Agriculture Secretary Charles M. Kuperus will visit
the prize-winning Spruce Goose Christmas Tree Farm
in Chesterfield, Burlington County, at 11:30 a.m.,
Thursday, December 4, to cut down a Christmas tree
in an annual event that heralds the start of the
Christmas tree-selling season.
Spruce Goose Christmas Tree Farm is the winner
of an annual contest held by the New Jersey Christmas
Tree Growers’ Association for the best Christmas
tree grown in the state. The farm is located at 194
Route 545 South.
New Jersey is home to 89 Christmas tree farms covering
approximately 1,800 acres and generating more than
$2 million in annual sales, according to the U.S.
Census of Agriculture. In addition, dozens of smaller
farms that are not counted in the U.S. Census are
located throughout the state.
Spruce Goose Christmas Tree Farm will donate the
tree to Fisherman’s Mark, a broad-based social
service agency located in Lambertville, Hunterdon
County.
Fisherman’s Mark serves more than 800 clients
a month and is a participant in the Farmers Against
Hunger Program, sponsored by the New Jersey Agricultural
Society.
The 10-acre Spruce Goose Christmas Tree Farm is
owned by John Benton and his family, who are celebrating
their 10th year in the Christmas tree-selling business.
The New Jersey Christmas Tree Growers’ Association
is a state organization of growers, professionals
and industry leaders dedicated to the promotion and
marketing of Christmas trees and related products.
It was organized in 1950 and has 300 members.
To locate a New Jersey choose-and-cut farm and
for more information on selecting and caring for
a fresh-cut Christmas tree, visit the New Jersey
Department of Agriculture’s website at http://www.state.nj.us/agriculture/.
Directions to Spruce Goose Christmas Tree Farm, 194 Route 545 S., Chesterfield:
From Trenton, follow Route 206 S. past the weigh
station in the middle of the road. Turn left on Route
545, also known as Bordentown-Georgetown Road. Follow
Route 545 for approximately 3.5 miles. The farm is
on the right. |