Fourth-grade students from D.C. Everest Riverside Elementary School cheered as Sarah Hagenow, Wisconsin’s 78th Alice in Dairyland cut down the state’s first official Christmas tree of the 2025 holiday season on Nov. 17 at Newby’s Evergreen Farm, near Wausau.
The honor of cutting the first tree is a cherished part of the Alice in Dairyland program, which highlights the importance of agriculture in Wisconsin. This annual tradition brings together local students, media, and community members to celebrate Wisconsin-grown Christmas trees and learn about the agricultural practices that support the industry.
Not only did students watch Hagenow wield a saw, they learned about the important role Christmas tree farms play in Wisconsin agriculture, and watched workers shake loose needles off the tree and run it through a baling machine. During a tour of the farm, owner Ken Ottman shared with students what is involved in raising and preparing trees for the market.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to connect students with Wisconsin agriculture and help them understand where their Christmas trees come from,” said Beth Schaefer, Agriculture in the Classroom Coordinator for the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation.
Newby’s Evergreen Farm has been growing trees for nearly 40 years
Ottman says they developed their current tree farm in Marathon County back in 1986.
“We built a shop and started planting 2,000 trees each year,” said Ottman. “Our farms created our own dependable source of quality trees.”
The family opened the farm for choose-and-cut in 1992, and today sell about 2,000 trees a year for the holidays.
“Our objective is to provide a memorable Christmas family experience and tradition for our customers with their special tree they chose and harvested on our farm,” he said.
Students were also treated to the talents of Ken’s daughter, Rebecca Sniegowski, who holds the coveted title of Wisconsin Grand Champion wreath maker. Her evergreen creations will be displayed at the Governor’s mansion during the holiday season.
Sniegowski also tutored Hagenow in creating a Christmas greenery decoration.
The event is hosted by the Marathon County Partnership for Progressive Agriculture — the host county of not only the 2025 Alice in Dairyland tree-cutting, but also the Alice in Dairyland finals in May 2026.
This article originally appeared on Wisconsin State Farmer: Alice in Dairyland cuts down state’s first official Christmas tree at Wausau tree farm
Reporting by Colleen Kottke, Wisconsin State Farmer / Wisconsin State Farmer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
