Farmer Finds Salvation in Christmas Trees


Auburn, Dec. 2, 2003 --- Eighteen years ago, Covington County farmer Willie Cottle was at the 
end of his rope.  

A mechanic by day, he supplemented his income by raising hogs, cows and a couple of row 
crops.  He also operated a plant nursery for a while. 

But nothing worked.  His swine operation almost put him out of farming entirely.  And if that 
wasn’t bad enough, health problems forced him to give up his day job as a mechanic.  

With his future looking dimmer by the day, Cottle needed a new source of income.  That’s when 
he got the inspiration to raise Christmas trees.

His neighbors thought he was nuts.  And in all honesty, he couldn’t blame them.  But his back 
was against the wall, and the future of his farm depended on his trying something new. 

After taking stock of his situation, he settled on a business strategy --- sell every Christmas tree 
on his farm, no matter how big or small, for one price and one price only.  He has stuck to this 
strategy through thick and thin for the last two decades, and he’s never regretted his decision.   

“People who visit my farm go on and on about what a good deal they’ve gotten on their tree,” he 
said.  “Then they ask if they could buy a smaller tree at a reduced price, and my answer is always 
the same --- no, sir.”

For this strategy to work, Cottle has to keep his operating costs at a minimum – no easy feat.  
From the very beginning, he has functioned as a one-man operation, maintaining his 5,000 trees -
-- mostly Virginia pines with a few Leland cypress trees --- almost entirely by himself.  His sons, 
who both have jobs away from home, lend a hand during the Christmas season.  Aside from that, 
he is left to do all the pruning, spraying and grass cutting. 

Cottle Christmas Tree Farm is distinguished by more than just one-price trees.  Going the extra 
one, or, when the need arises, two or three miles is another Cottle trademark even on days when 
he’d rather be home in bed nursing his bad back.

“I remember sitting on the tailgate of my truck one evening with big-time back problems,” he 
recalled.  “All my family had scattered like a covey of quail --- gone.  This lady and her daughter 
drove up and asked about my prices.  I gave them my standard price and pointed out that this 
also covered the cost of greening, trimming and bagging.”

Without realizing it at the moment, Cottle had put himself out on a limb.  After excusing 
themselves for a couple of minutes to inspect the trees, the mother and daughter returned, barely 
able to contain their snickering.

She wanted a tree but only if it could be dug up and bagged.

Pondering all that digging as well as his throbbing back, all Cottle could think was, “I’ve made a 
big mistake.”

Still, with characteristically grim determination, Cottle eased himself off his tailgate and walked 
back to his house to retrieve two shovels --- one for him and one for the woman, who had offered 
to lend a hand.

“She fell in there and helped me dig up that tree, and in the process of digging I learned that she 
was a school teacher from Evergreen.”

In no time at all, the tree was out of the ground, bagged and loaded in the woman’s car trunk.  

After offering her effusive thanks for all the hard work, the school teacher insisted on paying extra 
for the tree.  But Cottle wouldn’t hear of it.  He did hand her a stack of fliers and asked her to pass 
them out to co-workers at her school.  Word of his good deed obviously spread because the 
following weekend, his farm was teeming with customers from all over south Alabama.  

And word continues to spread.  Cottle, who keeps careful track of his customers, has sent his 
trees as far south as the Florida Cape and as far north as Tennessee.

Still, as he is the first to concede, Christmas tree farming is not for everybody.  Within the past 
decade, in fact, there has been a steep decline in the number of farmers employed in the industry 
--- not surprising considering that hours are long and the work back-breaking, especially during 
the month-long stretch from Thanksgiving to Christmas.  

Cottle, in fact, is one of only about 60 Christmas tree farmers employed throughout the state.  
The industry generates about $750,000 in annual sales, according to Dr. Ken Tilt, an Alabama 
Cooperative Extension System horticulturist and Auburn University professor of horticulture.

Even so, Cottle is convinced the decision he made 18 years ago to raise Christmas trees was the 
right one.

“It’s been good for me, and it probably saved this farm.”

(Writer: Jim Langcuster, Extension Communications Specialist, News and Public Affairs, 334-
844-5686.)