Beckwith Family Christmas Trees in Hannibal Wins Grand Champion Award at State Fair

Beckwith Family Christmas Trees in Hannibal has had a good showing at the New York State Fair.
 
Faye Beckwith said she and her husband Jack took six trees to display and compete at the fair. Four of the Beckwith trees won first place, a Beckwith Fraser fir won Grand Champion and a Beckwith Balsam fir won Reserve Grand Champion.
 

Winning wreath by Beckwith Family Christmas Trees

Faye Beckwith also put one of her wreath creations in the wreath competition and won Grand Champion with a toyland theme.
 
The Beckwith Family Christmas Trees business in on Mill Street in Hannibal. They bought the Hannibal land in 1980 with the plan to raise beef cattle. But when that didn’t work out, they sold the cows and decided to raise Christmas trees on the nearly 57 acres.
 
The first Christmas trees were planted in 1985.
 
Faye Beckwith is past president of the board of the Christmas Tree Farmers Association of New York.

Remember those colored Christmas trees that began trending in New York last year?

Well if you'd like to see them up close and personal, check out the Christmas Tree Farmers of New York exhibit at the New York State Fair. They are located in front of the International Building.

Magenta tree from the Henderberg farm last season.

I'm told by Canastota area Christmas tree farmer Dewey Romagnoli that a number of the colored trees will be there for people to check out.

Here is my story about the colored trees from last fall:

Christmas trees are green.
 
Everyone knows that.
 
But what about magenta? Or blue. Or purple. Or turquoise. Or even red?
 
Two Christmas tree farms in Central New York — one near Canastota in Madison County and one between Verona and Rome in Oneida County — are selling colored Christmas trees this season. 

Farmers are offering trees in red, turquoise, pink, magenta, white, light blue and purple.
 
“It’s just something new I’m trying out this year,” said Jay Henderberg, owner/operator of Henderberg’s Tree Farm off Route 365 south of Rome. “The response we’re getting is overwhelming.”
 
The same is true at Romagnoli Christmas Tree Farm on Oneida Valley Road outside Canastota.
 
“We did a red, a white and a blue tree for a patriotic theme,” said Dewey Romagnoli. “We also have some purple and pink. I’m just experimenting with it to see how it goes.”
 
Henderberg opened his farm for people to come and tag colored trees for purchase. They were sold out that day.
 
The trees are real Christmas trees grown with care and love by the Christmas tree farmers.
 
Then they are colored with a food-grade colorant purchased from a company based in Wisconsin called Kirk, which makes the product in red, green, blue, white, orange, magenta, pink and light blue.
 
“I colored about 20 trees,” Romagnoli said. “But I saw an article about this guy in New Jersey who painted 150-200 trees and sold them all out.”
 
Faye Beckwith, past president of the Christmas Tree Farmers Association of New York, said she and her husband Jack, who run Beckwith’s Christmas Tree Farm in Hannibal, Oswego County, said they also bought some colorant and used it to make a purple tree for a Hannibal school function. 

Hannibal’s colors are purple, gold and white.
 
Both Henderberg and Romagnoli found out about the colorant at a recent meeting of the Christmas Tree Farmers Association of New York. A representative from Kirk Co. was there with the colorant and the two farmers decided to give it a whirl.
 
This is the second year the colorant has been sold for Christmas trees.
 
Here’s how it works:
 
The farmer sprays the colorant onto the trees. It has to be 40 degrees or warmer for the mixture to adhere well.
 
Once it dries, within a few hours to a day or so, it is permanent. It doesn’t wash off or come off on your hands or clothes.
 
It is not toxic, so if Spot or Puff or even your toddler decide to take a bite out of the tree, it will not hurt them.
 
It is not paint, so it contains no metals or mercury. It is environmentally safe.
 
Any species of tree can be colored.
 
The farmer has to put up a good amount of money to do the colored trees, buying not only the colorant, but also the equipment for spraying it onto the trees.
 
And because of the monetary investment, farmers are charging about $30 more for the colored trees, Henderberg said. He has colored 20 of his trees — Fraser firs, Canaan firs and white spruce.
“It’s new, so you don’t know how it’s going to be received,” Henderberg said.
 
Obviously it was well received this year, since Henderberg has sold out of his colored trees.

From EMPIRE FARM & DAIRY magazine

Magenta tree at Henderberg Tree farm

Christmas trees are green.
 
Everyone knows that.
 
But what about magenta? Or blue. Or purple. Or turquoise. Or even red?
 
Two Christmas tree farms in Central New York — one near Canastota in Madison County and one between Verona and Rome in Oneida County — are selling colored Christmas trees this season. 

Farmers are offering trees in red, turquoise, pink, magenta, white, light blue and purple.
 
“It’s just something new I’m trying out this year,” said Jay Henderberg, owner/operator of Henderberg’s Tree Farm off Route 365 south of Rome. “The response we’re getting is overwhelming.”
 
The same is true at Romagnoli Christmas Tree Farm on Oneida Valley Road outside Canastota.
 
“We did a red, a white and a blue tree for a patriotic theme,” said Dewey Romagnoli. “We also have some purple and pink. I’m just experimenting with it to see how it goes.”
 
Henderberg opened his farm for people to come and tag colored trees for purchase. They were sold out that day.
 
The trees are real Christmas trees grown with care and love by the Christmas tree farmers.
 
Then they are colored with a food-grade colorant purchased from a company based in Wisconsin called Kirk, which makes the product in red, green, blue, white, orange, magenta, pink and light blue.
 
“I colored about 20 trees,” Romagnoli said. “But I saw an article about this guy in New Jersey who painted 150-200 trees and sold them all out.”
 
Faye Beckwith, past president of the Christmas Tree Farmers Association of New York, said she and her husband Jack, who run Beckwith’s Christmas Tree Farm in Hannibal, Oswego County, said they also bought some colorant and used it to make a purple tree for a Hannibal school function. 

Hannibal’s colors are purple, gold and white.
 
Both Henderberg and Romagnoli found out about the colorant at a recent meeting of the Christmas Tree Farmers Association of New York. A representative from Kirk Co. was there with the colorant and the two farmers decided to give it a whirl.
 
This is the second year the colorant has been sold for Christmas trees.
 
Here’s how it works:
 
The farmer sprays the colorant onto the trees. It has to be 40 degrees or warmer for the mixture to adhere well.
 
Once it dries, within a few hours to a day or so, it is permanent. It doesn’t wash off or come off on your hands or clothes.
 
It is not toxic, so if Spot or Puff or even your toddler decide to take a bite out of the tree, it will not hurt them.
 
It is not paint, so it contains no metals or mercury. It is environmentally safe.
 
Any species of tree can be colored.
 
The farmer has to put up a good amount of money to do the colored trees, buying not only the colorant, but also the equipment for spraying it onto the trees.
 
And because of the monetary investment, farmers are charging about $30 more for the colored trees, Henderberg said. He has colored 20 of his trees — Fraser firs, Canaan firs and white spruce.
“It’s new, so you don’t know how it’s going to be received,” Henderberg said.
 
Obviously it was well received this year, since Henderberg has sold out of his colored trees.

Get Your New York State Christmas Tree Now!

From the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets:

The day after Thanksgiving is a traditional day for folks to head out for their Christmas tree.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo is encouraging all New Yorkers to buy local Christmas trees and support tree growers across the state this holiday season. Every year, the state assists hundreds of farms statewide, connecting them with new markets to support the $8 million Christmas tree industry.

A prize-winning Christmas tree at the state fair.

This year, in celebration of the holidays, three Upstate trees were selected to be displayed at the New York State Capitol in Albany and in New York City.
Tree-Cutting and Holiday Promotion
To promote New York-grown trees, state Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball joined the Christmas Tree Farmers Association of New York in Ulster County for a tree-cutting to kick-off the holiday season. 

A seven-foot balsam fir was donated by Hurd's Family Farm in Modena, Ulster County, to be displayed for the holidays in the New York State Capitol.
In addition, the tree-cutting event highlighted the Shawangunks Wine + Tree promotion, being offered at 17 participating businesses, to support both local Christmas tree farmers and New York craft beverage businesses.
Ball also visited Adair Vineyards in New Paltz as part of the Shawangunks Wine + Tree promotion, which offers customers a free one-of-a-kind wooden ornament with the purchase of either a bottle of wine or tasting and a tree or wreath at participating businesses. The Shawangunks Wine + Trees promotion is supported by funding included in the 2016-17 State Budget. 

Learn more about the promotion http://www.nywineandtrees.com/ at this link.
Connecting Upstate Agriculture to the New York City Marketplace
Through the state’s partnership with the Christmas Tree Farmers Association and GrowNYC, hundreds of farm-fresh, Upstate New York Christmas trees will again be sold at downstate Greenmarkets. Vendors are expected to sell about 1,500 trees and between 1,500 and 2,500 fresh wreaths during the next five weeks.
Both trees and wreaths are being sold at the following Greenmarkets: Union Square and Inwood in Manhattan, Fort Greene, Brooklyn Borough Hall, Williamsburg and Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn. 

Harvesting a tree at Granger's in Oswego County.

  Upstate Trees on Display
In addition, the state has partnered with the Christmas Tree Farmers Association to bring two Christmas trees from the Finger Lakes to New York City for display during the holidays. Both trees were provided by Domes Tree Farm in Bliss, Wyoming County.
A 30-foot blue spruce will shine brightly at the Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. State Office Building Plaza during an annual holiday celebration from 6 to 8 p.m. Dec. 8. 

The event will feature live family-friendly entertainment, including music, a visit from Santa and free hot chocolate. At the Lincoln Center, a 30-foot concolor fir will be displayed and lit during the 17th Annual Winter’s Eve event from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Nov. 28.
“New York is one of the largest producers of locally-grown Christmas trees anywhere in the country and there is nothing quite like a fresh, locally-grown tree during the holidays," said Ball. "They look better, smell great and stay fresher longer."

Additionally, this year's Rockefeller Center Christmas tree was selected from a resident’s home in Oneonta. The Norway spruce stands at 94 feet tall, is 56 feet in diameter and weighs more than 18 tons. 

The 95-year-old tree is the second largest Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree in New York state history. It will be on display at Rockefeller Center until Jan. 7.

With more than 300,000 New York-grown trees sold by 875 farms in Upstate New York, the state ranks fourth in the U.S. in the number of farms selling Christmas trees. The industry supports an economic impact of $8 million in New York State, according to the Christmas Tree Farmers Association.

To find the New York-grown Christmas tree vendor nearest to you, visit the Christmas Tree Farmers of New York http://www.christmastreesny.org/ website at this link.

“New York’s real tree growers are delighted to have these opportunities to bring their trees to markets, and to showcase the quality and freshness of locally grown trees," said Mary Jeanne Packer, executive director of the Christmas Tree Farmers of New York State.

Fresh New York State Christmas Trees Being Shipped to NYC

From New York state:

Fresh Direct, a leading fresh food Internet grocer that delivers to residences and offices in the New York City metropolitan area,has added farm-fresh, New York grown Christmas trees to its lineup of products available for sale to its customers.  

Empire State Development and the state Department of Agriculture and Markets have been working to promote the use of locally grown Christmas trees across the state, and helped facilitate this new partnership to bring greater exposure to and increase the purchase of New York trees in the New York City marketplace.  

Fresh Direct is sourcing locally grown, live potted trees from Dutch Church Farm in Amsterdam. The farm is making Fraser firs available for delivery throughout New York City, and so far has made two deliveries of a large number of trees downstate.  

The ‘Berries and Bows’ trees are two-foot Fraser firs that come pre-decorated with colorful berries and festive bows. They are available online now at www.freshdirect.com

Tips for Selecting the Best Real Christmas Tree

A family picks out a tree at Granger's in Mexico.

From Cornell University:

Tips for selecting the best Christmas tree: 

 

• Don’t be afraid to handle and bend the branches and shoots. Green needles should not come off in your hands. Also, the shoots should be flexible. Avoid a tree if the needles are shed or if the shoots crack or snap with handling.
• Look for a tree with a good solid green (or blue green for some species) color. Needle yellowing or a slight brown speckled color could indicate there was a pest problem and could lead to early needle drop.
• Have fun looking over all the types of trees. New York growers are producing a wider variety of trees compared with past years. One can find New York grown firs such as Fraser, Balsam, Douglas and the bluish tinted Concolor fir. Spruces and old-fashioned pines can also be found. Each variety tree offers its own shape, color, fragrance, and branch stiffness for holding needles.
• Christmas trees should smell good. If there isn’t much fragrance when you flex the needles, it may mean that the tree was cut too long ago.
• If possible, make a fresh cut on the bottom so the tree’s vascular tissue (pipe work) is not plugged and so the tree can easily take up water. Then, if you’re not bringing it into the house right away, get the tree in a bucket of water outside.
• Once you move your tree gets inside the house, don’t locate it next to a radiator, furnace vent or other heat source. And always remember to keep water in the tree stand topped off, so it never goes below the bottom of the trunk.
• County Cooperative Extension offices often have lists of local Christmas tree growers. You can also check the Christmas Tree Farmers Association of New York website at http://www.christmastreesny.org/SearchFarm.php.

 

 

 

Christmas Tree Farmers Donate Trees to Military

This is a very important program that many Christmas tree farmers in New York state (and in Central New York) are involved in each year.

Read about it here: http://www.militarytimes.com/story/military/guard-reserve/2015/11/29/new-york-national-guard-helps-send-christmas-trees-to-bases/76529824/

Merry Christmas!

Real Christmas Trees Clean the Air

Jack Beckwith trims a tree during the summer of 2014.

A great column from the Christmas Tree Farmers of New York State. This ran in the December issue of Empir Farm & Dairy magazine:

By FAYE BECKWITH
Christmas Tree Farmers Association of New York

Take a walk on (or near) a Christmas tree farm.
 
What’s the first thing you notice? Take a deep breath … Can you smell it? It smells different, doesn’t it?
 
It’s not just the fragrance of pine, spruce or fir you smell. It’s much more than that. As trees absorb pollutants and carbons from the air in the photosynthesis process, they produce oxygen — pure, unpolluted oxygen.
 
And, real Christmas trees are among the greatest producers of oxygen in our environment. So, inhale deeply.
 
Scientists tell us Christmas trees may produce higher levels of oxygen in the early years of growth, thus removing more pollutants from the air as they mature. This is good news because trees are continually being harvested and replanted as they grow to market size.
 
Many people are not aware that most Christmas trees are grown as crops, much like grapes, corn, wheat, oats, etc. They just take longer (7-plus years) to mature to harvest size.
 
Very few Christmas trees are taken from the forests, especially here in New York. Those that are cut from forests are likely to contribute to good forest management.
 
When a tree is harvested, generally two or three more are planted in its place, thus continuing and expanding the cycle of oxygen production. Evergreens that are not harvested as Christmas trees grow to become timber for future generations’ home construction.
 
Additionally, real Christmas trees are recyclable; and, however they are disposed of, they eventually return to the earth. This is in sharp contrast to the foreign-produced plastic artificial trees that may never decompose in landfills.
 
Are artificial trees pretty? Sometimes they are, making it tempting to go fake. Remember that local Christmas tree farmers pay sales tax, provide employment and otherwise contribute to the local economy.
 
These factors provide strong evidence that real Christmas trees are the environmentally best choice for families. Varieties are available that have little or no needle drop. Other types are perfect for allergy sufferers.
 
Check out a real Christmas tree farm near you.
 
Ask the farmer what species he/she grows that resolve these issues. Take a walk on, or near, a real Christmas tree farm.
 
The fresh air may compel you to choose a real tree for your family.

Faye L. Beckwith is president of the Christmas Tree Farmers Association of New York and runs Beckwith Family Christmas Tree Station with her husband Jack in Hannibal, Oswego County.

Here are places to buy or cut your own Christmas trees in Central New York: 
Central New York
Romagnoli’s Christmas Tree Farm at Oneida Valley Acres, 8498 Oneida Valley Road, Canastota, 697-9498

Toth Tree and Shrub Farm, 6833 Forbes Road, Canastota, 697-3550

Critz Farms, 3232 Rippleton Road, Cazenovia, 662-3355

Page’s Christmas Trees, 3270 Oran Gulf Road, Manlius, 682-7309

Rocking Horse Farm, 3736 Apulia Road, Jamesville, 492-1100

Mary Christmas Tree Farm, 1490 Dutch Hill Road, Tully, 696-0121

Cedarvale Maple Syrup Co., 3769 Pleasant Valley Road, Onondaga, 469-6422

Syracuse Christmas Tree Farm, 4809 Beef St., Syracuse, 673-0998

Chuck Hafner Farms, 8500 Green Lakes Road, Kirkville, 458-2231

Chengerian’s Tree Land, 84 Merritt Road, Lysander, 678-2046

Potter Tree Farm, 1229 Kingdom Road, Baldwinsville, 638-0222

Cross Lake Farms, 7681 Tater Road, Memphis, 420-8141

Luchsinger's Christmas Trees, 1155 Lucky Lane LaFayette, 696-6856


Three B Tree Nursery, 124 Clinton Road, Jordan, 263-2108

Grace Farms, 78 Gunther Road, Central Square, 668-1195

Goodman’s Christmas Tree Farms, 460 Gilbert Mills Road, Phoenix, 695-3576

Stony Hill Acres, 1685 State Route 264, Phoenix, 593-0684

Granger Tree Farm, 380 Tubbs Road, Mexico, 963-3480

Three Seasons Farm, 429 Dry Bridge Road, Mexico, 298-6332

Ontario Orchards, 7735 State Route 104, Oswego, 343-6328

Beckwith Family Christmas Tree Station, 189 Mill St., Hannibal, 564-5479

TriStar Tree Farm, 13952 Shortcut Road, Sterling, 564-5125

Berndt Christmas Tree Farm, 1512 Finches Corners Road, Martville, 564-6616



 

North Country People At the New York State Fair

Here is my story about the first day of the fair and North Country people at the fair:

Katie and Michael Stoffel of Antwerp enjoy their chocolate milk

 at the fair.

It was exceptionally cool (sometimes downright cold) and rainy on the first day of the New York State Fair Thursday.

But that didn’t keep the folks from coming out for food, animals, music, product demonstrations and rides at the fairgrounds in Geddes, just west of Syracuse.Thousands had come through the turnstiles by Thursday afternoon. And while they were at the fair, they were greeted by many fair exhibitors and fair workers who are from Northern New York.

Here are some of their stories:

Iroquois Village -- The Iroquois Village is a proud part of the

Margaret Burnam, a Mohawk, at the Iroquois Village

fairgrounds in which people from the Six Nations of the Iroquois tell fair visitors of the history of their people and share their customs and lives.

One of them is Margaret Burnam, 73, a Mohawk formerly from Hogansburg, St. Lawrence County. She has been coming to the State Fair since she was 6 years old and still remembers years when she would participate in the dances put on by the Native Americans at the village.

“I would dance when I felt like it,” she said. “Then I would run over to the Midway.”

Thursday, she was cleaning up the Mohawk booth where handmade jewelry and other items are sold. A downpour had just swept through and one side of the booth was wet.

“I love it here,” she said. “People come here and ask questions.”

She lamented the fact that visitors often don’t know very much about the Six Nations of the Iroquois. She tries to help when she can. She recommends books for people to read and has even had people come back to her the next year to thank her for the recommendation.

Ms. Burnam will be at the fair all 12 days.

Milking and birthing cows – Teri Martin, of the town of Fowler,

Teri Martin in the Dairy Cow Birthing Center

St. Lawrence County, is doing double duty at the state fair.

She is in charge of the milking parlor, where all the cows being shown and displayed in the dairy cattle building come at least twice a day to be milked. About 500 cows are milked there and Agri-Mark, a dairy cooperative, picks up the milk for processing.

She also volunteers (when cows aren’t being milked) at the Dairy Cow Birthing Center, answering questions from those watching calves being born.

“I was showing cows here about 20 years ago and they needed someone to run the milking parlor. I said ‘I can do that,’” Mrs. Martin said. “Then three years ago when the birthing center started, Jessica (Jessica Ziehm, who run the birthing center) came to us at the milking parlor to see if we wanted to work at the center. So here I am.”

Mrs. Martin is happy to answer questions at the birthing center because “the more we education we can do the better for all of us.”

“And I like answering questions,” she said. “Most people are four generations removed from the farm, so they need to know what we do.”

She’s been asked some doozy questions. Someone wanted to know if you really can tip a cow over. Does chocolate milk come only from brown cows? Do cows bite? Does it hurt cows when they’re milked?

“No question is too silly,” Mrs. Martin said.

Mrs. Martin and her husband, David, have Holsteins and Brown Swiss on their second-generation dairy farm.

Keeping the peace – Sgt. Gary Mattimore is the station

Sgt. Gary Mattimore

commander for the New York State Police in Gouverneur, St. Lawrence County.

But this week, he is the day shift supervisor for the state police exhibit at the New York State Fair. The 21-year state police veteran ensures the exhibit is running smoothly, that all the demonstrations are being done correctly and on time and that fair visitors are getting their questions answered.

“It’s a fun detail. I like to help people out and make sure everything is running smoothly,” Sgt. Mattimore said. He said some of the incidents troopers may have to deal with at the fair include fights, injuries and thefts.

The state police exhibit includes the canine unit and its handlers, the scuba detail, the Bureau of Criminal Investigation, recruiters and those operating the rollover demonstration. On Thursday, Sgt. Mattimore was helped with the rollover demonstration, picking up dummies that had been thrown out of the rolling vehicle and putting them back in the car.

This is his third year working the state fair. He is north country through and through, being a native of Lewis County and having worked in Plattsburgh, Canton, Carthage,  Lowville, Ray Brook and Gouverneur during his career. He was senior firearms instructor at Ray Brook.

Merry Christmas – Even though it’s only August, Cathy Jo and

Cathy Jo and Rob Brown of Three B Christmas Tree Farm

Robert Brown always have Christmas on their minds.

They run Three B Christmas Tree farm in Norfolk, located between Potsdam and Massena in St. Lawrence County. They also have a farm in Jordan in Onondaga County.

They were working Thursday at the state fair booth for the Christmas Tree Farmers Association of New York.

“The foremost thing we do here at our farm is education,” said Mrs. Brown. “When people come out, it’s almost Christmas and everybody’s happy and you can please most people.”

What most fairgoers don’t realize is Christmas tree producers don’t work just from Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve.

I could work seven days a week right now. It started as a hobby, but, it’s not a hobby,” he laughed.

Mrs. Brown said the only time Christmas tree growers aren’t working in the fields is January to March. Then spring comes and they are out trimming trees constantly and then mowing the land around the trees. The Browns have 43 acres in St. Lawrence County and sell blue spruce, Fraser firs and balsams.

“We sell those because of the frost and cold we get up there,” Mrs. Brown said. “Some varieties don’t do well in those conditions.”

And even though running a Christmas tree farm and selling wreaths and other greenery decorations they make takes them away from enjoying their own Christmas season, they wouldn’t give it up for the world.

“I’ve always enjoyed the tree farm business,” Mr. Brown said. They are celebrating their 25th anniversary in business this year.

Sweet maple --  Nadeen Lyndaker, one of the owners of Lyndaker Maple Orchard in Croghan,  Lewis County, was putting people to

Todd Hofheins, of Attica, Wyoming County, and Nadeen Lyndaker, of Croghan, Lewis County, man the education center for the New York State Maple Producers booth in the Horticulture Building at the State Fair

the test at the New York State Maple Producers Booth at the state fair.

“OK, tell me which is real maple syrup and which is the fake stuff,” she said as she handed a farigoer  two little plastic cups with syrups in it. One was a lighter color and one was a bit darker.

She said it was surprising that some people who said they only eat maple syrup would get it wrong and some who said they would definitely be able to tell the difference also had a difficult time tell real from fake.

Mrs. Lyndaker was working in the maple producers’ education booth, which began last year but wasn’t located near the maple products booth in the Horticulture Building. This year, the education center is directly across from the maple products booth and many more people are checking it out.

“We are teaching them about the new grades (of syrup, which changed this year) and how the collection of sap and making of syrup has changed over the years. We’re here to educate people.”

The education center has photos on the wall depicting sap collection in buckets and the newer modern way of collection via tubing and vacuums. The trees in the center are dripping water (to depict sap) and there is even a place to take a selfie with trees in the background that you then can put on Facebook.

And the workers there also answer questions. Mrs. Lyndaker said some people don’t realize maple syrup really comes from maple trees. One person wanted to know if it could be made sugar free.

“We want them to know it is a real, fresh, local agricultural product,” she said.The Lyndaker Maple Orchard has been around since 1926 and it in its fourth generation.

Enjoying NYS milk – While they weren’t working or exhibiting at the fair, two Antwerp residents were found Thursday enjoying some cold, fresh chocolate milk from the Rainbow Milk Bar.

Michael Stoffel said – tongue in cheek – that he collects his quarters all year to get ready for the fair and the Rainbow Milk Bar. The bar sells cups of white or chocolate milk for 25 cents.

He said he and Katie Stoffel come to the fair each year and always enjoy a cup of milk.

Time is Running Out to Find that Perfect New York Christmas Tree

Only seven days (counting today) to get out and buy that fresh, New York-grown Christmas tree.

There are many Christmas tree farms throughout the state and buying local not only supports local farm businesses, it also assures you have the freshest tree possible. Fresh cut trees smell better and keep their needles longer.

“If purchased locally, and displayed properly with plenty of water, most real Christmas trees have excellent needle retention. Many of our customers report few or no needles on the floor after several weeks in their homes. While most people enjoy the aroma of our farm fresh trees, we also grow a fragrance-free variety that is a favorite with people with sensitive noses,” said Faye Beckwith from Beckwith Family Christmas Tree Station in Hannibal, Oswego County.

“Real Christmas trees are the best choice for both the environment and the economy. Real Christmas trees are a renewable and recyclable resource," she said. "They are grown as a crop, by local farmers who provide jobs for others. Trees are harvested and replenished annually. As they grow, real trees absorb harmful carbons and produce fresh oxygen. “

Buying a fresh and local Christmas tree is also a great bonding experience for families. 

“The experience of going to the farm to choose the perfect tree fosters family traditions and creates memories that last a lifetime," Beckwith said. "We have several four generation families who come annually to ride the tractor-drawn wagon to the fields - in search of the perfect tree.”          

To find a Christmas tree farmer near you, go to www.christmastreesny.org  

Then click on Real Trees at the top of the page and then go to Find a Tree.

Get Out Now For Christmas Trees

Justin Brady, and his son Liam, 2, of West Monroe, pull their Christmas tree out of the woods at Granger's Christmas tree farm in Mexico Saturday Nov. 30. It was the Bradys first time at Grangers. Randy Granger said the farm sells about 150 trees a day when it's busy like it was on Saturday. The farm has been growing trees for 28 years and selling for 17.

Only a couple of days left to get a fresh wonderful Christmas tree grown in Oswego County.

Here is a story I wrote a couple of weeks ago:

The holiday season is here and it’s time to get out to buy a fresh Oswego County-grown Christmas tree.
Buying local not only supports Oswego County farms, but it also assures the freshest tree possible. Fresh cut trees smell better and keep their needles longer.

“If purchased locally, and displayed properly with plenty of water, most real Christmas trees have excellent needle retention,” said Faye Beckwith, of Beckwith Family Christmas Tree Station in Hannibal and former president of the Christmas Tree Farmers of New York State.

“Many of our customers report few or no needles on the floor after several weeks in their homes. While most people enjoy the aroma of our farm fresh trees, we also grow a fragrance-free variety that is a favorite with people with sensitive noses,” she said.

“Real Christmas trees are the best choice for both the environment and the economy,” Beckwith said. “Real Christmas trees are a renewable and recyclable resource. They are grown as a crop, by local farmers who provide jobs for others.

“Trees are harvested and replenished annually. As they grow, real trees absorb harmful carbons and produce fresh oxygen,” she said.

Beckwith added “the experience of going to the farm to choose the perfect tree fosters family traditions and creates memories that last a lifetime.”

Cooperative Extnesion supplied this list of Oswego County tree farmers:

Austin Tree Farm – 221 Baldwin Road, Volney
Beckwith Family Christmas Tree Station – 189 Mill St., Hannibal
Bis-Mar Farms – County Route, West Monroe
Chengerian’s Tree Land – Merritt Road,  Lysander
Darling’s Christmas Tree Farm – 280 Blythe Road, Hannibal
Emerald Mist Christmas Tree Farm – 1484 Rathburn Road, Oswego
Finnerty Hill Tree Farm – 3750 County Route, Williamstown
Goodman’s Christmas Tree Farm – 460 Gilbert Mills Road, Phoenix
Grace Farms – 78 Gunther Road, Central Square
Granger’s Christmas Tree Farm – 380 Tubbs Road, Mexico
H & H Trees – 1430 Co Rte 28, Tinker Tavern Road, Pulaski
Hemlock Haven Tree Farm – 460 County Route 22A (Ellisburg Street), Sandy Creek
Leonard’s Evergreens – 70 Dunham Road, Hannibal
Spring Pond Farm – 3439 U.S. Route 11, Mexico
Three Season Farm – 429 Drybridge Road, Mexico
Trust Nursery & Florist – 4347 U.S. Route 11, Pulaski
Whitetail Acres Christmas Tree Farm – 1685 State Route 264, Phoenix

Christmas Tree Farmers Work in Summer to Make a Happy Holiday Season

Jack Beckwith uses his extension shears to shape the top of a tree.

The Christmas season may last only about six weeks or so, but that doesn't mean Central New York Christmas tree farmers don't work during the rest of the year.

Even when it's 90 degrees and the sun is blazing above, farmers like Jack Beckwith of Hannibal and Mark Himes of Mexico are out getting their trees and land ready for the busy season ahead.

“I've been doing shearing and mowing all summer,” said Beckwith, who has been a Christmas tree grower since 1985 and runs Beckwith Family Christmas Tree Farm with his wife, Faye. “You have to continue shaping the trees – every tree has to be shapes every year.”

Without shaping, customers wouldn't see the beautiful evergreens ready to grace the living rooms of homes throughout Central New York. Beckwith said tree branches grow at different intervals, so without shaping, the trees would look haphazard and not at all appealing to the eye.

Beckwith walks many of the 39 acres of forest land he has, checking with an eagle eye each tree's growth pattern. He takes his handy extension shears and will clip back he tops and sides of trees towering 8 to 10 feet tall or even taller.

Beckwith also spends a good part of his summer mowing all of the tall grass that grows in between all the Christmas trees. This year was especially trying, as all the June rains made the grasses grow like wildfire. But the rain also helped newly planted trees, as the soil was moist and the water helped them grow.

Spring on the Christmas tree farm is filled with planting new seedlings that will turn in about eight years into grown trees to be adorned with ornaments and lights. Last year, many Christmas tree farmers, including Beckwith, lost seedlings due to the lack of spring and summer rain.

Mark Himes, who runs Three Seasons Farm in the town of Mexico with his wife Amy, grows and sells white spruce; balsam, Fraser and Canaan fir and white pine trees. They also make and sell  wreaths and boughs for holiday decorations.

“I start trimming trees sometime in June or the first of July,” he said. “Then I trim trees throughout the summer. Trimming, or pruning, helps keep the shape of the Christmas tree without longer branches sticking out. You want to be sure the tree is growing straight.”

Beckwith mows the high grass in between the Christmas trees

He, like Beckwith, also spends a good time of the summer on the mower, cutting back the grass growing near the trees. “We also have to keep checking to keep track of any bugs or disease on the tree,” Himes said.

There are 850 Christmas tree farmers in the state growing the following species of trees: Austrian pine, balsam fir, blue spruce, Canaan fir, Colorado spruce, concolor fir, Douglas fir, Fraser fir, Norway spruce, Scotch pine, white pine and white spruce.

More than 17,000 acres of Christmas trees are  grown in the state and 98 percent of all Christmas trees are grown on farms. Planting and growing Christmas trees are good for the environment as they remove more than 2,000 tons of carbon from the air and release about 5,800 ton of oxygen into the air.

According to the Christmas tree farmers website, Christmas trees remove dust and pollen from the air and an acre of trees provide the daily oxygen requirements for 18 people. Two to three seedlings are planted for every tree harvested at Christmas time. And often, new trees sprout from stumps left after other Christmas trees have gone off to grace area living rooms.

For more information on where to find a fresh Christmas tree this coming holiday season, go to www.christmastreesny.org/new-york-state.html and then click on your county to find a grower near you.