Choose and Cut Your Own Christmas Tree

Our Annual Christmas Tree ‘Choose and Cut’ will be starting up soon! Mark your calendars and plan on coming to continue or start your family tradition.

We will be Open NOVEMBER 17th UNTIL DECEMBER 22nd. Our days and hours of operation will be Friday’s and Saturday’s 10 A.M. till dusk. We are located at: 9687 West Walker Road, Manton Michigan 49663.

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Complimentary cookies and hot chocolate will be available. We will be offering free zip line rides and a petting zoo. Pony rides are available for $3.00 a person during Thanksgiving Day weekend and also the first weekend of December.

Fresh Fraser Fir wreaths, roping, and a variety of potted trees, 7 and 10 gallon, will be on sale, too.

On the first weekend in December, we will be donating $10 a tree to a local youth group and service in the fields the first Saturday in December.

We also have a variety of pre-cut trees that will be displayed and can sell these after dark BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. Please call 231-839-7074, to schedule today, or you may make an APPOINTMENT Monday through Thursday if you would like to cut your own.

Lastly, we will be offering complimentary drilling and baling on Friday and Saturday. Trees 10 foot and over will be baled on Saturday.

Hope to see you there!

 

Buy a fresh real Christmas Tree online at A Tree for Christmas. Shipping is Free!

Free Christmas Wreaths Weekly

As I sit here sipping on my hot chocolate and watching the marshmallows slowly melt one by one, I am reminded Christmas is quickly approaching. The creamy chocolate aroma brings back memories of Christmases past, of giving, of family and of love.
Every year Dutchman Christmas Tree Farms looks for ways to brighten the holiday season by starting that spirit of giving early. This year we are giving away a free beautiful Fraser Fir Christmas wreath every week leading up to Christmas. Every Monday we will be changing our cover photo on our Facebook page. You can enter your name 3 times into each week's raffle by following these steps:

1. Like the picture.
2. Share the picture
3. Leave a comment

Drawings will be held on Saturdays at the end of each week and posted to our Facebook page. We would love to hear from you.

Buy a fresh Christmas Tree online at http://www.atreeforchristmas.com. Shipping is Free!

Don't Oversleep!

Buyer's remorse lurks around every corner. Sometimes it can take the fun out of shopping because we know as soon as we buy something, we will find a better deal. Don't give up. This year I will let you in on one of Christmas's best kept secrets.

Located in northern Michigan, Dutchman Tree Farms has been blessed with many excellent years of Christmas tree growing. This year was no different. So with only about two months left till Christmas it has been decided, here on the farm, to give our loyal fans some excellent opportunities for discounts and free Christmas wreaths.

To receive 10% off your entire online Christmas tree order all you have to do is use the promotional code "HASSLEFREE". You can place your orders now and check it off your Christmas To Do List. The real Christmas tree will be shipped to your front door.

If you want to be eligible to win a free Christmas Wreath keep an eye on our Facebook Page.

Each week we will post a graphic for the weekly raffle. All you have to do is like the image and you will become eligible to win a free Christmas wreath at the end of the week.

So don't oversleep this year and wait until it is too late to take advantage of these deals.

Buy a fresh Christmas Tree online at A Tree for Christmas. Shipping is Free!

TREES FOR TROOPS 2011

Michigan Christmas tree growers are donating 1,100 real Christmas trees in an effort to help military families celebrate the upcoming holiday. The Christmas SPIRIT Foundation in cooperation with FedEx and the Michigan Christmas Tree Association announce a Trees for Troops program that will provide farmgrown Christmas trees to more than 16,000 troops and their families. The program expects to deliver its 100,000th Christmas tree this season since the program’s inception in 2005.

FedEx will pick up 300 of the 1,100 trees donated by Michigan growers at 10:00 am on November 29 at Dutchman Tree Farms, located at 9689 W. Walker Rd., Manton, MI 49663. These trees will become part of the more than 16,000 donated fresh Christmas trees for the Trees for Troops effort. The Michigan-grown trees loaded at Dutchman Tree Farms are destined for Fort Hood.

The Trees for Troops program will first collect, and then deliver the fresh Christmas trees to families at 63 military bases across America. The Trees for Troops program provides a way for all Americans to show their appreciation for the sacrifices that U.S. troops and their families are making this holiday season.

Members of the National Christmas Tree Association (NCTA) and at least 20 state or regional Christmas Tree Associations are donating the Christmas trees. FedEx is providing free shipping. The Christmas SPIRIT Foundation – based in Chesterfield, Mo, is a not-for-profit foundation that advances the Christmas spirit for children, families and the environment. Trees for Troops is just one of its projects.

For more details, go to www.ChristmasSpiritFoundation.org. Consumers that are interested in supporting the Trees for Troops program and the Christmas Spirit Foundation can make a contribution on-line at: www.ChirstmasSpiritFoundation.org.

Many Michigan Choose & Cut Christmas tree growers will also be accepting contributions for the Christmas Spirit Foundation and to support Trees for Troops at their farms throughout the Christmas season.

To make arrangements for on-site interviews and photos during the scheduled pick up of trees, contact Chris Maciborski at Dutchman Tree Farms: (231) 839-7901 or Marsha Gray at the Michigan Christmas Tree Association:(517)242-1630 (cell)

For More Information Contact:
Marsha Gray
Michigan Christmas Tree Association
517-545-9971
517-242-1630 (cell)
517-545-4501(fax)
mjgray1@charter.net

Buy a fresh Christmas Tree online at http://www.atreeforchristmas.com. Get 10% off and Free Shipping when you use promocode "HassleFree" at checkout!

A Real Christmas Tree in a Box

Only 75 Days til Christmas! If you are like me, you are already starting to stress about this year's Christmas list. At Dutchman Tree Farms, one of the largest Christmas Tree farms in the nation, we are going out of our way to make this year's Christmas tree hassle free for you.

Last year we launched A Tree for Christmas. It is a web-site from which you can order Christmas wreaths and seven different types of Christmas trees. It makes Christmas tree buying very easy. During check out you get to pick the day your tree(s) and or Christmas wreath(s) are shipped to you directly from our farm. Shipping is on us and you have our farm quality guarantee that the tree will arrive as beautiful as when it left the farm.

Since you are reading and hopefully sharing this blog, I am giving you an opportunity to receive 10% off your entire order at check out by using the promo code HASSLEFREE. You can also join our Facebook Page and by posting on our wall enter to win our weekly raffle. We are giving away a free table top Christmas tree on every Friday until December 16, As you can see we are going out on a limb to make sure your Christmas is less stressful this year.

Buy a fresh Christmas Tree online at http://www.atreeforchristmas.com. Shipping is Free!

Dirty Christmas Secret Exposed

Just recently, I had to leave work immediately after a phone call to fly across the country to visit my dad whose life was hanging on a fraying thread. He had been admitted to the ICU with double pneumonia and a critical heart issue. The cause, smoking. Ever since I can remember my dad had a cigarette in his mouth. The only time he didn't light up was at church. It took many years for his smoking to catch up with him, but little by little, cigarette by cigarette, his health deteriorated. He remained in the ICU sedated for weeks while doctors constantly checked on his precarious condition. I spent two weeks next to his lifeless form hoping and praying his time would not be then. Fortunately it wasn't. After many months of learning how to walk again and other intense rehab he was on the mend. Like everyone else he was aware of the risks of smoking. Like many smokers he thought, "It won't happen to me". If he had really wanted to avoid this near death experience he could have put forth the effort to stop. I do not hate smokers, but I believe my experience can help smokers understand the potential havoc this addiction can cause on loved ones. I could have lost him. Even though he has his issues, as we all do, he is my dad and losing him would have been devastating. So what does this have to do with Christmas? The answer is quite simple. Most people know over 1.3 million people world-wide are smokers and an average of 443,000 Americans die of smoking each year. But what many people do not know is 3.5 million people in the United States have lead poisoning. Lead poisoning affects the central nervous system and red blood cells. Some statistics show that lead poisoning leads to mental retardation during pregnancy, reduced mental development as a child progresses and a reduction in the child IQ. Other symptoms include nausea, abdominal pain and chronic headaches. Studies have show that exposure to high amounts of lead is the predominant cause of anemia. Why isn't there an aggressive campaign to combat lead poisoning as there is to stop smoking? Mathematically, the consequences of lead poisoning are more rampant than those of smoking. PVC contains lead. California is considering a ban of the use of PVC in packaging because studies have shown PVC leeches (leaks) lead. So the question I leave you, is why would you expose yourself and those you love to lead at Christmas by having a PVC (a.k.a. Artificial) Christmas Tree? My dad got lucky. Are you going to take a chance and risk your health and possibly your life? I am sure when smoking was becoming popular the celebrities of the time were in cigarette ads. If you visit some of these artificial Christmas tree web-sites you will see some celebrities of our time. Do yourself a favor and think for yourself. Don't put yourself or those you love in danger because some celebrities face was on an ad.

Treetopia

Buy a fresh Christmas Tree online at http://www.atreeforchristmas.com. Shipping is Free!

Not the Only Christmas Tree In a Box

I was reading the article “Real Christmas Trees Vs. Artificial: How to Choose”. The bottom line for why to choose an Artificial Tree was:

“Artificial Christmas trees are perfect for on-the-go families and those with a low patience threshold. It's simply a tree-in-a-box---literally. If you're short on time, on a tight budget, or just don't want to venture out in the frightful weather, an artificial Christmas tree could be just what you need.”

What author of the is article must not realize is that her argument for the fake tree could also be made for ordering your real Christmas tree from ATreeForChristmas.com

-“perfect for the on-the- go families and those with a low patience threshold.” It doesn’t get easier than ordering online and having your real Christmas tree shipped right to your door. For those of you of who have ever tried to put together a fake Christmas tree, you know it is like piecing it together a 3-D jigsaw puzzle, trying to manipulate metal and plastic to create a natural look. I don’t really see how that is good for people with a low patience threshold.

-“It’s simply a tree-in-a-box---literally.” Literally when you order your real Christmas tree from ATreeForChristmas.com it comes right to your door in … get this… a box. No really, it is shipped in a box and you don’t even have to put it together.

-“Short on time” it takes less than five minutes to order online, and you don’t have to wait in a checkout line.

-“on a tight budget” with free shipping from one of the largest Christmas trees farms in the US, you get the highest quality Christmas tree for the very best price.

- “Don’t want to venture out in the frightful weather” How about you just open your front door.
I think that the author of this article made some great points, but not in favor of the fake Christmas tree. Choose the other Christmas tree in a box this year, it could be just what you need.

To order your real Christmas tree in a box go to the website ATreeForChristmas.com. Use the code HASSLEFREE and save 10% off your entire order.

The year my Mother Stole the Christmas Tree

It’s that time of year, the temperature has dropped and we can start listening to and singing Christmas Carols without feeling guilty, or getting dirty looks. As it begins to look a lot like Christmas I like to think back to some of my favorite Christmas memories. There was the year I got a ballerina costume, it was the same Christmas that my brother got a bike that was too big for him and he had to stand on the bumper of the station wagon to even get on. Then there was the year my mom stole our Christmas tree. I’m not saying she pulled a Grinch and stole Christmas; no she actually stole a Christmas tree.

Growing up my mother’s least favorite holiday activity was getting the Christmas Tree. She always seemed to wait so long to get one and as we got older she seemed to wait even longer. So that particular year we were all off at college and we came home for Christmas to no Christmas tree at all. Mom said that she had just been waiting for us to get there. So Christmas Eve evening, my mother and brother set out to get our real Christmas tree. They came back with the prettiest tree that we had ever had! When asked where she got such a beautiful tree on Christmas Eve, my mother’s response was “we found it on the ground.”

Come to find out they did find it on the ground, the ground of a Christmas tree lot that was closed. My Mother is not allowed to “find” the Christmas tree anymore and this year I am just sending her one from ATreeForChristmas.com, that way we don’t have to worry about potential incarceration during the holiday season.

Have a favorite Christmas memory that you would like to share on our blog, send it to socialmedia@ductmantreefarms.com and don’t forget you can “find” your real Christmas Tree at www.ATreeForChristmas.com get 10% off when you use the promo code HASSLEFREE.

Order Your Christmas Tree Online This Black Friday

Strategies, routes, teams formed all with the mission to divide and conquer. Only Military attacks and intense games of Risk can be compared to the national pastime we call Black Friday. Our Mothers, sisters, aunts and well… I have even seen fathers play this intense game of fighting the crowds for faddish toys and deals on electronics. For some people pushing, shoving and checkout lines will put them in the Holiday spirit. I personally would rather keep my sanity.

This year I am going to keep it simple, mouse in one hand, leftover turkey sandwich in the other. These days, when most of the Black Friday deals are available online, why not shop in your PJs while you’re snacking on some leftovers. For those who really enjoy minimizing holiday stress, maybe ordering your Christmas tree online might be just the thing for you. With ATreeForChirstmas.com you can point, click and buy your fresh cut Christmas tree or wreath and have it shipped right to your door.

But for those of you whose thirst for the Black Friday battle, will have you up in the wee hours of the morning, imagine coming home after the satisfaction of shopping domination. Drop your bags and remove your running shoes, as your adrenaline begins to slow you can mark another thing off your holiday list by ordering your real Christmas tree online. So whether you’re fighting the crowds or enjoying your leftovers, every sale lover can get 10% off their entire order with free shipping.

Go to www.ATreeForChristmas.com and use the promo code: HASSLEFREE to get 10% off.

How Green are We?

I learned so much today about Dutchman Tree Farms after having to ask myself… How green are we? Well actually The National Parks Association asked me that question. They want to know how green we are before they endorse us for our green 2 green fundraiser. They asked me about the boxes we use to ship our products in, our fertilizers and our pesticides. When I get asked questions, I usually ask questions and I usually just ask Google, but today I asked the Dutchman Tree Farm growers. With these guys coming in and out of the office all day I was in the perfect spot to stop and ask each of them, Exactly how green are we?

While none these guys knew whether our boxes were recycled or not, I did learn quite a few things about how we do things here at Dutchman Tree Farms:
We prefer to use natural fertilizers, ashes, lime, peat moss and I was told that this year we have used more manure than ever before. We also use cover crops that are then cultivated into the ground. Any other fertilizers we use are used minimally.

As far as pesticides, I learned that because of the gypsy moth we have to spray all of our trees before we can ship them. Check out this link for the gypsy moth and you will see why using some pesticides is very important.

Other than that we use no pesticides that are considered dangerous and the pesticides that we do use, we use conservatively. We have good credibility with the Department of Agriculture and we also allow natural pest to be natural pest when they are protecting our Christmas Trees.

Other tid bits of info I picked up: We have a very extensive water conservation system. After we harvest, the stumps are ground and reticulated into the soil. Because of this, some of the sandy soil that we have is richer in nutrients after one harvest than in the 40 years prior. We replant several times more seedling than what we harvest.

So after my multiple horticultural lessons, I feel really good about working at Dutchman Tree Farms and can say that we are an environmentally friendly farm. Oh, and for our boxes… they are made of 100% recycled paper. So when you order your Christmas Tree or a Live Christmas Tree, from ATreeForChristmas.com, you can feel good too.

Would you like to ask a Christmas Tree Grower a question? Go to ATreeForChristmas.com and click the Ask Your Grower Tab.

Use the code: HasselFree and save 10% off your intire order at ATreeForChristmas.com

Buy Your Real Christmas Tree Online this Year

Yes that is correct. I said real, natural and American grown Christmas tree. I did not say artificial Christmas tree.

I am getting rather tired of always reading, "Buy your Christmas Tree Online" and when I follow the link, only then do I find out it is an artificial tree. This is why Dutchman Tree Farms decided to sell real Christmas Trees online.

Most of the employees on our farm have families and understand how busy Christmas time can become. Shopping, relatives, meals, kids, husband, wife and the list goes on. This is one reason why we decided to give you opportunity to have your real Christmas tree delivered right to your front door, freshly cut from our farm.

When you go to a Christmas Tree lot looking for the "perfect" tree you might not find it. Depending on which lot you go to you may not know when the Christmas tree you are buying was cut. It could have been cut, yes, months ago. How much more life will it have by the time it is in your living room? Only time will tell.

Ordering online gives you the convenience of ordering at almost any time of the year. You are free to pick the day it is to be delivered to your door. Right before your tree is sent Dutchman Tree Farms sends a Christmas Tree specialist to go and select the finest tree from the fields to be harvested. After harvest it is immediately packed up and shipped to you.

When you open the box you will immediately know this is the freshest tree you ever bought, and as it proudly stands in your living room you will realize it is also probably the most beautiful Christmas Tree you spent your money on.

Freshness Beauty and Convenience. What more could you ask for?

www.dutchmantreefarms.com

The American Christmas Tree Association, As Fake as Their Christmas Trees

Today I read the following article on the American Christmas Tree Association's (ACTA) web-site: Carbon Footprint Study Finds Artificial Christmas Trees Best for the Environment.

My curiosity got the better of me and I searched their site hoping to find the results of this study. My efforts were in vain. The only information I found, other than their interpretation of the supposed results, was that the study was an "in-depth analysis". Now if that doesn't make you wonder, look them up on Wikipedia. You will read the following, "The group claims to have sponsored studies, but hasn't released the actual studies to the public".

Still not convinced? Here is an excerpt from their study:

"The study, sponsored by the American Christmas Tree Association and conducted by leading international sustainability firm PE Americas, found that the most significant contribution to global warming came from fossil fuel consumption in transportation of real Christmas trees from tree farms and lots to consumer homes."

What is wrong with this picture? I can see three things:

1. It looks like the root of the problem here is "fossil fuel consumption in transportation", that is driving a car, and has very little to do with Christmas trees.
2. Last time I checked an artificial Christmas tree doesn't just appear in a living room. I think someone has to drive to the local Home Depot or Lowe's and pick it up.
3. If the ACTA went to all the trouble of sponsoring this study why didn't they publish the scientific results?

I am the kind of guy who needs answers and after reading this article it left me with a question. Is there something they aren't telling me? I promptly began to do my own research and this is what I found.

Artificial Christmas trees are made of Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC). What's the big deal, right? We have pipes in our basements and wires in our walls which contain PVC. Wrong!

1. Early 1970's Dr. John Creech and Dr. Maurice Johnson were the first to clearly link and recognize the cancer causing tendency found in the chemicals used in PVC.
2. Greenpeace has advocated the global discontinuing of PVC because dioxin is produced as a byproduct vinyl chloride manufacturing and from the burning of PVC waste.
3. California is currently considering a bill, sponsored by Californians Against Waste to ban using PVC in packaging because of the threats it poses to the health of humans and the environment.
4. PVC is not normally recycled after use because the recycling process is very costly.
5. In 2005 Dr. Richard Maas, after a study conducted on artificial Christmas trees, is quoted as saying, "We found that if we leave one of these trees standing for a week, and we wipe under the tree we'll find large amounts of lead dust..."
6. A 2008 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency report found that of the 50 million artificial trees in the US about 20 million were 9 or more years old, the point where dangerous lead levels are reached.
7. California requires that each artificial Christmas tree come with a warning label about the toxins contained in the PVC.

So does this mean a real Christmas tree is better?

I was able to find a study that actually did share it's scientific results. There are three points I want to highlight about this study:

1. Results show that a natural tree will generate 3.1 kg of greenhouse gases whereas the artificial tree will produce 8.1 kg per year.
2. ellipsos chose the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method to perform this study. It follows the recognized ISO 14040 and 14044 standards and it was reviewed by an independent third-party of peers.
3. Interestingly, to compensate for the impacts of a Christmas tree, be it natural or artificial, one can offset the carbon emissions by carpooling or biking to work only one to three weeks per year.(I wonder how many people at the American Christmas Tree Association are doing their part here...)

One last note. For every Christmas tree cut down on a farm many more are planted. Dutchman Tree Farms planted over 750 thousand trees already this year.

Regarding whether the American Christmas Tree Association is a fake like their trees... I'll let you decide.

References:

• The American Christmas Tree Association's dubious study
• Notes on PVC
• Californians Against Waste's sponsored bill
• Quick Facts about Lead in Artificial Christmas Trees
• Summary of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) conducted by ellipsos
• Scientific Results of LCA (found in the pdf at the bottom of the article)
• Oh Christmas tree, oh green Christmas tree

Buzz'n Around the Christmas Tree

Smell is believed to be the most powerful memory related sense. When I smell a Christmas tree, the ghosts of Christmas past start haunting me. Great memories of family, gifts and good times flash before my minds eye and immediately my spirits rise.

Now imagine working at a Christmas Tree farm. These memories never grow dim but are always present. The work on the farm is both exhilarating and at times exhausting.

It is exhilarating because each day the spirit of Christmas is always present which is a motivation to look forward to the Christmases yet to come.

It can be exhausting because many long weeks, months, and years go into each tree. Each tree which eventually will end up possibly in your living room where you and your family will create many great and lasting memories together around your Christmas tree.

I hope to be able to shed some light on the TLC which goes into your Christmas tree, long before it even makes it to your living room. Here at Dutchman Tree Farms we strive to produce the highest quality Christmas and landscaping trees.