Christmas Tree Farm Brings Joy 12.24.10

Most people celebrate the Christmas season from Thanksgiving to New Year's. But if you want to celebrate it all year long, just head up to Marcus, Iowa. There you'll find Neal and Marie Bork at Country Pines Christmas Tree Farm. They've been celebrating the season for the past 20 years.

Neal and Marie Bork moved onto this seven acres near Marcus, Iowa, 32 years ago. When it became too much of a hassle to farm around the property's sprawling seedlings, the couple decided to take a hint from Mother Nature.

"And so we planted 400 blue spruce the first year," says Marie Bork.    

It takes Neal and Marie all year to get the shrubs ready for the holiday season. They stay busy mowing, weeding, and shearing in 90-degree heat. "We do the shaping around the 4th of July which makes them to have the conical shape," says Marie Bork.

Come December, the selling season is in full swing, sending families home with holiday spirit.

"The busy farming part of things people never see. It's people walk in, the barn is warm, the wreaths are made, and they think that the elves have been busy but they have no idea just how busy," says Neal Bork.    

The process begins with picking the perfect tree.

"We put a net on it, we shake it and we bale it. We put a net on it and then when they cut that net off it's like Christmas Vacation, you know, whoooo, this giant tree," says Marie Bork.

Country Pines offers Christmas spirit in any size, from a seven-foot spruce to wreaths and swag.

"It's a good way for us to get rid of trees that have a crooked trunk or just don't really want to be a Christmas tree," says Marie Bork.

Here at Country Pines, this couple's spirit is keeping the spirit of Christmas alive and growing all year long.    

Every spring, the Borks hand-plant 300 to 400 seedlings to replenish their stock. They also own a tree spading business that keeps them busy in the summer.