HARWINTON (WFSB) – As people start to pack away the Christmas decorations, many wonder what to do with the live Christmas trees? Do you throw them in the regular trash? Leave them at the curb?
The Rivards own and operate Meadowview Farm and have some show goats.
They also make dairy products, including milk, cheese, and soaps.
And these guys typically like to munch on things like shrubbery or grass.
“They graze,” Nicole Rivard Said. “So, they’re natural grazers, they get some nutrients out of the grass and stuff. And because of the winter months and the ground being frozen, it’s very difficult for them to do that. Though we supplement with minerals, it’s never as good as what you get from something more natural.”
Rivard says trees are a perfect, natural snack for them that can last the animals up to a couple of days.
“I do have three pregnant does, so they do crave a little bit more this time of year when they’re pregnant,” Rivard said.
Trees are, of course, biodegradable so they can also just go right back outside in a compost pile, or to be used as mulch…
Maybe even as firewood.
“The trunk, we’ll cut that up and we do community events on the farm, and so we’ll be resuming that in the springtime, and so we’ll use that to go ahead and light some of our great fires that we have going on during our events,” Rivard said.
If you are looking to take your tree to a farm like this, they ask you make sure it has nothing on it, that means no tinsel or sprays.
“Honestly, it’s just something that provides them nutrients for the year, and local farmers like us that are small, it’s a great way for us to be able to sustain their health,” Rivard said.
a great way for us to be able to sustain their health,” Rivard said.