Christmas tree industry desperate for new blood as farmers age

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Lloyd Smith, 64, likes being alone with his balsam fir and pine, so it’s no wonder he’s been in the business of growing Christmas trees for the past five decades.

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To make a go of it, he said you’ve got to be really motivated and love the job. Most days, he’s at one of his three farms in New Germany, N.S., about a two-hour drive west of Halifax. That’s where he’s in his element.

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“I can work in the woods and I can be all by myself,” he said. “I have nobody to contend with. I can sing; I can do whatever I want. It’s just peace of mind.”

Smith is enjoying the fruits of his labour this year since it’s been a banner season for sales and not because of rising prices since farmers’ costs have risen as well. Consumers in some places are paying more than ever for a standard-sized balsam (around $75 each in Ottawa), but he’s been able to keep his six- and seven-footers at less than half that, just $30 a tree for the second year in a row.

For the past 25 years, Smith has been selling Christmas trees in Halifax, always at the same spot in the parking lot of the historic Halifax Forum. So far this year, he’s sold about 1,300 trees, a third more than last year, he figures.

He chalks this up to the city’s population boom, but he also sees something else: there are fewer farmers around. Gone are the two farmers who set up Christmas tree stands a few blocks from his. Both died in the past five years. Other farms near his have been abandoned and grown over.

Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia lead the country when it comes to producing Christmas trees, but the industry needs new blood. The total area of Christmas tree farms shrunk by nearly 20,000 acres between 2011 and 2021, according to Statistics Canada.

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Shirley Brennan, executive director of the Canadian Christmas Trees Association, said the average age of a Christmas tree farmer is now between 65 and 85.

“How do we attract that younger generation is what we’re looking at now,” she said. “I see this happening more in Ontario than anywhere else.”

Rather than opening for just six weeks in the winter, farms can look at diversifying their operations to grow crops such as lavender, host activities like yoga retreats or incorporate pumpkin picking, she said.

“As an association, we’re doing career days; we’re talking to younger people at high schools and junior farmers and letting them know that Christmas tree farming can be a very good option,” she said.

Most people only think of Christmas trees in December, but the business is mostly year-round and not for the faint of heart. Trees take eight to 12 years to reach the size most people are looking for.

“It’s not easy work looking after Christmas trees,” Smith said. “You’ve got black flies in the summer, wood ticks. In the winter, you’re sometimes working in a foot of snow.”

As far as he’s concerned, most young people aren’t built for this kind of work.

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“The younger generation isn’t interested,” he said. “They don’t even want to get their hands dirty, half of them. If the younger generation doesn’t want to do it, well, how’s the work going to get done?”

Smith said he’ll continue his business until he can’t, but he’s realistically giving himself a five-year runway. He also hopes his operation will stay in the family. His son is a big help and his four young grandsons show varying degrees of interest.

He’s been open for business 13 hours a day, seven days a week, since setting up shop on Nov. 30. A few of his grandsons have showed up on weekends to help out.

Of course, it’s not all bad news for the industry. Revenue has grown to more than $100 million from $55 million in 2015 and Canada is exporting 2.3 million trees a year to the United States.

This year, growers are doing well in satisfying both the domestic and export markets, Brennan said. From fall through Christmas, she’s usually fielding calls from Toronto retailers that have run out of trees and looking for more. Not so this time around.

“Even before the pandemic, I would get retailers saying, ‘Hey, my grower’s retired,’ or ‘They’re not shipping to Ontario’ or ‘I can’t get the amount of trees I want; can you help me?’” she said. “Interestingly enough, this is the first year in probably six years that I haven’t had those kinds of calls.”

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Even though Christmas trees are not in short supply this year, the price of them, like most goods, has been on the rise. That’s because the price of farming has gone up, Brennan said, pointing to the cost of fertilizer rising 50 per cent in 2022. Insurance has also skyrocketed, especially for cut-your-own operations. But prices vary from lot to lot, she said.

“It depends on the species and what size you are buying. Is it from a retailer or are you buying it from a farm?” she said. “There are so many dynamics in Ontario. I’ve seen them from $65 to $300.”

Smith’s prices range from $20 for the smallest trees to $80, which is enough to make for a good year. Frugality has been key to his business longevity.

“You’ve got to keep yourself streamlined,” he said. “You’ve got to stretch every penny.”

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