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A Harrisonville-area farmer is opening a Christmas tree farm for the first time this weekend, filling a void left by the area's only other tree farm that closed last season.
Matt Moreland has been planning this moment for years, literally planting the seeds of his business, Red Barn Ranch.
"Christmas trees are a commitment," he said. "... They take about seven years from planting to when you're able to harvest them."
The timing couldn't be better. Tariffs have increased the price of artificial Christmas trees this season, making real trees more appealing to families.
Last week, another Kansas City-area Christmas tree farm experienced an early rush of customers as soon as it opened.
"Everybody wants to know, when will you have Christmas trees? And so, I mean, we knew that the customer base was there," Moreland said.
For Moreland, the Christmas tree business fills two important gaps. First, it provides revenue during the slower farming season between fall harvest and spring planting.
"That's kind of the goal of Red Barn Ranch, to get something every season," Moreland said. "I am a farmer. I do farm, and so ... once harvest is done in the fall, there's kind of a hole there. Christmas trees give us an opportunity to kind of fill that, and to extend our season and to bring in a little additional revenue."
Second, it fills a community need after the area's only other Christmas tree farm closed.
"The only other Christmas tree farm in the area has closed this last season, and so [that] kind of left a hole in the community, and we decided to do our best to fill it," Moreland said.
Moreland knows success depends on more than just selling trees. He's focused on creating a complete family experience.
"You can go to the hardware store and pick out a tree, but we're trying to provide an experience," Moreland said. "Really trying to make a whole family experience something that will make memories."
At Red Barn Ranch, Santa is expected to make appearances, the gift shop is stocked with Christmas merchandise, and Moreland is planning music and activities for children, weather permitting.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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