Many Christmas tree farms in Iowa are seeing a drop in sales this year, as repeated weekend snowstorms and bitter cold temperatures kept customers away.
The prime season for most farms typically lasts just two-to-three weeks in late November and early December, with many of the biggest sales coming the weekend after Thanksgiving.
Brian Moulds manages Wapsie Pines Christmas Tree Farm in Bremer County. “It’s almost sad,” Moulds says, “because you do all this work for a whole year, and it’s almost all done in less than two weeks.”
Moulds says sales were higher than normal on Black Friday, but they’ve mostly been below average since then. He estimates the farm’s gross sales are about 10 percent lower this year compared to last year.
Joe Heintz, manager of Strautman Tree Farm in Story County, says much of their revenue comes from customers who drive through the farm, pick out a tree, and cut it down to take home.
“So it was a unique season,” Heintz says, as ten inches of snow forced them to close their fields the weekend after Thanksgiving. “And those are our some of our busiest days of our season,” he says. “So, tree sales numbers this year were obviously down compared to previous years.”
Heintz says tree farmers plan six-to-seven years ahead, so harvesting fewer trees this year could help boost supply for future seasons.
