Paper star ornaments that hang on the tree offer interesting facts about agriculture.
Residents in York County, Neb., could learn a lot from a Christmas tree. Staff members in the York County Farm Service Agency office participated in the Annual Avenue of Trees, an annual event that displays about 20 trees decorated by families, groups and organizations. The tree as well as all of the handcrafted decorations — that includes farm equipment, farm animals, corn husks, heads of wheat, a crocheted twine garland and red bandanna bows — were donated and created by employees. Three galvanized pails on the tree are filled with corn, sorghum, and soybeans, and are labeled to identify each grain. Red and green glitter star ornaments hang with fun and interesting Nebraska farming facts while a red burlap bag serves as the tree skirt. The tree was decorated in honor of Jan Tonniges, a former employee who made the garland and bows. She passed away in December 2011.
