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Take a closer look at the Christmas tree needles before you cut it down.

Mindy Ward, Editor, Missouri Ruralist

November 18, 2020

10 Slides

There are six different tree varieties growing on 25 acres at the Christmas Ranch Tree Farm just outside of Excelsior Springs, Mo. Owner Carol Freeman says knowing how you like to decorate helps in choosing the right tree for the holiday season.

“It really depends on fragrance and how or if you hang ornaments on your trees,” she says. Folks who hang large ornaments need a sturdy branch with larger openings, such as a white pine.

For people who are just interested in stringing a few lights and hanging a few small ornaments, a Douglas fir might be a better option. However, when faced with walking acres at a U-cut Christmas tree farm, it may be hard to tell a pine from a fir. Freeman says just look at the needles.

She shares her tips on the best needles and trees for any holiday-trimming style in the photo gallery. Just click through and find one that’s best for your family this Christmas.

About the Author(s)

Mindy Ward

Editor, Missouri Ruralist

Mindy resides on a small farm just outside of Holstein, Mo, about 80 miles southwest of St. Louis.

After graduating from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural journalism, she worked briefly at a public relations firm in Kansas City. Her husband’s career led the couple north to Minnesota.

There, she reported on large-scale production of corn, soybeans, sugar beets, and dairy, as well as, biofuels for The Land. After 10 years, the couple returned to Missouri and she began covering agriculture in the Show-Me State.

“In all my 15 years of writing about agriculture, I have found some of the most progressive thinkers are farmers,” she says. “They are constantly searching for ways to do more with less, improve their land and leave their legacy to the next generation.”

Mindy and her husband, Stacy, together with their daughters, Elisa and Cassidy, operate Showtime Farms in southern Warren County. The family spends a great deal of time caring for and showing Dorset, Oxford and crossbred sheep.

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