Cecil Delp started Delp Christmas Tree Farm in 1959. At that time, the farm was the first of its kind in Kansas–and, as one might imagine, it was seen as an oddity. Cecil got the idea of growing Christmas trees from some of his cousins that marketed natural grown Christmas trees that were cut out of the forests in Michigan. Throughout its first few years, the farm served as a 4-H project for Cecil’s sons, Phil and Tony and gradually grew to the point that taking care of the trees was a full-time undertaking.

Cecil’s wife, Ruby retired from teaching in 1970. At this point in time, Cecil and his wife decided to build a building that would allow Ruby to continue teaching in her own pre-school and for Cecil to have a facility to continue his Christmas tree operation.

Over the years, the farm has stayed in the family. When Cecil retired, his son Tony and wife Linda began running the farm. At its largest point, the farm grew to nearly 300,000 trees on 200 acres. In the summer as many as 30 high school students were hired to shear the trees to ensure that they maintained their shape. As the business grew, people traveled to the tree farm from all over the state to choose and cut their own Christmas tree. 

The wholesale portion of the business shipped several semi-truck loads of trees throughout the state as well as neighboring states.

Today the farm is managed by Tony and Linda’s son Joel and his wife Sarah. It operates on a smaller scale and concentrates on the farm’s retail business. The farm now grows about 16,000 trees on 30 acres. They grow 7 varieties of pine and fir trees. Delp Christmas Tree Farm still prides itself in providing a large selection of beautiful Kansas grown Christmas trees in a great family atmosphere.