Into a New Year
By Dustin McKissen, NCTA Executive Director
Having become the Executive Director of the National Christmas Tree Association just this past April, this is my first time seeing the magic of Christmas from this side of the fence. Prior to becoming involved in this industry I only thought of Christmas trees for 4-5 weeks out of the year. They appeared when the holidays came, and disappeared soon after. They were a way to celebrate the meaning of Christmas, and in some ways a way to mark the passage of time.
This job has taught me that there is so much more to this industry than that month where we are in the spotlight. There are years of hard work, worry, and faith. There are the families and small businesses and employees whose livelihood depends on this product. As inauthentic as they may be, there are competing products looking to displace Real Christmas Trees. The economic environment is challenging, and politics and the media do not always treat us fairly. Seeing this industry faces these challenges and produce a product that means so much to so many people has helped make me understand that the magic of Christmas isn’t just confined to a 5 week period. It’s happening year round in farms across the nation.
That magic doesn’t end at Christmas for our industry, and continues right into the New Year—a year that could bring significant change to our industry. We may finally have a check-off. As of this writing industry insiders and NCTA’s advocacy team believe there is a strong possibility that our checkoff will make it through the Farm Bill. That change would have a significant impact to producers, suppliers, retailers, and associations serving the industry. Of course, a blog may appear at any moment that sways Congress to remove the checkoff from the Farm Bill, or it may get bargained away in some political game that is wholly unconnected to our industry.
Regardless of what happens with the check-off, I think the industry faces the New Year with reason for hope. Anecdotally the national office is hearing that some of the challenges related to oversupply are easing, and many of our Choose and Cut members had record sales. But the biggest reason to be optimistic is that any industry made up of people like ours, who work years to help make the magic of Christmas happen, can overcome whatever challenges 2014 throws our way.