Maryland Agricultural Resource Council (MARC) Builds World's Largest Straw Bale Christmas Tree

Inspired by giant straw bale structures in the U.K. and parts of the Mid-West, the Maryland Agricultural Resource Council (MARC) constructed a Christmas tree out of straw bales at the Baltimore County Ag-Center and Farm Park in Cockeysville. Brad McCombs, art professor at Northern Kentucky University, and artist who frequently utilizes straw bales as his sculptural medium, helped MARC with the design. Polly Bart, president of Greenbuilders Inc., a straw bale architecture firm, helped with installation.

Approximately 80 bales of straw were used to build the tree that for all intent and purpose may just be the world’s largest straw bale Christmas tree – as no other similar structure has been identified.

“Christmas trees are an important part of Maryland’s agricultural landscape,” explains Dick Watson, President of MARC. “Our straw-bale tree is a reminder that our holiday celebrations start on farms, and that the trees we harvest to celebrate the season are an important part of our local economy.”

According to the 2007 Census of Agriculture, of the 200 tree growing farms in Maryland, 168 farms harvested 77,801 trees valued at $2.4 million. When you buy a tree from a local farmer, that money stays in Maryland and is circulated throughout the community.
Additional information about Maryland’s Christmas Tree farms and their benefits to the economy and the environment is available at http://www.marylandchristmastrees.org.

The Farm Park, which is part of Baltimore County’s Department of Parks and Recreation, is open to the public from sunrise to sunset 365 days per year – and includes recreational trails, demonstration gardens, historic farm structures, and more. The Farm Park’s address is 1114 Shawan Rd. – Cockeysville, MD 21030.

Additional information in the Maryland Agricultural Resource Council is available at http://www.marylandagriculture.org.