Tag Archives: Christmas tree

By Matt Reese

A stealthy hunter slowly creeps through an evergreen forest, scanning the surroundings for his prey. A cold November wind whips through the pines, sending a shiver through the hunter’s body. Undaunted he presses on, silent as snow.

Through the cover of some fir branches the hunter stops, keen eyes focused on his quarry — a buck deer warily watching from his spot nestled up beneath the green boughs of the winter landscape. A flash of the bow and the deer slumps. A flick of the knife and the hunter’s task is fulfilled with another successful hunt on the DiVencenzo Family Tree Farm.

The tradition started when an upset too-young-to-deer-hunt four-year-old couldn’t go deer hunting with his dad. To amend the situation, the boy’s grandmother instead took him to pick out a Christmas tree and hunt for a stuffed toy deer hidden in the tree field using a toy bow and plastic hunting knife.

Life is not all about “me.” Life is about serving others — not ourselves — and agriculture has a unique way of teaching this key value.

An attitude of service always seems to be a bit more prevalent in rural agricultural areas (at least to me). The act of caring for the soil, tending to animals and producing products for others on the farm has a way of weaving itself into your moral code and instilling a willingness to serve others.

My wife and I are already trying to use lessons on the farm to teach our young children about the value of service to others. With this in mind, I tried to involve both of our children in the Operation Evergreen program this year. Each year to commemorate Veteran’s Day, veterans come out to our family Christmas tree farm and select trees that will be sent to troops overseas with the hope of providing a bit of holiday cheer so far from home.

Kaleidoscope Farms of Hancock County won Grand Champion honors in the 2014 Ohio Christmas Tree Association’s state contest that took place at the Ohio State Fair. This year’s winning tree was a Black Hill Spruce. The Reserve Champion was a Norway Spruce and was exhibited by Storeyland Christmas Tree Farm in Trumbull County. Both will have the opportunity to represent Ohio in the 2015 National Christmas Tree competition.

The trees in the competition were selected from trees submitted by growers from across the state of Ohio. They were also judged by a panel of judges consisting from The Ohio State University faculty. The primary factors considered in the judging included shape, fullness, color and overall appearance.

The trees will be on display at the Ohio Christmas Tree Association booth for the duration of the Ohio State Fair.

Other contest winners included:

Fir

First: Spring Valley Tree Farm in Greene County

Second: Young’s Christmas Tree Farm located in Greene County

Pine:

First: Storeyland Christmas Tree Farm in Trumbull County

Second: Galehouse Tree Farm in Wayne County

Spruce

First: Kaleidoscope Farms of Hancock County

Second: Storeyland Tree Farm in Trumbull County

During the fair, attendees voted for the People’s Choice award and winning this honor was a Frasier Fir exhibited by Storeyland Tree Farm in Trumbull County.

Our son recently got an ear infection and had to take medicine twice a day for 10 days. My wife’s keen perception caught the malady very early and the ear infection was not bad, but the twice-daily battle that followed was quite serious.

I would guess the problem is fairly common in four-year-old boys — our son detests taking any type of medicine. So, twice a day for the last 10 days, we have engaged in an epic struggle of daily wrestling matches, impromptu games of hide and seek with a subject not interested in being found, medicine spills and sprays aplenty, and bribery of every kind. Of course, we don’t want to give him the medicine that he so despises, but it is obviously the proper course of action in the big picture to prevent a number of problems.

Even though it is best for him, our son does not necessarily see this (or agree with it).

Jan. 18, 2014 is the date for the Ohio Christmas Tree Association (OCTA) Winter Meeting to take place at The Reese Center on the Newark campus of The Ohio State University in Newark.

Mike Gutridge and the Winter Meeting Committee have put together a

great meeting that will be highlighted by Shearing Canaans, Understanding

Tree Fertilization, Climate Change Affects Christmas Trees plus much more.

Registration information can be found on the OCTA website at www.ohiochristmastree.org or by contacting the OCTA Office.

Personal attention and a wide variety of trees keep customers coming back to Twinsberry Christmas Tree Farm year after year to celebrate the season.

Now with the third generation of Berry family members working, Twinsberry Farm continues a tradition it began in the 1970s.

“We sell trees commercially as well as have pre-cut and cut-your-own trees and all kinds of wreaths, swags and roping,” said Joel Berry.

Located on the family’s 150-acre farm that has been in the family since Berry’s grandfather bought it in the 1930s, Twinsberry Tree Farm is now a true family effort. “My son Scott works with me, and my son-in-law and daughter, Paul and Tina Martin, also work with us,” Berry said. “The kids have really helped bring us into the new technology, since we are able to accept debit and credit cards now on an iPad. I would never have been able to do that on my own.”

The farm also has a presence on Facebook and recently revamped its web site, www.twinsberrytreefarm.com.

Storeyland Christmas Tree Farm of Trumbull County won Grand Champion honors in the

2013 Ohio Christmas Tree Association’s state contest that took place at the Ohio State Fair. This year’s winning tree was a Norway Spruce. The Reserve Champion was a Korean Fir exhibited by TwinsBerry Tree Farm in Wayne County. Both will have the opportunity to represent Ohio in the 2014 National Christmas Tree competition.

The trees in the competition were selected from trees submitted by growers from across the state of Ohio. They were also judged by a panel of judges consisting from The Ohio State University faculty. The primary factors considered in the judging included shape, fullness, color and overall appearance. The trees will be on display at the Ohio Christmas Tree Association booth for the duration of the Ohio State Fair.

Other contest winners were:

Fir

1. Korean Fir exhibited by TwinsBerry Tree Farm in Wayne County
2. Grand Fir Exhibited by Storeyland Christmas Tree Farm in Trumbull County

Pine

1.