Made in China or Grown in Avery?
Justin Grimes / (averyjournalist@gmail.com)
Christmas tree growers and their associations nationwide are trying to stem the tide of mostly imported fake Christmas trees. To do so, a national task force comprised of growers from across the country began work in 2008 designing a plan petitioning the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to create a Christmas Tree Promotion, Research and Information Order, known as a check-off.
Published in the Federal Register in November 2010, the USDA check-off had an original public comment period that lasted until Feb. 7, 2011. At the request of Rep. Patrick McHenry and at least three Avery growers who said that the order was published during the busy Christmas tree sales period and that they needed more time for consideration, the USDA extended the public comment period until March 9.
Ten years ago, more than 30 million real Christmas trees were sold every year in the U.S., but sales dropped to 22 million in 2002, due to heavy advertising from the artificial tree industry, stated the task force. Artificial tree sales nearly doubled to 17.4 million annually from 2003 to 2007. Fresh-tree sales, meanwhile, fell from 37 million in 1991 to 31 million in 2007, according to the USDA.
Growers countered the artificial tree advertising in 2004 with a voluntary initiative through the National Christmas Tree Association (NCTA) to fund greater promotions that raised $900,000. By 2005, sales of farm-grown trees jumped up to 33 million, and the average price nationwide went from $33 a tree to $42, suggesting that coordinated national advertising campaigns work for the industry.
But by 2007, the voluntary contributions from growers declined to $400,000 and in 2009, the contributions were down to $100,000.
If it’s approved, McClatchy newspapers have reported that the new promotion program would raise an estimated $2 million a year to help offset the growing market share of the artificial trees.
The American Nursery & Landscape Association, which enthusiastically endorses the check-off, stated, “Christmas trees, like nursery stock, are a high-value agricultural product. Yet, the industry is in transition. In 1990, an equal number of American households displayed real versus fake trees. In 2009, 56 percent of households who had a Christmas tree displayed a fake tree, whereas only 23 percent displayed a real tree. Simply put, this is a case of a domestically produced agricultural product losing market share to a manufactured foreign import and a potentially dangerous one at that.”
Fake Christmas trees are not biodegradable. Eight-five percent are imported from China and according to the Washington Post are manufactured “On the concrete floors of Zhang's Shuitou’s factory by migrant workers, most earning about $100 a month, squatting in front of hissing machinery as they melt chips into moldable plastic...”
Most artificial Christmas trees are made of metals and plastics. The plastic material, typically PVC, can be a potential source of hazardous lead. The potential for lead poisoning is great enough that fake trees made in China are required by California Prop 65 to have a warning label.
“Unfortunately for real Christmas tree growers during the past decade, fake tree companies have increased their advertising and gone on the attack against real Christmas trees,” stated the NCTA. “The American Christmas Tree Association, a website for a fake tree company claims that fake trees are safer, cleaner, more economical and better for the environment and consumers believe it. One survey showed that for every consumer who said a real tree was better for the environment, four thought that a fake tree was better. Farm-grown trees are the real ‘green industry.’ They are locally grown, serve as habitat for wildlife, take carbon dioxide out of the air, produce oxygen and create local jobs.”
In a review by The Avery Journal-Times of the 656 comments from across the country including all the comments from North Carolinians made thus far, the check-off enjoys overwhelming support from growers in Avery, Ashe and Watauga counties and from most respondents from all across the state.
Among the criticisms, opponents of the check-off argue that: they don’t want the government in their business; that in free enterprise supply and demand rules the marketplace; that the proposal is not fair from a one-tree one-vote perspective; that they spend large amounts advertising independently; that they can’t afford the assessment and are not represented by the Christmas tree associations.
Among the supporters of the check-off are the NCTA—which claims to represent along with allied state and local associations roughly three quarters of the nation’s Christmas tree growers—the North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture and the North Carolina Christmas Tree Association, located in Boone, which forwarded the following statement to The AJT.
The proposed Christmas Tree Promotion, Research and Information Order is a check-off which allows Christmas tree growers to assess themselves to promote farm grown Christmas trees. Under the proposed order published in the federal register growers would assess themselves 15 cents per harvested tree. The order will have a 12-member board of Christmas tree growers that will decide where and how the assessment will be used to promote farm grown Christmas Trees. The order has been presented across the U.S. and has industry support.
The North Carolina Christmas Tree Association (NCCTA) Board of Directors and Fraser Fir Committee have voted unanimously to support the order. We feel this is a positive way to have sustainable funds to market farm grown trees. A sustainable marketing fund is the best way to reach our younger generation (generation Y) to inform them of the environmental positives of farm grown trees. NCCTA believes a sustainable nationwide marketing program will increase the desire to buy farm grown trees instead of artificial trees.
The USDA part of a check-off program is to insure the board is a diversified board and is fair to large, medium and small farms. Also USDA insures all advertisement equally promotes all sizes of farms and tree species. USDA cannot share information with any other government agency. Also board members cannot obtain any information on who pays or how much.
There currently are 18 check-off programs in the United States: beef, blueberries, cotton, dairy products, eggs, fluid milk, hass avocados, honey packers and importers, lamb, mangos, mushrooms, peanuts, popcorn, pork, potatoes, sorghum, soybean, watermelon.
With a delayed referendum in three years, growers who pay the assessment will vote to keep or end the order. USDA will oversee the vote to insure only the eligible Christmas tree farmers vote. You can submit a comment by clicking to http://www.regulations.gov.
Local Comments to the USDA’s Christmas Tree Promotion, Research and Information Order
“I am supportive of the advertising campaign; if spending 15 cents per tree on nationwide advertising can increase our market share and profits for our farms, it seems worthwhile to try it for three years. If spending 15 cents per tree on national advertising can keep artificial trees in China and put more real trees in our American homes, let’s give it a chance. If this program is implemented properly, it is a win, win situation; if implemented poorly, we simply vote it out in three years.”
-Bill Beuttell, Daintrey Trees, Newland
“We have between 6,000 to 7,000 Fraser Fir Christmas trees and sell between 400 and 800 most years. Growing trees is very expensive and time consuming and right now we are not breaking even and need to get more money for our trees. We think that the check-off program for Christmas tree promotion will raise prices and the numbers of trees sold so we are for this program.”
-Berlin Harmon, Beech Mountain Tree Farm, Elk Park
“I am not in favor of this rule. We are over taxed now and not just in the Christmas tree industry but everywhere you turn. I don't like the idea of paying a fee that will end up benefiting the ones who are paying the most fees in. After all wouldn't the ones paying the most fees most likely be selected to oversee and run the program? I have been involved in similar things in the past and that seems to be the way it goes. At present time we are facing the lowest prices that I've seen in my 33 years of farming trees with the cost of production at the highest rate that I've seen. I can't afford to pay a fee that I'm almost sure will not benefit me or any other small grower in this country. I apologize in advance but I feel like this will go like every thing else in our government, only the wealthy will gain anything from this. I feel like advertising should be done on an individual level or better yet on a local organized level to benefit those that are directly participating in the venture. Not pooling monies from all over the U. S. and then only large growers’ reap the rewards. This is supposed to be a free country with free enterprise. I can see the need where we need to reach out and expand our boundaries but you have to realize that we as Americans are skeptical to any kind of government involvement. In my opinion Congress could cut down on there wasteful spending and make tax cuts to where we as farmers could survive on the prices we're receiving for our trees today. Our government is in a spend, spend mode with the taxpayers getting very little for the contributions. I fear that if this fee was passed that it would turn out very much the same way.”
-Bob Daniels, Jr., Bob Daniels, Newland
“I am for the check-off Christmas tree promotion program. I have a three-acre farm and sell between 400 and 1,000 trees each year wholesale and retail. I would like to see the Christmas industry make a come back and become a profitable business and am for anything that will make this happen.”
-Len Murphy, Rudolph Fraser Fir Farm, Banner Elk
“I have 20 acres/15,000 trees and we sell 500 to 3,000 per year. I also use up to 10 helpers. I am located in Newland. I have been growing trees for 22 years. I support this program because I really need the price of trees to go up. We really don't make enough money in trees to pay everyone.”
-Philip Hobart, H & O Farms
“Grower and retailer since 1977, farm approx. 200 acres, Fraser Fir. While sitting at home on Christmas Eve watching the news it was said that 15 percent of Americans use live trees. The other 50 percent use artificial. What bothered me most was the comment that it was told them by some source that the artificial tree might be better for the environment. I wonder how many people with a live tree in their house were left thinking they had made the wrong choice. In 2006 2.6 million artificial trees were produced in one factory and shipped to the U.S. from China (source of information National Geographic magazine). I understand the average life of an artificial tree is six years, which took the place of approx. 15 million trees over a span of six years. I think I need to help change the trade deficit. I support the proposed Christmas Tree Promotion.”
-Clay Cuthbertson, Snowy Mountain Christmas Tree Farm, Crossnore
“We are a medium to large size farm and grow trees on 400 acres and feel like the Christmas tree industry is at a low point and desperately needs to promote itself and its products. For this reason I am very much in favor of the Christmas tree check-off program.”
-Len Murphy, Rudolph Fraser Fir Farm, Banner Elk
“I am opposed to the proposed Christmas tree promotion. Our nursery goes to a big expense every year marketing the cut Christmas tree, not only for our business but for the real tree industry as a whole. We regularly advertise our product and attend the industries' trade-shows. Our expenses to raise a real Christmas tree cost more every year, while we see our profits from the sales continually go down. I feel this proposed Christmas tree promotion would not use our resources wisely.”
-Melissa Isaacs, C & G Nursery, Newland
“I am in favor of the check-off program. Over the past few years I have seen the decline in the Christmas tree industry and the rise in artificial tree market. I think the check-off program will help the real tree industry gain back some of the market lost to the artificial tree market. I am not a Christmas tree grower, but I am a supplier to the industry that depends on the survival of the Christmas tree industry for our business.”
-Randy Hogsette, Crop Production Services, Newland
“Cool Springs Nursery is very much in favor of the check off and will be very happy to pay the assessment. My name is Paul S. Smith and I am president of Cool Springs Nursery in Banner Elk. This is a family farm that my brother and I run along with our wives and two of my grown children. We farm 350 acres and have 20 plus employees and harvest around 50,000 Christmas trees per year. We have been planting and harvesting trees for over 30 years and have seen a dramatic decline in the numbers of trees that many of our customers sell. In the 1980s many garden centers were selling multiple tractor-trailer loads of trees and are now selling a third of a tractor-trailer or have chosen not to sell Christmas trees at all. Several market dynamics have caused this but the bottom line is that the live Christmas tree industry is able to do only a small amount of advertising to tell the American public what a great product we grow and how special it is to the holiday celebration. The result is close to 100 million households are displaying Christmas trees but only 28.2 million are displaying live trees. We believe that if the American Christmas tree growers do not band together through the proposed check-off and let the American public know and learn about the fantastic product that we grow, then the live Christmas tree will at some point become a very minor part of the Christmas holidays. It may become the norm not to display a live Christmas tree and when that day comes a great tradition will have died along with a whole agricultural industry. We also believe that the American public is on the fence when it comes to live Christmas trees and with concentrated education and encouragement through advertising, real Christmas tree sales could grow dramatically. Support for this belief comes from the fact that a small group of growers raised and spent less than a million dollars in one single year on advertising and four plus million additional trees were sold.”
-Paul Smith, Cool Springs Nursery, Banner Elk
“I support the Christmas tree check-off program.”
-Anna Hollifield, North Carolina Christmas Tree Association, Newland
“I am opposed, against any effort to assess tree growers a sales tax to fund promotion directed by a board that will be composed by large growers at the expense of small growers. If enacted, I will not participate and fight any attempt to collect and challenge the board personally and individually.”
-John Hughes, Hughes Road Tree Farm, Newland
“I am a third generation Christmas tree grower in the mountains of Western North Carolina. My father and grandfather planted the first trees on the farm in 1959. I have been on the board of the North Carolina Christmas Tree Association for the past eight years and I am currently serving as president. I am very much in favor of this check-off program. The real Christmas tree industry desperately needs this for research and marketing purposes to spread the message about the environmental advantages of a real Christmas tree and to help save our family farms and our farm heritage. Thank you.”
-Jack Wiseman, Jack W. Wiseman Jr., Newland
“I am for the check-off promotion program. I grow 22,000 trees and harvest 2,000 per year. A past president of Harvard said, ‘If there is a turtle on top of a post you have got to know that someone put it there.’ The State of North Carolina, the I.P.M. program and many other predecessors have created the Christmas tree industry. I feel a responsibility to these people and their work to do what I can to keep this industry alive. We did not create it but we now need to make sure that it survives and thrives.”
-Bob Barinowski, Teleios Trees, Banner Elk
“I support the check-off program. I have been growing Christmas trees in the mountains of Western North Carolina for more than 25 years. I consider my farm to be a medium size farm. I wholesale my trees as well as doing choose and cut. As a past president of North Carolina Christmas Tree Association, I see the need to advertise and promote our product as well as continue research to assist our growers. The monies derived from this program are greatly needed for this marketing and research. This will promote the real Christmas tree as the BEST environmental choice.”
-Dan McKinney, Little Switzerland Christmas Tree Farm
“I'm Bill Hoffman, owner of Beechwold Farms. We farm approximately 30 acres of Christmas trees and employ two to six workers throughout the year. I believe the Christmas tree industry would benefit tremendously from the annual marketing dollars the check off program could provide. We grow a wonderful product and the tree farmers across this nation help support and sustain many communities. In my opinion, the educational and promotional efforts at the national level are outstanding, but with little and inconsistent dollars behind it, it's a somewhat muted message. Our industry needs to put the money behind the message if we are to successfully compete with the artificial tree. Regards.”
-Bill Hoffman, Beechwold Farms, Newland
“I grow 75,000 trees and sell about 5,000 per year. I am for the check off and would like to see the Christmas Tree Industry turn around and be like it use to be in the 80s and 90s because it is in bad shape right now, artificial trees are killing our industry and our future.”
-Moses Braswell, Spanish Oak Christmas Trees, Newland
“We have grown trees for 25 years and have about 75 acres in production/150,000 trees. We sell about 10,000 per year and work 10 employees. We are located in Avery County. We need to advertise and promote Christmas trees and invest in research to try to get some of the market share back we have lost and to gain on the artificial market.”
-Kurt Vance, Christmas Tree Hill Nursery Inc, Newland
“I have five acres of trees and harvest about 2,500 (avg.) per year. I have six full time employees located in Avery Country. We need to advertise and promote Christmas trees more because you cannot promote live trees after Christmas and offer half price sales as with fake trees.”
-Ronald Buchanan, South Valley Nursery and Landscaping LLC, Crossnore
“In business 30 years, five acres growing 6,000 trees, selling 200 trees per year, no employees (contract out shearing). Buy American, keep us in business: Most artificial trees are made over seas; live trees fit into living green, are better for our environment. Getting the word out will get families going out to the Choose and Cut Farms—giving them memories that will never go away.”
-Cris Smith, Memory Lane Choose and Cut, Banner Elk
“I would like to begin by saying that I am in favor of a check-off program. I look forward to the opportunities that a national marketing and research program can provide for the Christmas tree industry. I would like to see the assessment reduced to 10 cents per tree and I am in favor of keeping the three-year trial and having the opportunity to vote the program out after this trial period. In three years it may be hard to show a lot of success, so it will be important for the board, overseeing these funds, to show what they have done with the funds and the results that have been achieved.”
-Jeff Vance, Pine Grove Farms, Newland
“I've been a family farm for 60 to 80 years, since 1978. My farm is 25 to 30 acres and sells anywhere from 3,000 to 6,000 a year. We need help or artificial trees will win our market and I would press that we would want to sell real, natural (Green) vs. artificial chemically produced trees—they eventually contribute to harm of our environment and humans as well.”
-Ben Boird, B&R Nursery, Newland
“I am 27 years old and part of the future generation of Christmas tree growers in North Carolina. Our farm produces about 25,000 trees annually on 250 acres. We employ 13 people. It is imperative that we create a national program to raise the needed money to educate my generation on the advantages of a real ‘American grown’ Christmas tree. We need the opportunity to educate with scientific data, not journalistic reports. I am in favor of the Christmas Tree Promotion, Research, and Information Order. With a quick Google search during the holiday season, the first few pages of results are filled with store ads for artificial trees and news reports criticizing the real tree. With huge holiday marketing budgets, it is impossible for a small farmer to compete against national and international businesses. Furthermore, state funded universities certainly do not have the funds to circulate their research which combat the numerous false myths perpetuated by the media. My generation is dependent upon the internet for their information. We need the opportunity to bend the curve of false information about real Christmas tree and educate the public with accurate information. Sincerely, Joel E. Young.”
-Joel Young, Cartner Christmas Tree Farm, Newland
“Eleven years growing trees. My wife and I currently grow around 20,000 trees; we sell around 2,000 trees per year. We have seasonal employees, growing season we have two workers and harvest time around five people. But in years past have cut trees down for greenery because of sales and price. We need to advertise and promote Christmas trees and invest in research because it has been a labor of love, involving meeting people and providing a product for people to enjoy. I think that there is also a part for growers to work on growing quality products. The industry is a chain and when you take something out other things struggle. The grower supports local industry and other people make living from that.”
-John Trivette Jr., Trivette Farms, Newland
“I am opposed to the proposed check-off. I already spend around $50,000 per year marketing my own Christmas trees and landscape ornamentals. I do not wish to spend an additional amount involuntarily. Also it is my understanding that the IRS will be the agency responsible for enforcing this check-off. I feel the IRS does a poor job with the responsibilities it already has. I feel like it is my responsibility as a farmer to market my own goods. Thank you.”
-Douglas Clark, citizen, Newland
“I've been in business for 4 years; I have 16 acres and about 12,000 trees. We need to advertise and promote Christmas trees and invest in research because there are over 70 million potential customers we can reach and sell trees to. We need to promote our business in a very friendly especially environmental friendly way. Everyone seems to be on this ‘green’ kick now so if people know tree growers are environmental friendly and concerned about preserving the environment this could cause more people to buy real trees. We really need to push our product like other business.”
-David Wise, Wise Nursery and Landscaping, Newland
“Hickory Dendron Farms first Christmas trees were planted in 1975 (35 years in business). Current production covers some 40 acres and has 30,000 to 50,000 trees depending on sales and trees that are re-established that year. One thousand to 15,000 trees per year are sold depending on market demand. We employ two to 12 employees depending on the season and amount of sales. Currently our business is based in Avery County, with plantations in 20 of the North Carolina counties. No business can compete and remain profitable without merchandising, promotion and needed research. The loss of this Christmas tree industry in North Carolina will deplete many jobs and millions of dollars in taxable income. It will take decades to find replacement crops or perhaps even longer. The Christmas tree promotion now/tree check-off program can save this industry as promotion has saved other agricultural enterprises (beef and dairy industry) without this marketing and research assistance, the N.C. Mountain Christmas tree industry will become insignificant!”
-Gene Brewer, Hickory Dendron Farms, Avery County
Farmers have until Wednesday, March 9, to make a comment. Submit comments by clicking to http://www.regulations.gov.
Editor’s note: The public comments above were selected after multiple searches of the check-off on: http://www.regulations.gov/#!searchResults;dct=PS;rpp=10;po=0;s=Christmas+Tree+Promotion,+Research+and+Information+Order+