TIFTON, Ga. – The holiday season is filled with traditions, and one tradition many in the Tift area recall is going to the Brumby-White Christmas Tree Farm in Chula, where visitors can pick out a live tree and cut it down themselves. This year, however, is the last year to visit the farm that will be closing following the Christmas season. 

Mike Brumby and J. H. White have been partners in the tree business since 1980, when they planted their first seedlings after Brumby was given the idea to start a Christmas tree farm by Bill Murray, who owned a Christmas tree farm in Cordele. He was looking to retire, according to White, and wanted to pass the idea off to someone else in the area. Brumby approached White, who lives next door to the property the farm occupies, and they spent the next 36 years planting seedlings and selling live Christmas trees. “I didn’t know any better, so I needed someone who knew farming,” said Brumby. “J.H. has been the perfect partner.”

Their first year, said White, they planted 7,000 trees, then had to wait four years for them to grow into full-fledged Christmas trees. They sold their first tree in 1984. They have carried many varieties over the years, including Virginia pines, Leland cypress, blue cedars, red cedars, Nailor blues and Carolina sapphires, each of which have different colors and branch shapes. At the height of their operation, they had 49,000 trees spread over seven fields and had three generations of the White family and two of the Brumby family working together. The farm planted 1,837 trees for their final year, and have 1,030 left, ranging from three feet to 15 feet in height. 

Much in the same why the tree farm tradition was passed to them, they are passing it on as well. Rutland Farms will be taking up the mantle of being the local live tree farm for Tift County. The Rutlands have already planted seedlings, and after this holiday season will be able to obtain the equipment from the Brumby-White farm. “We’ll get it all cleaned up and work something out,” said Brumby.

“Its been good,” said White, watching two workers prepare a freshly-cut tree for transport. “It’ll be sad” to retire, but “its time,” he said.