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NEWS & UPDATES August 4, 2026

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No Answer on Referendum
As of this morning, the result of the referendum vote has not been announced by USDA. As soon as the announcement has been made, RCTB will send an eblast to notify the industry.

RCTB Board Election Results Results from the recent RCTB Board balloting are now available. The following nominees will be submitted to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the final appointments will be made by the Secretary of Agriculture.

Eastern (2 seats): Jessie Davis, Lindsay Eshelman, Carrie McClain, Peter SweetCentral (1 seat): Bev Keener, John KruegerWestern (1 seat): Elaine DeGeorge, JoLynn Stroda
Each position will be effective January 1, 2027, and each member will serve a three-year term. The 12-member board is comprised of 11 producers representing production in the eastern, central, and western regions of the United States, and an importer member.

Tips for Partnering with Local Media
Before the tasks of harvest season set in, now might be a good time to review RCTB’s easy-to-access tips for partnering with the media to share messages about how your trees are grown, why they are a sustainable option and where local shoppers can get your product.While local media can play an important role in driving sales, interviews with the media can be a bit daunting. To that end, RCTB has created a variety of tools to help growers take advantage of media opportunities and made them available online. The resources include:
Videos about mastering your messagingTips for speaking with the mediaFAQ fact sheets that address common misconceptions about real Christmas trees
RCTB’s Facebook and Instagram channels also provide growers with ready-made posts they can share on their own channels to pique the interest of consumers.

We Hope to See You in Wisconsin As a reminder, if you are attending the 2 026 Heartland Christmas Convention and National Christmas Tree Organizations’ Summer Meeting (August 6 – 8 in Verona, Wisconsin), RCTB board members will be there in person as well. The board will connect with the National Christmas Tree Association board members to explore collaborative efforts and we welcome growers to meet up with us at the summer meeting to share their insights and ideas.

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