Interview with Tommy Beutell, May 10, 2000

Interview with Tommy Beutell, May 10, 2000

Agriculture

Beutell, Thomas C., 1934-

Christmas tree growing

Christmas tree industry

Christmas trees -- Climatic factors

Family-owned business enterprises

Foreign workers

Tree farmers -- North Carolina -- Jackson County

In this interview, conducted as part of the "Agriculture (Past, Present, Future)" project by the Mountain Heritage Center at Western Carolina University, Tommy Beutell of Tuckasegee discusses his work as a Christmas tree farmer. He talks about guest workers from outside the United States and their importance to his industry; Beutell also reflects on how the popular perception of physical labor has changed. He also talks about the labor patterns of the Christmas tree industry and how they affect his needs and his ability to find workers. Beutell then discusses the impact of the weather and how it affects his planting, maintenance, and harvesting cycles, and he also recalls some specific seasons where the weather impacted the timing or quantity of his harvest. He tells about his family's involvement in the work and how his children have functioned in the business, as well as the different kinds of work done by men and women. Beutell also addresses his land use and growing patterns before explaining his relationships with other local farmers and his involvement in professional organizations at the state and national level. He then talks about how technology and agricultural research have affected his work and the problems faced in the industry as a whole. The interview closes with Beutell addressing his concerns about the availability of land and labor and government regulations and his thoughts on the environmental movement and clearcutting.

Beutell, Thomas C., 1934-

WCU Mountain Heritage Center Oral Histories

Hunter Library Digital Collections, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC 28723

1950s; 1960s; 2000s (Decade);

2000-05-10

Lower, Emily

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/

audio/mp3; application/pdf;

sound recordings

interviews

transcripts

eng

Sound

Text

35645

https://southernappalachiandigitalcollections.org/object/35645

2015-05-22

All rights reserved. For permissions, contact Hunter Library Digital Collections, Western Carolina U, Cullowhee, NC 28723;

Jackson County (N.C.)

North Carolina, Western

1:01:14 (sound recording)(duration)

13 pages (transcript)(duration)

Oral Histories of Western North Carolina