Texas Christmas Tree Growers Association
Presidents Message
TCTGA President
Georganne Schuch
Schuch Farms
I am honored to serve as president of the Texas Christmas Tree Growers Association for 2026-2027. Thank you to Ken Utz for his service as president for the last year, as well as the rest of the board and Stan Reed for their dedication to TCTGA.
This group has been a great resource for Texas Christmas tree growers for almost fifty years. Many things have changed in this industry and the economical climate in that time. We are still at the forefront of providing encouragement and training for new and seasoned growers.
Our annual conference in August was a wonderful time to see old friends and meet new ones. We heard updates on the future of seedling programs, received many great ideas for incorporating agritourism on our farms, and shared successes and failures during our panel discussion. Tanglewood Christmas Trees sponsored a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree decorating contest – trees so ugly they’re cute! If you missed the conference this year, please make plans to attend in 2027. We don’t have a firm date yet, but it is usually planned in late August. We’ll let you know the dates in February, so you can get it on your calendar.
As president, my main goals this next year are to expand our reach across the state by building relationships with other horticultural associations, to increase our membership base with new and experienced growers, and to refresh our online image with better communication and a strong social media presence. We will be forming committees to help facilitate these goals, so I’m asking you to think about how you can get involved to make TCTGA great again. A strong association is a win for all of our farms.
I’m interested in starting a list of contacts and groups across the state who can benefit from information about TCTGA and can help us spread the word about growing Christmas trees. Examples are local and regional agricultural groups, county extension agents, and 4H groups that will expose the state’s future farmers to the opportunities of growing Christmas trees.
Likewise, if you know of anyone with land who is exploring ways to use their land for income, point them to TCTGA for more information. Or if you know of existing tree farms who are not members, or were past members, refer them to us, as well. The Board is working on several incentives to attract and keep members. Collaboration among many farms helps promote everyone’s business.
In this age of social media, it’s important that our digital presence looks up-to-date and polished. We talked to Casey Corley with the Texas Department of Agriculture about using the GoTexan program to help produce printed brochures. We’re also exploring ways to improve our overall communication with members and potential members through the website and various social media platforms. I’m excited to rebrand and refresh our image so people notice us.
Please look for more updates via email each month. I won’t spam your inbox, but I want to keep everyone in the loop. Feel free to send your suggestions to my personal email address or to Stan’s email address. The success of TCTGA is up to all of us.
Respectfully,
Georganne Schuch
Schuch Farm
2026 – 2027 Coming Events
Halloween - October 31, 2026
Thanksgiving - November 26, 2026
Governors Christmas Tree Delivery - November 30, 2026, Austin, TX at the Capitol
Seedling Pickup - January 9, 2026, at ArborGen Super Tree Nursery, Bullard, TX
South Field Day - April 17, 2027 at Tanglewood Christmas Trees, Bryanl, TX
Host: Dan and Jan Peery
North Field Day - April 10, 2027 at Elves Christmas Tree Farm, Denison, TX.
Host: Marshall and Sharlote Cathey
Annual Conference - In August 2027/More information to come