Snowstorms and cold temperatures dampened sales for many Christmas tree farms across the state. While the work is year-round, the retail season is typically condensed to a two- to three-week window in late November and early December.
“It was a unique season,” said Joe Heintz, manager of Strautman Tree Farm near Cambridge in Story County.
Strautman Tree Farm sells pre-cut Christmas trees, along with gifts and decor from an on-site shop. But Heintz said most of the farm’s revenue comes from the “choose-and-harvest" option. Customers drive onto the roughly 90-acre property to select a tree and cut it down to take home.
Ten inches of snow the weekend after Thanksgiving forced Strautman Tree Farm to close its fields on two of the busiest days of the season, Heintz said.
“With our size, we're not able to plow our tree farm. So, we just went [to] precuts only for the rest of the season. And then once those were gone, we had to close,” Heintz said. “Tree sales numbers this year were obviously down compared to previous years.”
Heintz, also treasurer of the Iowa Christmas Tree Association, said other farms across the state were impacted by snowstorms and frigid temperatures. Iowa has roughly 100 choose-and-harvest farms, according to the association.
Lee Aldrich, with Aldrich Tree Farm near Belmond in Wright County, said he had equipment to keep his lanes open. But after a rush on Black Friday selling “1.1 trees per minute for five hours,” business significantly dropped off the next day.
Brian Moulds manages Wapsie Pines Christmas Tree Farm in Bremer County near Fairbank. He estimated the farm’s gross sales are roughly 10% less this year compared to last year, even though they sold more trees than normal on Black Friday and stayed open through Dec. 14.
“It's not just the weather,” Moulds said. “The economy is a little slower. We have noticed that in our gift shop items. Three years ago, four years ago, our gift shop would have been cleaned out.”
Customers can still visit Wapsie Pines Christmas Tree Farm if they make an appointment, Moulds said. But even in good years, sales typically taper off the weekend after Thanksgiving.
“It's almost sad because you do all this work for a whole year, and it’s almost all done in less than two weeks,” Moulds said.
During the rest of the year, Moulds said his crew is busy planting and caring for trees. According to the National Christmas Tree Association, around two to three seedlings are planted for every harvested tree.
Moulds and Heintz said the season, which used to last a month, became more condensed during the COVID-19 pandemic. People embraced outdoor activities where they could maintain social distancing and returned subsequent years. The challenge for tree farms is that the supply only grows so fast, Heintz explained.
“Some tree farms have had to take a year or two off just to let their fields replenish,” Heintz said. "Some tree farms are saying [this season is] a bit of a blessing in disguise."
Moulds echoed this sentiment. Bad seedlings six to eight years ago, coupled with weather issues, left Wapsie Pines in short supply of trees 7-8 feet tall, which he said are the farm’s most popular size.
“Lower sales this year will actually help benefit us a little bit next year on allowing a few more trees to get bigger,” Mould said, adding that they grow approximately a foot a year.
Growing Christmas trees is a long-term investment, Mould and Heintz emphasized. Unlike other sectors of agriculture, tree farmers plan six to seven years ahead, not just season to season.
