VCTGA Annual Meeting

Kelly Piccioni is a Penn State Extension horticulture educator in Schuylkill County, supporting growers of Christmas trees, cut flowers, and specialty crops. A Delaware Valley University graduate, she brings hands-on experience growing up on Geissler’s Tree Farm in Leesport, PA and her floral/event business Kelly’s Florist, blending agricultural expertise, entrepreneurship, and strong connections to Pennsylvania’s horticulture industry. She compiles the Penn State Christmas Tree Scouting Report.

Christmas Tree Scouting Reports

Marsha Gray is Executive Director for the Real Christmas Tree Board. She coordinates efforts with the board of directors in promoting the real Christmas Tree industry for research and marketing efforts. Marsha has extensive experience in the Christmas Tree and floral industry trade management.

Charles Green, Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services CommissionerCharles Green became the 19th Commissioner of VDACS on January 17, 2026. With the agency since 2005, he previously served as Deputy Commissioner and Director of Marketing and Development, and earlier worked in lumber and international trade, bringing extensive leadership experience to support agribusiness growth, market expansion, and effective regulatory oversight.

Dave and Barbara Thomas operate Valley Star Farm in Luray, Virginia. This Choose and Cut Operation has served the Page Valley for nearly 40 years. They previously owned another tree farm in Rockingham County which is now operated by the Wolfe family at Evergreen Acres. Dave has a passion for trees as he’s also consulting a forester.

Tim and Lori Grove operate Caritas Tree Farm in Augusta County, VA. Established in2017, Caritas is a nonprofit farm that supports the special-needs community in their area. Tim and Lori grow Fraser Fir, Canaan Fir, Concolor Fir, and White Pines. The nonprofit structure involves the use of many volunteers, and brings a unique perspective to a traditional Christmas Tree operation.

Ben Snyder began farming Christmas trees at the age of 10 on his grandfather’s Christmas tree farm (Haring Tree Farms) in Lewisberry, Pennsylvania. His grandfather has been growing Christmas trees since 1979. Ben was heavily involved with his grandfather’s business learning the craft over the past 20 years managing the primary location and tending to the trees throughout the season. In 2004, Ben started a small farm of his own in Pennsylvania on his parent’s land where he still has trees growing.

The Snyder’s purchased a 10 acre farm in Caroline County, Virginia in 2017. Each year since then they have planted tree seedlings at their Virginia farm and Pennsylvania farm. Their store front was established in the summer of 2019 .

Tony Stephani operates Hillside Christmas Tree Farm. Founded in 1983 Hillside Christmas Tree Farm is a choose and cut Christmas Tree farm located about 30 miles southwest of Ann Arbor Michigan. The farm is 83 acres in size and has roughly 30 acres of tillable land. Tony has an education channel on YouTube for tree growers and is involved with the Great Lakes Christmas Tree Growers Facebook Page.

Kyle Peer is the Superintendent at the Reynolds Homestead Forest Resources Research and Extension Center. He is the extension specialist for the Christmas Tree Growers in the state of Virginia.

Located in Cumberland, Virginia, Spruceberry Farm is a premier family-owned agritourism destination that masterfully transforms traditional, seasonal agriculture, into an innovative, year-round community experience.

While deeply rooted in the classic Virginia holiday tradition of cultivating meticulously tended “choose-and-cut” and pre-cut fields of White Pine, Norway Spruce, Scotch Pine, Virginia Pine, and mountain-sourced Fraser Firs—the farm has strategically evolved far beyond a seasonal attraction to maximize land utility and diversify revenue streams.

Operating under a foundational philosophy of high-density guest engagement, Spruceberry Farm has built an expansive agritourism infrastructure designed for all seasons. The picturesque property features a magnificent, climate-conditioned timber barn capable of seating over 500 guests indoors (and hosting over 2,000 outside), which serves as a thriving venue for weddings and corporate events. The experience is further elevated by full-service in-house catering, a large outdoor live music stage, and dedicated STEM/STEAM youth educational field trip programs.  A dual-licensed farm winery and estate microbrewery create signature small-batch wines and craft beers. By seamlessly weaving specialty crops, authentic rural hospitality, and custom craft beverages together, Spruceberry Farm provides a successful modern blueprint for farm sustainability. The team is incredibly honored to welcome fellow Christmas tree growers from across the Commonwealth as the host venue for this year’s Virginia Christmas Tree Growers Association Summer Conference.

Established in 1966, the Nuckols Christmas Tree Farm is located in central Virginia in Cumberland County and has been raising quality Christmas trees for 60 years. The owner Richard Nuckols is a second-generation Christmas tree farmer who has worked on the farm from its beginning and took over full operation of the farm in 1993. Originally selling only wholesale to tree lots in the Richmond area, over time the farm has transitioned to a choose and cut operation only. Presently the Christmas trees grown are White Pines, Norway Spruce, Carolina Sapphire Cypress, Murray Cypress and Blue Ice Cypress.

Woods Tree Farm, located in northern Amelia County, was started by Phil and Stacey Woods in the Spring of 2019. The 43 acre farm predominantly grows Leyland Cypress, Carolina Sapphire, Scotch Pine, White Pine and Norway Spruce Christmas trees. 2019 was the first year the farm was open for Christmas season sales and annual revenues have grown each year since then. Outside of the Christmas season, the farm also hosts photographers, school and youth group field trips, and sells firewood year-round.