The National Tree Cutting Ceremony was held at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, November 15.
The National Christmas Tree was grown by Dave and Mary Vander Velden of Whispering Pines Tree Farm in Oconto. It stands over 19 feet tall and is more than 12 feet wide.
Each year, the tree cutting is done by Alice in Dairyland at a different tree farm.
Alice in Dairyland works with the DATCP to serve as Wisconsin's agricultural ambassador to educate media, students and communities about the state's $88 billion agriculture industry.
This year, a group of Brown County third graders who attended the tree cutting ceremony spent the morning learning about Wisconsin agriculture and the Christmas tree industry.
Wisconsin is the nation's fifth-largest Christmas tree producer, with an annual harvest of more than 600,000 trees valued at over $16 million.
