What the data says about Christmas trees

We are going to veer from the usual topics a bit this week and take a look at some facts and information surrounding the U.S. Christmas tree industry. 

Aside from crop prospects in South America, news in the U.S. ag space continues to be largely policy-oriented, and there are simply a lot of unknowns regarding the legislative future of U.S. agriculture. 

So let's dive into Christmas trees.

The most recent available data from the Census of Agriculture in 2022 shows that the U.S. cut more than 14.5 million trees, down from roughly 15 million trees in 2017. 

The census is conducted every five years, and data isn't tracked annually. More than one-half of this production occurred in just two states (Oregon and North Carolina), though all 50 states, including...