Conner Smith

HOLIDAY HARVEST. Fort Osage Tree Farm and Weddings prepares for a busy Saturday of business.

As you pull into the open gates, the smell of pine is in the air. You walk around and see so many types of trees in many places, from fields to brackets, all waiting for you to find the perfect Christmas tree. Fort Osage Christmas Trees and Weddings has over 8 varieties this season, each with its special perks. Bob Luke, the owner of the tree farm believes that each different tree requires a different amount of work to maintain.

“We have a loblolly pitch pine that is 15 feet now and was planted in 2015. They are way up there and grow a lot faster than any other tree I have. The problem is that they take a lot of work from me since they grow so fast. I have to constantly trim the back to keep shaping them so they keep a natural shape, like white pine and Norway spruce, which are naturally shaped and are gorgeous.”

Throughout Bob’s 21 years of running the tree farm, he has always included family in his business. Tree Farm Worker Zach Ramsay believes that family is an important piece to running the farm.

“When Bob used to run his own painting company as well, he would always employ people that were related to him because he wants to see his family be successful,” Ramsay said, ” I do think it’s good that Bob shows the relationship of the family to his own business, but then again, we can’t all do it ourselves unless he would have had three sons; we would never be able to pull it off on our own.”

A typical workday on the farm can last up to 8 hours. Tree Farm Worker Ben Doerflinger finds that the job has a wide variety of duties to complete.

”A typical work day for me is from 9 to 5 and an 8-hour day, working baggers and helping people find their tree for Christmas,” said Doerflinger.

The perfect Christmas tree can be different for every family. Bob feels that tradition is the best part of the job.

“Families, tradition, that’s what it’s all about. I always tell my high school kids and college kids that work here that we are in a happy business,” said Luke.

You can contact the farm for availability by calling 816-286-7591.