ALLEGAN, Mich. — A lot went on in a short period of time in the world of Christmas tree farming last month. For one thing, the Michigan Christmas Tree Assoc. (MCTA) held its annual meeting July 24-26 at Peterson’s Riverview Nursery in Allegan, on the southwestern side of the state.

At the same time and place, a competition was held to decide the Grand Champion of the National Christmas Tree Assoc.’s 2014 National Christmas Tree Contest. A Christmas tree farmer in Lehighton, Pa., won the contest.

This year was a little bit different from the usual year for the annual meeting, said Marsha Gray, executive director of the MCTA. The Mid-America Christmas Tree Assoc. also used the venue for its annual meeting. It’s composed of Christmas tree farm interests in Michigan, Indiana and Illinois. Gray said it happened this way because the NCTA didn’t have a yearly meeting this year.

"We had guests from North Carolina, Canada, Oregon, New York and elsewhere, you name it," she said. "It’s exhausting, but a lot of fun. We had a variety of programs – and equipment from all over the world on display. It was more of a trade show plus education. The competition was held at the event. It was part of our meeting."

A bit of news includes the fact that Christmas tree farmers got a checkoff through the latest farm bill, which Gray said people had been working on for the past seven years.

The winner of the 2014 National Christmas Tree Contest is Chris Botek of Crystal Springs Tree Farm in Lehighton, Pa. Botek has now earned the right to present the official 2014 White House Christmas Tree this season. According to the NCTA, since 1996 NCTA members have presented the official Christmas tree for display in the White House Blue Room.

White House staff members typically travel to the Grand Champion’s farm in October to select the tree that will serve as the centerpiece of the Blue Room holiday decorations. The Blue Room tree will need to be about 18.5 feet tall, much bigger than the six to eight feet trees entered in the contest.

To qualify for the national competition, an entrant has to have won the state contest, Gray said. Only two entrants per state are allowed into the national contest. The tree categories for the contest are pine, true fir, spruce, Douglas fir and other. Michigan had two trees in the contest.

A panel of judges made up of long-time growers and past contest winners selected the first-, second- and third-place winners in each category. Attendees of the Mid-America regional conference and a panel of consumer judges voted for their favorite among the species finalists. Those vote totals determined the grand champion and reserve champion trees, which were announced July 26 at the event.

"A fresh, farm-grown Christmas tree is a great tradition in our country, and we Christmas tree farmers love this 38-year tradition," Blake Rafeld, NCTA president and a Christmas tree grower from Ashland, Ohio, said in a statement. "You have to be really good at your craft to win this contest, and the Boteks have proven their mettle three times now."

Species category finalists were Chris Botek, Crystal Springs Tree Farm, for Douglas fir; Dan Taylor, Dan and Bryan Trees of Kearneysville, W.Va., for True fir; Dale Hudler of Hudler Tree Farm LLC, West Jefferson, N.C., for Spruce; Joe Hensler of Hensler Nursery Inc., Hamlet, Ind., for Pine.

Winner of the National Wreath contest, also held during the annual meeting in Allegan, was Dale Hudler, Hudler Tree Farm LLC, West Jefferson, N.C., in both the undecorated category and the decorated category.