xmas Tree Capital of the World is right on. Since you have all that experience with those pines, what is a good sap remover? If there is such a thing. I have it all over a favorite ladder stand in a big ponderosa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tominator Posted August 22, 2005 Report Share Posted August 22, 2005 Re: Christmas tree farmin\'..... [ QUOTE ] Since you have all that experience with those pines, what is a good sap remover? If there is such a thing. I have it all over a favorite ladder stand in a big ponderosa. [/ QUOTE ] Kerosene. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strut10 Posted August 22, 2005 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2005 Re: Christmas tree farmin\'..... [ QUOTE ] Since you have all that experience with those pines, what is a good sap remover? If there is such a thing. I have it all over a favorite ladder stand in a big ponderosa. [/ QUOTE ] The ticket to sap removal is called "Goo Gone". I buy it in volume!! Look for it at Wal-Mart in the paint section. Worth its weight in gold!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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