Even though it is summer, Christmas tree growers are hard at work right now getting ready for the holiday season.
Jim Gelson is currently shearing 25,000 trees in the Virginia heat.
“I’ll trim a tree and 10 to 15 seconds, you know, up to a 5-foot tree, and as soon as I hit that next tree, you know I got a spot any flaws in it. And I got to know what I’m going to do to fix it and everything, but I’ve done so many I can do it without thinking about it. You know, my mind will be dancing off somewhere else while I’m sharing trees.”
It is not just trees Gelson is tending to. He has other crops on the farm.
“I’m redoubling my hay production again for next year, so I’ve got to sheer trees same time I’m bailing hay. You know I got to plant the pumpkins and keep the produce going all the same time, so I’m just kind of limited on just how thin I can spread myself.”
According to the National Christmas Tree Association, some 350 million trees are growing on farms across the United States, with 30 million sold every year.
