Meet the Farm and the Family
Hello! We here at the Westman’s are a small, third-generation, family run tree farm. Our little piece of paradise is an ecological haven that we strive to protect as stewards of the land, and we love sharing the experience with others that visit the farm. We have been told by many that the farm is a bit like traveling “up north,” but a lot closer to home.
Bill Westman is the owner and caretaker of the tree farm. His wife Tammy runs the Snack Shack and photography during the holidays. Their two daughters, Kristine and Dani, help with the many tasks and chores that keep the farm running. John Westman(Bill’s brother) and his wife Joann, also live on the tree farm and are a treasured part of the family.
In 1946, Howard Westman purchased a 160 acre parcel of land along Chamberlin Road in the rural farming community of Dexter, Michigan. Located at the front of the property was a small white farm house that served him and his wife well while raising their children. During the following years, Howard tried his hand at a number of agricultural endeavors on the farm, including hogs, corn, wheat, and other crops. One of these crops, being Christmas trees.
When Howard first gained ownership of the farm, most of it was open field, marshland, and a few areas of forested woodlands, but he wanted to add a pine forest. So, in the 1950s, he purchased a number of pine and spruce seedlings from a nursery and without having any understanding of what he was getting into, he randomly planted the trees all around the property. After a few years of growth the scattered spruce trees proved to be an effective crop for the soil, and the idea of selling them as Christmas trees was debated and eventually settled on. Then, in 1965, he successfully sold his first U-cut christmas trees.
In the following years, a few small fields of trees developed and were maintained as solely Christmas tree fields, with the larger fields being leased for hay production. They didn’t sell many trees compared to today, but the profits enabled the family to pay the property taxes, and that was enough. After Howard’s passing in 1999, the tree farm business was continued on by Bill, with the property being jointly shared by the two brothers and their households.
The farm has certainly grown into a much busier operation since 1965. We’ve gone from planting a few hundred seedlings every couple years, to now planting over a thousand each year. And we still plant them all by hand! As hard as we try, not all of the trees make it to selling size, but those that do get the chance to become part of your family’s Christmas tradition, and ours.