Keep It Real - Vote Yes

Supporting the Continued the Growth of America's Christmas Tree Farmers

WHY WE ARE VOTING YES!

Katherine J. T. Humphrey – New York

By working together we can make a difference and everyone should try. Fifteen cents a tree is so reasonable for what can be accomplished in research and marketing for Real Christmas Trees. All the small drops in the bucket will fill it to overflowing. This has been proven by the Boards for commodities like Milk, Beef, Pork, Egg, Watermelon and Apple Industries.

Matthew Van Sciver – New Jersey

I own a Christmas tree farm and I love seeing the happy families picking out their trees together. The whole experience is enjoyed by everyone involved.

Jeff K Davis – North Carolina

Why I’m Voting Yes: North Carolina, especially Western NC grows the most beautiful Christmas trees in the world. Especially the Fraser Fir which is the Cadillac of all Christmas trees, is the tree grown in my Area. Many of my friends have grown these trees for decades. There is no tree to rival the smell, feel, and long needle retention of the Fraser Fir!!!!!

At Your Service And Thankful!!! 🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲

MARK ROHLFS – OREGON

I’ve been a full-time Christmas tree farmer in Oregon since 1983 and we operate a large retail Christmas tree lot in Los Angeles, one of the two biggest media centers in America…our recent media efforts are working to help control and tailor our image to the public because I hear it directly from the lips of our customers…Why would we even consider abandoning our best chance ever to have one voice as an industry?  For what, $.15 a tree?

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TOM KLUCK – MICHIGAN

“Why I’m Voting Yes: To keep the tradition and industry alive.”

BRAD REDDINGER – PENNSYLVANIA

“We need all the help we can get to get consumers to go with a real tree or our industry will perish to today’s world.”

KEITH GARLOCK – CALIFORNIA

“We will never have another opportunity like this to tell the story of the Christmas Tree growers across the country. This is our chance to stem the side of the switch to the fake Christmas Tree and influence The next generation at buy real trees. ‘A tree a year, it’s all we ask’!”

MIKE AND BETH WALTERSCHEIDT – TEXAS

“Mike and I vote yes, because we now have a sustainable marketing and research program for the Christmas tree industry.”

STEVE RHOADES – VIRGINIA

“The CTPB provides a great opportunity for the real tree Christmas tree industry to have an ongoing, industry-wide program supporting research and promotion of real Christmas trees. As you know, our industry is highly fragmented with thousands of growers throughout the country.  Until this time, we have not been able to have a united effort to take take on the intense competition posed by the far larger and more concentrated fake tree industry.  Now we do.

Numerous other agricultural industries have chosen to take advantage of a similar opportunity to join forces in support of their industries.  Based on the data I have seen, these collaborative efforts in other industries have been highly successful.  Moreover, based on facts, as opposed to incorrect misleading stories (to be kind, I am not calling them lies) to try and end the CTPB, the program started in the real tree industry has been run efficiently with less than 10 percent of the annual fees going toward administrative expenses.  The data also indicate that these collaborative efforts in other industries have been highly successful.  For 15 cents a tree, this looks like a bargain to me.”

PAUL BATTAGLIA – TREE FARMS IN OREGON AND CALIFORNIA.

“I have been growing Christmas trees for over 50 years, and a long time member of the PNWCTA, CCTA and NCTA associations.

During all those years, I have seen numerous, individual voluntary efforts taken on by the associations to promote farm grown trees that have failed. All lot of money and efforts by a few growers have been wasted, and the result is that we have lost our market share to the fake tree.

The only way to make sure that our industry has a chance to survive and have a fighting chance to take back our market share, is for all growers to unite through the efforts of the Christmas Tree Promotion Board.  

As notably said by one our Country’s Founding Fathers, John Dickinson in his pre-Revolutionary War Song, The Liberty Songhe wrote ‘UNITED WE STAND, DIVIDED WE FALL!’

 Vote YES on the referendum.”

JIM HEATER – OREGON

“As an industry, we are in a fight for our very existence down the road. If we don’t win this fight the real Christmas tree will become an icon of the past. This is a battle that can be won, but it will take dedicated funds and time. It is not a battle that can be won by two or three large growers. It is every grower’s responsibility to pay their fair share and get involved in their industry.”

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BRIAN POTTER – INDIANA

“If we are not willing to help promote our industry, who do we think will?  Promotion has paid for many other industries, and I believe it will for us as well”

TOM DULL – INDIANA

“A fifteen cent per tree investment is a great value for the cost. We growers pooling our resources together can have a much larger impact than we could ever have individually. This investment isn’t just for marketing, but research also, which we certainly couldn’t afford to do alone. We have sold every tree we can grow and more for 25 years and are happy to invest in a national marketing and research campaign. We have paid into corn, soybean, pork and beef checkoff programs and have seen the value of doing so. Vote YES to support your future!”

JIM WILSON – TEXAS

“The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise — with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our (country) INDUSTRY.”  -Abraham Lincoln

“Marianna and I are voting YES because demand has changed, the customer has changed, and media has changed. By ourselves we cannot do much, but together we can change our world. The CT Promotion Board has a winning strategy — not perfected — but still a winning strategy. Persistence always prevails. This is a great industry and we pledge to do our part.”

ELLEN CHURCH – NORTH CAROLINA

“The Christmas Tree Promotion Board does not only promote sales of real Christmas trees.  There is research going on all over the nation that is being supported and funded by the Promotion Board.  This research can ultimately support all growers and aid in production of trees.  If you cannot produce a good tree you cannot sell it.”

ASHLEY AHL – WISCONSIN

“Real trees are at the heart of an authentic Christmas. Our industry needs help to continue to attract new users of our product. Even if the number of trees we sell doesn’t grow from the effort, we must recognize the value of replacing our current tree buyers – the aging boomers with new, younger customers. We need a unified voice to continue to promote our industry. We must accept that our industry is changing rapidly and we need help identifying those changes in buyers’ behaviors. No one grower can do this on their own. ”

CHARLIE ANDERSON – CALIFORNIA

“The campaign was very effective and definitely increased my sales.“

CHRIS ALDRICH – WASHINGTON

“The checkoff program needs time to test its efficacy and impact on real Christmas tree demand.  I am optimistic that it presents a vehicle to provide a sustainable positive influence on our marketplace.   Not just for the wholesale growers but to all sizes of tree farms.”

JIM ALBERTSON – OHIO

“It is having a positive effect on our industry.”

TERESA MEIER – MISSOURI

“The Christmas Tree Promotion Board is the best thing that has happened to our industry.  We must support the checkoff for the future of our industry.  We need to spread the word that a real Christmas tree is a great choice for building family traditions and memories, for protecting the environment and support for the American farmers who grow those trees.”

JERRIANNE SCHEIDERICH – NEW YORK

“I believe that the CTPB is the best way that I have seen so far to bring all the growers in this industry together in order to tackle the industry-wide concerns of research and marketing.  Our family has been part of both state and national Christmas tree grower associations since the early 1970’s and while this has been worthwhile, their effectiveness in these two areas has been greatly cyclical.  We need a strong “brand” and we need cooperative research across state lines and the solid funding for each to the benefit of ALL growers.  Yes, we must “put in” some money, but that’s how we “get out” the benefits!”

Paul Schroeder – Wisconsin

“Our industry is very unique.  It takes 10 to 15 years to respond to a change in the marketplace, and our marketing window is only 60 days. 15 years to grow, 60 days to sell.  This tremendous long-term investment and risk makes it critical that we have a consistent and well run promotional campaign that can ensure a long-term demand for the real trees.  The only way to accomplish this task is the Christmas Tree Promotion Board.” Read More >

The Richardsons – Illinois

“The Christmas Tree Promotion Board is asking the industry to work together to combat our declining market share lost to the fake tree.  We have to promote the wonderful memories our industry creates, and we need a national promotion – more than can be done on our farms.” Read More >

Joncie Underwood – Maryland

“My customer base is changing.   It’s a whole new ballgame with Millennials out there now compared to the Boomers.   Christmas Tree Promotion Board gets the message out to young consumers that real trees are an environmentally healthy option in a way that I can’t do on my own.  Vote “yes” on the referendum!” Read More >

Charles Fowler – North Carolina

“Check-off is the best way for growers of real Christmas Trees to share the cost of research, education, and marketing real trees to the next generation of buyers. Millennials are the generation coming of age that are starting households and driving all markets.”

John Carroll – Virginia

“Research and promotion of Christmas trees is essential to the long-term viability of our industry. We have proven that voluntary contributions will not sustain a marketing campaign that rivals that of Balsam Hill and other fake trees.  The Check-Off is the perfect vehicle to provide the long-term funding needed for our industry and I am more than happy to invest in this effort!”

Betty Malone – Oregon

“In the 60’s people who had a fake tree were laughed at.   Nobody had a fake one!  50 years later the fake tree has taken a huge chunk of our market – maybe half of it.  If we don’t stick together on the checkoff, who’s going to get our message out about that our real trees are better for the environment when more than half of millennials believe fakes are better?  Vote “yes” on the referendum!”

Ellen Church – North Carolina

“Keep the spirit of Christmas alive and well year round.  The Check-Off brings growers of all sizes and states together to work for the common good of our whole industry.  The Christmas Tree Promotion and Research order is the vehicle that we need to promote and research our trees.  We are in a marketing high and we need to keep it this way.  This promotion board can open so many possibilities for all growers, young and old.“