Bob Schrader was nearing retirement, but he had no intention of taking it easy.
Schrader worked for 37 years as deputy director of the Agriculture Center at UMass Cooperative Extension, part of the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Five years before he retired, he purchased a Christmas tree farm.
“I had a good experience working on a farm when I was younger, much younger,” says Schrader, 72.
Today, with the help of his son Jake, he owns and operates Chestnut Mountain Christmas Tree Farm, a 133-acre farm located in Hatfield, Massachusetts.
The farm had not been operated for nearly a decade and was “very overgrown” when Bob Schrader bought it for $215,000 in 2010.
“It wasn’t perfect at the time, but after looking for a while I realized it was a pretty good deal,” he recalls.
Chestnut Mountain Christmas Tree Farm is a 133-acre farm located in Hatfield, Massachusetts.
Provided by Bob Schrader
After Jake Schrader graduated from Massachusetts Amherst with a bachelor’s degree in plant soil science, he began working on the farm with his father.
“I would like to think that I was with my father through all the good times and bad times,” he says.
Jake Schrader, now 39 and co-owner of the farm, has a day job as a utility manager at Berkshire Gas. He primarily works on the farm in the mornings, evenings, weekends and vacation days, he says.
For most of the year, “it’s pretty much just me and my son working part-time after work,” Bob Schrader said.
“I think we both have our roles,” Jake Schrader says. He handles most of the maintenance and equipment repairs, he says, while his father handles the bookkeeping, accounting and business administration.
“I don’t think he could have done it without me, and I don’t think I could have done it without him,” Jake Schrader says.
How to grow a Christmas tree
Bob Schrader said the Christmas tree planting cycle takes about 11 years.
Every spring, he buys about 6,000 fir seedlings. The trees are typically about five years old and are “the largest available that can still be planted,” he said. Each bottle costs about $2.
He, Jake, and a few helpers use a tree planter to plant the seedlings over a period of about two days.
It takes seven to nine years to grow a tree, including fertilizing, spraying with herbicides, mowing nearby weeds, trimming the sides and shaping the top before it’s ready for Christmas.
Once some of the mature trees are removed, clearing for reforestation begins, which can take another two to three years.
Few people realize how much ongoing work it takes to grow a Christmas tree, Schroeder said.
“More than once, when I was selling a tree, the person would say, ‘Hey, you’re making a really good deal. You planted that tree for $3 or $4. Eight years later, you come back and sell it for $75. What’s wrong with that?’
“The truth is far from that,” he continues.
Bob and Jake Schrader.
Courtesy of Bob Schrader.
preparation for vacation
Thanksgiving is the busiest time of the year for Chestnut Mountain Christmas Tree Farm, Bob Schrader said.
The farm typically sells about 2,500 trees each year, with one-third of those sales occurring over Thanksgiving weekend.
Visitors can pay $75 to $90 to pick and cut their own trees, and saws and wheelbarrows are also provided. The price of precut wood varies depending on the height. Trees 6 to 8 feet are $75 and trees 8 to 9 feet are $90.
All wood must be “treated” before it can be sold. “That means shaking the tree, baling it, and trimming the roots to make it look the way the person wants it to look,” Schroeder says.
About a dozen people, including friends, family and part-time employees, help the Schroeders on the farm during busy weekends in November and December.
In addition to selling trees, Schrader said the goal is to create a “family experience” filled with the wonder of Christmas. The farm will feature an outdoor fireplace, $2 horse-drawn carriage rides and free hot chocolate.
“When you come to the farm, it’s like walking into a Hallmark-like environment,” says Jake Schrader.
Chestnut Mountain Christmas Tree Farm Fire Pit.
Courtesy of Bob Schrader.
Around the third weekend in November, Bob and Jake Schrader convert one of the farm’s outbuildings into a cozy gift shop, selling wreaths, tree stands, wood crafts, local artisan ornaments, farm-branded merchandise, and more.
Jake Schrader said about 5,000 people use the gift shop each year.
These extra features don’t come cheap. For example, it costs about $400 per day to rent a carriage or horse. But “that’s part of what draws people to farms,” says Bob Schrader.
Schroeder said farm Christmas festivals are part of a broader trend in agrotourism.
He says he and other farmers are getting creative in cultivating destination experiences because in New England, “most things aren’t commercially viable at wholesale prices.”
By mid-December, Christmas tree sales have slowed down slightly, and Bob Schrader says, “It’s a tremendous amount of work for a season that lasts three to four weeks.”
Schrader said Chestnut Mountain Christmas Tree Farm’s net income varies based on labor and equipment costs, but typically ends the year with a profit of $50,000 to $100,000.
Bob Schrader said the farm is organized as an LLC and neither he nor Jake receive a salary from the farm’s income.
As another source of income, the Schroeders also grow hay on 20 acres. They sell about 5,000 bales of hay a year, as well as about 25 gallons of maple syrup and some firewood.
A souvenir shop at the farm.
Courtesy of Bob Schrader.
the future of the farm
The main challenge going forward will be “understanding and responding to the impacts of climate change,” says Bob Schroeder.
“The impact of small changes in climate, such as temperature and humidity, is huge, absolutely huge,” he continues.
Extreme weather events such as droughts and heavy rains can stress trees and make them more susceptible to disease.
After a particularly wet spring this year, the Schraders are dealing with an outbreak of a waterborne fungus called Phytophthora that damages plants.
“If you get into the base of a tree, the tree will die within about three months,” said Schroeder, whose farm has already lost hundreds of young trees this year.
He is working with the University of Massachusetts and the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station to learn how to fight fungi and prepare for future climate change.
Jake Schrader says farming is an uncertain endeavor for a variety of reasons. He jokes that farmers are the world’s biggest gamblers.
After 15 years, he still feels new to the profession, but his dream is to one day retire from his day job and work full-time on a farm.
Bob Schrader has a similar dream. The farm will continue to be “operated and thriving,” and one day his son will take over.
“I’m 72 years old, so I’m doing well, but living forever is no joke,” he says. “How many more years will it take for us to continue doing what we are doing now?”
Jake Schrader said his father was a “best friend and a great partner” to the farm.
“I couldn’t have done it without my dad,” he says. “I am grateful that he is still healthy and able to do what he has always wanted to do in his retirement.”
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