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Welcome New Member!

Exclusive New VCTGA Facebook Group for Members Only A new VCTGA membership benefit

Christmas Spirit Foundation & Trees for Troops

was introduced at our annual conference in Natural Bridge by Ryan Clouse – a VCTGA Fa- cebook Group!

This is different from a regular Face- book page, in 9that what you post only goes to other VCTGA Group members. Ask a question, offer tips, new resources, post photos, etc. Ryan is also setting up a resource clearinghouse page for Extension Publications, PowerPoint presenta- tions from VCTGA meetings, and other information that will help you be a more successful/profitable Christmas tree business. To Join: 1. Log into your Facebook profile. 2. Enter “Virginia Christmas Tree Growers” in the search box at the top left of the page. 3. Click the Groups tab to see a list of groups related to your search term. 4. As above, click on the name of the group to learn more, or click Join to become a member of the group. 5. You will have to wait for your membership request to be approved. For additional info or help, contact Ryan Clouse rclouse@mafc.com or Jeff Mil- ler, secretary@VirginiaChrist- masTrees.org

The Christmas SPIRIT Foundation is a 501c3 tax-exempt charitable organ- ization that works to recognize and support the true spirit of Christmas for U.S. troops through the Trees for Troops program. The foundation was established in 2005 and is among fewer than 5% of U.S. charities to be awarded the “Best in America” seal of excellence by independent Charities of America. Trees for Troops was se- lected by the US Coast Guard as the recipient of the 2017 Spirit of Hope Award. 2018 Program was the 14 th Year • 16,399 TREES to US military bases • 200 TREES to 4 international military bases • 67 BASES in the US received deliveries including 4 overseas military bases • Over 800 growers donated and trees were picked up from 24 states, delivered to 16 states • 225,319 trees have been distrib- uted for 14 years To learn more, visit www.treesfortroops.org or call 800-965-1653

Kristin Berrier, Keystone Holiday, Forsyth, NC (near Winston-Salem. They sell through Fraser Knoll and were an exhibitor at the VCTGA Fall Conference at Natural Bridge. National Christmas Tree Association Meeting & Contests August 9-10, 2019 The Pennsylvania Christmas Tree Growers Association will host the 2019 NCTA meeting and National Christmas Tree contest in conjunction with their meeting, similar to how Wisconsin hosted 2017. VCTGAAnnual Conference & Field Day Save the Date! August 1-3, 2019 At Virginia Tech’s campus Alphin- Stuart Livestock Teaching Arena on Plantation Road, Blacksburg. Hotel rooms will be available at The Inn at Virginia Tech. This will be a great op- portunity to tap into the expertise, technology and resources at Virginia Tech.

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VCTGA News Journal ‒ Winter 2019 VCTGA News Journal – Winter 2019

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