For nearly two decades, Christmas tree growers Ed and Marg Simpfendorfer have been supplying families with the centrepiece to their celebrations and infusing memories with that distinctive pine tree smell.
But all good things must come to an end, and the former fruit-growing couple hope to pass on the seeds of success to a new family of pine-tree growers.
“We’ve been here for about 15 years and [are] really enjoying it,” Ed said.
“[But] I’m 80 years old now and I want to get out of it.”
While it’s been a year of record sales for the Paringa Christmas Tree Farm in South Australia’s Riverland, it will be bittersweet when they pass on the baton — or perhaps the bauble — to newcomers Sarah and David Plush.
Great idea that started as a joke
By pure coincidence, as the Simpfendorfers were looking into winding things up, the Plushes were brainstorming how they could keep generational farming alive.
After David was made redundant from his job in Adelaide, the couple and their three children moved back to his family’s block in the 300-person Riverland town of Winkie.
But with a global glut of red wine and low prices for citrus fruit, Sarah knew they needed to do something different to make the tree change viable.
“We were tossing up ideas and my grandmother-in-law June just said, ‘What about Christmas trees?”‘
“We all laughed and joked about it then, but a couple of months later we thought, ‘That probably wasn’t such a bad idea.'”
After doing their own research, they planted 160 trees, mostly from seedlings sourced from their own backyard.
Sarah said her young children had been delighted to help out with watering their festive crop.
“They just love getting out there to watch them grow and are so excited for when they are ready to have the Christmas tree inside,” she said.
Opportunity knocks
Back up the River Murray at Paringa, the Simpfendorfers have been supplying seeds and advice to the young farmers.
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“Propagating the trees, growing them, and having people come out to get their trees [has been wonderful],” Ed said.
“But it’s so exciting to see that someone else is starting [a Christmas tree farm] as well.”
After decades of selling the magic of Christmas, the husband-and-wife team plan to explore other passions.
For Ed, that means more mountain biking and tinkering at the local men’s shed, while Marg hopes to move closer to their grandchildren in Adelaide.
Thinking outside the box
The region is facing a potential exodus of farming families due to the wine-grape glut, and pressure for irrigators to sell water licences.
But there’s a sense of optimism at the Plushes’ property.
Their Christmas trees will take a few years to grow, but because they are harvested for a special season their higher price is largely unaffected by the boom-and-bust markets that plague other crops.
“The response from neighbours has been, ‘It’s definitely out there, but why not?”’ David said.
“We’re fifth-generation in the [Riverland] area and we want to keep that lifestyle going.”
Sarah said she and her husband worked jobs off the block for their primary income but one day hoped to capitalise on the Christmas tree farm.
“At the moment this is just a little side thing, but hopefully it will grow into us planting out our whole block in Christmas trees … we could even add a cafe and turn it into a winter wonderland.”
Growing for a new generation
Against the backdrop of the lush Katarapko floodplain, the children ride in the back of the family ute, pick fresh oranges, and lift tree guards to inspect their Christmas crop.
For Sarah, who grew up on a grain and sheep property in the Murray Mallee, having space while still being close to services has been ideal.
“We are very lucky to live where we are, having the kangaroos come up on our front lawn and just hearing the frogs at night. It’s pretty special,” she said.
Six-year-old Aimee said she hoped the trees would encourage Santa Claus to visit children in the region.
“I like the smell because it reminds me that Santa is coming,” she said.
Nine-year-old Emma said she was excited that her family would be able to supply real Christmas trees to others.
“I feel like you can have more fun with real Christmas trees and they can last a long time if you take good care of them,” she said.
Stories from farms and country towns across Australia, delivered each Friday.