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12.01.2007
BELVIDERE — John Wyckoff knows how to grow a winning Christmas tree.
The five-time grand champion of the New Jersey Christmas Tree Growers annual contest on Nov. 26 hosted New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Charles Kuperus as he cut down a Christmas tree to herald the start of the choose-and-cut Christmas tree season in the state.
“Choose-and-cut trees are a part of our state’s overall agritourism economy of $57.5 million a year and a memorable family agricultural experience for the holiday season,” Kuperus said.
Sen. Leonard Lance, R-Dist. 23, helped Kuperus cut down the tree that will be donated by the Wyckoffs to the United Presbyterian Church in Belvidere.
A Douglas fir from Wyckoff’s Tree Farm in Belvidere won the 2007 contest, held in August at the Hunterdon County 4-H Fair. Trees from the farm also were named grand champion in 1978, 1990, 1992 and 1999.
“Raising top quality Christmas trees involves sound agricultural practices and favorable weather,” said Wyckoff. “We work year-round on our trees from the time they are planted until they are harvested — seven to 10 years later. We are preserving New Jersey’s agricultural heritage and preserving open space. Watching families enjoy choosing their Christmas trees from our farm makes it all worthwhile.”
This is the 40th year the Wyckoffs are selling Christmas trees. The farm has been in their family since 1839 and John Wyckoff is the sixth generation to farm the land. His sons, John and Bill, and their families, help on the farm. Son John lives on the property and his children are the eighth generation raised on the farm. They have 2,000 trees available, including Douglas fir, Fraser fir, concolor fir and Norway spruce.
In an effort to promote the Christmas tree industry, the New Jersey Department of Agriculture created a television commercial this year.
For the last two years, the department aired public service announcements on cable television stations throughout New Jersey promoting Christmas tree safety. Those same announcements are being distributed to stations again this year.
The New Jersey State Board of Agriculture passed standards to allow Christmas trees last season to be marketed under the state brand Jersey Grown. Christmas tree tags displaying the Jersey Grown logo were distributed to Jersey Grown certified growers for placement on the trees so consumers could easily identify New Jersey-grown Christmas trees. Letters have been sent to growers again this year offering the same tags.
Finally, the NJDA’s Web site hosts The Christmas Tree Growers Association’s annual choose-and-cut directory at www.jerseyfresh.nj.gov.
Growers also are encouraged to add their farms to the newly created agritourism Web site, www.visitnjfarms.org.
There, they can list information about their farms, including items for sale, hours of operation and directions, and post special events.