EAGLE, Mich. — There have to be at least a few of you out there who haven't taken down your real Christmas tree yet.
Those of you that haven't, don't need to automatically put it out at the curb because one local farm can put it to good use.
Donnalee Pontius and her family started Red Maple Farm in 2002. Ten years ago she switched the farm's direction from horses to goats. With a little help from her daughter, the "tree recycling program" was born.
"My daughter has a degree in fisheries and wildlife from MSU so she got us going with this whole recycling thing to help me be more supportive of the environment, so I was like 'hey, let's try this,'" she said.
With 24 goats and more born every year, that adds up to a lot of goat feed. She says fresh cut trees without tinsel, lights, ornaments and spray-paint equal a good meal for the billy goats.
"This is like a two way for me, its helping recycles and gives them a little extra nutrition so it saves on our bottom line for feed," Pontius said.
And the goats love it. Pontius says she gets more and more trees every year, and it's not only good for the environment but the goats too.
"Christmas trees or pine trees have a good source of Vitamin C, and actually the sap and stuff have natural tannins in it that are supposed to help with deworming."
Pontius says she knows farmers can get a bad rap sometimes because of the practice being hard on the environment, but she thinks this is something everyone can benefit from.
"There are a lot of farmers out there that are really striving more towards ways to work with the environment and not against it. Goats have just been a unique experience," she said.
If you want to donate your tree to the goats, just drop it off at Red Maple Farm on the map above. Pontius said the "kids" would love you for it.
Besides goats, there are other ways you can recycle your Christmas tree.
- East Lansing: Place trees curbside through Jan. 11.
- City of Lansing: Place trees curbside from Jan. 7-14.
- Meridian Township: Drop off at Nancy Moore Park until Jan. 31.
- Delhi Township: Drop off at Delhi Charter Township Recycle Center through Jan. 27.
- Delta Township: Drop off at Parks and Recreation Maintenance Building through Jan. 31.
