Baldwin’s sandy soil has not always been a good environment for farming. However, some farmers, in a way to cope with the blowing sand, planted trees and soon realized that they could make good use of these sand plain areas. Tree farms in the area have flourished ever since. In the beginning, there was not much of a thought that it could turn into such a big business.
Prior to the Christmas tree business beginnings in this area, Baldwin was plagued with dust bowl conditions. The blowing sand was producing 40 – 50 foot hills; huge mounds would form and make farming very difficult. Beginning in the 1930’s and 1940’s, farmers began planting trees as a conservation project to protect the land. Soon they realized the sandy soil of Baldwin Township was ideal for growing most varieties of pine trees.
Art Nelson, Jesse Ady, and Lawrence Nordwall were all farmers just trying to raise their farm crops, which were hampered by the blowing conditions of the sandy soil. In 1943, Nelson, Ady, and Nordwall began planting pine trees in the area and were the original owners of NAN Conifer Company – a tree farm that began in the 1950’s. The first letters of their last names forms the name, “NAN”. The first load of commercial Christmas trees from Sherburne County left NAN Conifer of Zimmerman in 1960.
Later, Joseph Bean, Sr. bought Nelson’s share of the business in 1958 and trees were planted on the Bean farm. Joe Bean, Sr. sold his share of the business in about 1975. The Bean family went to continue their own tree business and in 1982 became known as the North Forty Christmas Tree Farm. Currently, about 90 acres of the total 240-acre farm is planted with Christmas trees. The site is located on the original Bean family homestead just north of Zimmerman on County Road 45.
Eventually, NAN Conifer Co. was sold to Dick Nelson/Nelson Nurseries. Dick Nelson purchased land and equipment but never used the name. The name, NAN Conifer was basically non-existent for several years until Gregg Nordwall, son of Lawrence Nordwall, and his wife were able to get the name back in the 1980’s and continue to run the business with the main farm having over 200 acres.
In Minnesota, the NAN Conifer Company was known as the innovator in commercial Christmas tree production from the 1950’s on. NAN Conifer sold approximately 100,000 trees a year. They were one of the top one or two producers in the nation. They developed much of the equipment, such as tree balers, tree elevators and tree planters that are still a necessity for all tree farms today. At the time, NAN Conifer, along with the other Christmas tree farms in the area, were about the only employment opportunity available around the area. Most people who were raised in this area remember the early tree businesses in Baldwin and probably worked at one of the tree farms at some point in time. The former owners of NAN Conifer Co. all remained in the tree business after they retired and today some of their children are still involved in the tree business in the area.
The Goldenman Christmas Tree Farm began one day in the summer of 1964. Ernie Goldenman Jr. and his wife, Mardelle, decided to buy a small hobby farm one mile south of Zimmerman in Livonia Township that consisted of 40 acres. Soon after, the family discovered about 3,000 knee-high Norway pine trees growing in the fields. The sandy soil in the area was ideal for growing pine trees and with three of the states largest growers here, it was considered the Christmas tree capital of the state and perhaps the world. Jess Ady, of NAN Conifer Co. coached Goldenman with the shearing process the first year. The first tree sold by the Goldenman’s was in 1970. In 1972, the Goldenman’s entered two trees at the Minnesota State Fair competition. Both received blue ribbons and one was selected as the “Fair Grand Champion” that year.
The first trees planted by the Goldenman’s were planted on the County Highway 36 farm in 1980. That farm location continues to be the headquarters for their business today and has been owned by the Goldenman family since 1939. Currently their business involves caring for about 40,000 trees on about 75 acres.
(Source - Historically Speaking, Summer, 2001)
Gregg Nordwall
(Found: Minnesota Christmas Tree Assn., "A Member Profile - Gregg Nordwall". Nan Conifer - 8/20/2001)