November 11, 2024 • 6 mins
Talking Agri Tourism and Christmas trees!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Country Sport Breakfast with Brian Kelly on gold Sport.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Well, officially there are forty three days to go until
Christmas Day, and I know people are now thinking about
getting Christmas trees. And if you're in the Canterbury in
the christ Church region, that's one place that has become
very very popular needle fresh Christmas trees and from there.
Andrew McAllister joins us today.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
Andrew, good morning, Good morning, Brian.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
How are you very well? Thank you? I think we
spoke last year about about your Christmas tree business. So
how are the Christmas trees looking for this year?
Speaker 1 (00:35):
They are looking really good. We've had some good rain
in the last four weeks. It was a dry spring
and yeah things were they were still looking fine, but
this rain has just really vaulted. So we're looking like
the main crop is going to be the right height
for the bulk of what our customers want. So you
know it really well.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
When you talk about the main crop, how many Christmas
trees will you have for sale?
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Well, we're the main I think we're around about four
four and a half thousand something like that and the
main lock.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Yeah, and so these trees are all you know, they're perfectly,
you know, sort of shaped and everything.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Well, I don't use the word perfect that they are
a natural and actually growing tree, so they're not out
of the box. Some are better than others, but we
kind of the bulk of them are pretty ban good.
Put it that way, And a lot of people have
different tastes. Some want them shortened stumpy, and some want
them tall and slim, and yeah, so there's a good
(01:35):
range there and everyone things to find what they're looking for.
That that's for sure.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
So people just rock up a needle Fresh which is
on Tram Road out of christ Church and select their
tree and away they go.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
Yeah they do. Yeah, they were already. We're not real
big on social media, but we have a Facebook page
and we've got a pretty well updated website and yeah,
we've sort of just done a bit of a post.
We're opening twenty third of November the Saturday, which is
kind of early, but the last weekend of November is
(02:09):
thirtieth and the first is December, so it's like, well,
we're effectively going to miss out on about five or
six days. And yeah, so we're not expecting to be
real busy right from the start, but lest we're open
for those that want to get an early quitte if
you go away for Christmas and want to put the
tree up earlier because I'm not going to be around
for them a week or two before the actual day
and stuff. So yeah, no, it's gonna be a good season.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
It's not just now about about the Christmas trees, because
you guys have expanded into what you're calling agritourism and
you've got something else a little exciting tell us about that.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
Yes, yeah, we've been toying with the idea for a
while and it's like, yeah, I'm from a farming background,
so growing and soil sort of maintenance and stuff like
this is sort of what I've been brought up with.
And the idea, I guess I was sort of searching
around in America at different things that over there, and
every tourism's pretty huge over there, and one of the
(03:04):
main things they do is a corn maze and pumpkin patches,
which is obviously not going to be any good for
our season, but yeah, so we've decided to run with it,
and we've got where we planted corn maize. It's a
it's a silent maze, so we get the height and
good strong plants and then we carve tracks out of it.
(03:27):
In it, we get a proper design made up and
then go in there and carve out a maze course,
effectively leaving plenty of lines in there and then removing
certain lines to create the puzzle. I guess. So it's
a it's a bit of a learning curve and we
don't want to get it wrong. So there's been a
fe bit of thought going into it. Recently. There's been
(03:49):
in the ground to see for a month. It's at
the the three stage, which is throwing up its third leaf. Yeah,
we've got irrigation available, and then we're like, well we're
going to have the track drought and doing cultivating and whatnot,
why don't we throw in a field of sunflowers as well?
So I think it's about a ninety day flowering till
(04:09):
flowering after sewing those seeds. So we're looking at opening
the maize and sunflowers early January.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
Yeah, you've got to it's the fair few may seed you.
So now I believe how many?
Speaker 1 (04:23):
Oh yeah, they may seed itself two hundred and forty
thousand seeds so wow, yeah, it's only three three bags.
But yeah, it's a pretty heavy crop. It's a cross
stitch crop, so we're doubling the normal rate of sewing
to create that wall of foliage so people can't push
(04:49):
through and stuff like that.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
Yeah, and of course the sunflowers, I mean, they make
a spectacular view anyway when they're all in flower, don't.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
They they do. Yeah. I don't have a lot of
experience and growing them, but I have spotted them not often,
but the odd time I had seen them around Canterbury Fields.
You know, for the seed, we were looking at harvesting
it afterwards, but I think the birds take about based
(05:16):
on the area we've got and then the bird population
they get it a real hammering a they would probably
have to put a way bigger area before it be
viable to harvest stats or sunflowers. Whereas the corn maze,
we've got a got a person taken that away for
silage at the end of the season, and we'll probably
go right through to all easter with the with the maize. Yeah,
(05:39):
so we're going to have some well, build a kiosk
for to you know, you know, we'll have some drinks
and ice creams and a few sort of farmy sort
of games and yeah, there'll be. That'll be pretty cool,
and we're going to try to make it pretty cost
effective for families because it's well it's not a long
way from christ Church, but yeah, make it cheaper than
(06:01):
most entertainment. Put it that way.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
That's great. So put us on the map exactly where
where are Where is tram fields corn may sunflowers and
needle fresh Christmas trees.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
It's just before Swann and our school getting up tram Road,
so one two seventy five tram Road. That's where the
needle Fresh Christmas trees operate from and that's where tram
fields corn mats and sunflowers as well.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
So intastic, fantastic an entrepreneurial farmer, I love it on Andrew,
thank you so much for joining us, mate, and have
a good Christmas.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
Yeah mr thanks for the opportunity to have a chair
again and yeah same to you.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
Absolute pleasure Andrew McAllister. There you go talking Christmas trees already.
It's a scary thought. But as I mentioned, you know
what is it forty three
The Country Sport Breakfast with Brian Kelly on gold Sport.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Well, officially there are forty three days to go until
Christmas Day, and I know people are now thinking about
getting Christmas trees. And if you're in the Canterbury in
the christ Church region, that's one place that has become
very very popular needle fresh Christmas trees and from there.
Andrew McAllister joins us today.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
Andrew, good morning, Good morning, Brian.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
How are you very well? Thank you? I think we
spoke last year about about your Christmas tree business. So
how are the Christmas trees looking for this year?
Speaker 1 (00:35):
They are looking really good. We've had some good rain
in the last four weeks. It was a dry spring
and yeah things were they were still looking fine, but
this rain has just really vaulted. So we're looking like
the main crop is going to be the right height
for the bulk of what our customers want. So you
know it really well.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
When you talk about the main crop, how many Christmas
trees will you have for sale?
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Well, we're the main I think we're around about four
four and a half thousand something like that and the
main lock.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Yeah, and so these trees are all you know, they're perfectly,
you know, sort of shaped and everything.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
Well, I don't use the word perfect that they are
a natural and actually growing tree, so they're not out
of the box. Some are better than others, but we
kind of the bulk of them are pretty ban good.
Put it that way, And a lot of people have
different tastes. Some want them shortened stumpy, and some want
them tall and slim, and yeah, so there's a good
(01:35):
range there and everyone things to find what they're looking for.
That that's for sure.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
So people just rock up a needle Fresh which is
on Tram Road out of christ Church and select their
tree and away they go.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
Yeah they do. Yeah, they were already. We're not real
big on social media, but we have a Facebook page
and we've got a pretty well updated website and yeah,
we've sort of just done a bit of a post.
We're opening twenty third of November the Saturday, which is
kind of early, but the last weekend of November is
(02:09):
thirtieth and the first is December, so it's like, well,
we're effectively going to miss out on about five or
six days. And yeah, so we're not expecting to be
real busy right from the start, but lest we're open
for those that want to get an early quitte if
you go away for Christmas and want to put the
tree up earlier because I'm not going to be around
for them a week or two before the actual day
and stuff. So yeah, no, it's gonna be a good season.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
It's not just now about about the Christmas trees, because
you guys have expanded into what you're calling agritourism and
you've got something else a little exciting tell us about that.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
Yes, yeah, we've been toying with the idea for a
while and it's like, yeah, I'm from a farming background,
so growing and soil sort of maintenance and stuff like
this is sort of what I've been brought up with.
And the idea, I guess I was sort of searching
around in America at different things that over there, and
every tourism's pretty huge over there, and one of the
(03:04):
main things they do is a corn maze and pumpkin patches,
which is obviously not going to be any good for
our season, but yeah, so we've decided to run with it,
and we've got where we planted corn maize. It's a
it's a silent maze, so we get the height and
good strong plants and then we carve tracks out of it.
(03:27):
In it, we get a proper design made up and
then go in there and carve out a maze course,
effectively leaving plenty of lines in there and then removing
certain lines to create the puzzle. I guess. So it's
a it's a bit of a learning curve and we
don't want to get it wrong. So there's been a
fe bit of thought going into it. Recently. There's been
(03:49):
in the ground to see for a month. It's at
the the three stage, which is throwing up its third leaf. Yeah,
we've got irrigation available, and then we're like, well we're
going to have the track drought and doing cultivating and whatnot,
why don't we throw in a field of sunflowers as well?
So I think it's about a ninety day flowering till
(04:09):
flowering after sewing those seeds. So we're looking at opening
the maize and sunflowers early January.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
Yeah, you've got to it's the fair few may seed you.
So now I believe how many?
Speaker 1 (04:23):
Oh yeah, they may seed itself two hundred and forty
thousand seeds so wow, yeah, it's only three three bags.
But yeah, it's a pretty heavy crop. It's a cross
stitch crop, so we're doubling the normal rate of sewing
to create that wall of foliage so people can't push
(04:49):
through and stuff like that.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
Yeah, and of course the sunflowers, I mean, they make
a spectacular view anyway when they're all in flower, don't.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
They they do. Yeah. I don't have a lot of
experience and growing them, but I have spotted them not often,
but the odd time I had seen them around Canterbury Fields.
You know, for the seed, we were looking at harvesting
it afterwards, but I think the birds take about based
(05:16):
on the area we've got and then the bird population
they get it a real hammering a they would probably
have to put a way bigger area before it be
viable to harvest stats or sunflowers. Whereas the corn maze,
we've got a got a person taken that away for
silage at the end of the season, and we'll probably
go right through to all easter with the with the maize. Yeah,
(05:39):
so we're going to have some well, build a kiosk
for to you know, you know, we'll have some drinks
and ice creams and a few sort of farmy sort
of games and yeah, there'll be. That'll be pretty cool,
and we're going to try to make it pretty cost
effective for families because it's well it's not a long
way from christ Church, but yeah, make it cheaper than
(06:01):
most entertainment. Put it that way.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
That's great. So put us on the map exactly where
where are Where is tram fields corn may sunflowers and
needle fresh Christmas trees.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
It's just before Swann and our school getting up tram Road,
so one two seventy five tram Road. That's where the
needle Fresh Christmas trees operate from and that's where tram
fields corn mats and sunflowers as well.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
So intastic, fantastic an entrepreneurial farmer, I love it on Andrew,
thank you so much for joining us, mate, and have
a good Christmas.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
Yeah mr thanks for the opportunity to have a chair
again and yeah same to you.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
Absolute pleasure Andrew McAllister. There you go talking Christmas trees already.
It's a scary thought. But as I mentioned, you know
what is it forty three
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