During the period of giving, one Wood River Valley man decided to give even more. Christmas Trees are ubiquitous during the holidays. Last December, Eric Huus, 37, from Rochester, Minn., of Norwegian heritage, of course, decided to take a little advantage of that situation to help Idaho’s Bounty, the regional farmer’s co-op based in the Wood River Valley. His decision came after attending Idaho’s Bounty Dinner in the Fields event at the end of last summer with friends.
Eric Huus
“It seemed like a great thing and I liked the idea of sustainability,” he said. “My grandpa and cousins are large scale farmers, but I could relate. Here the farms are small. It’s a tough gig being a farmer, especially being an organic farmer in Idaho. I understand about trying to find a market for your produce, and being organic. It all makes sense.”
Huus, a golf pro with the Valley Clubm said he doesn’t eat “beef from anyone unless I know where it comes from.”
He convinced the owners—First American Title— of a lot in Hailey, between Sturtevant’s and the Farmer’s Market lot, about using it for a few weeks to sell the trees.
“They were gracious enough to let me use it for free,” he said. “We got a special events permit from the city council right before Thanksgiving. Then we went to a tree farm outside Portland, Ore. We started off with 200, and we brought them back in a U-Haul. Not the smartest thing. We sold out on a Sunday.
He then went on Craig’s list asking for more trees to be delivered. He said he got 20 hits right away, and after hiring a guy had 100 trees by 11 a.m. the next day.
“We were totally sold out by Dec. 16., he said. “We gave 10 percent of the profits to Idaho’s Bounty. About $600. It was good. We made money, and Idaho’s Bounty made money. I think I’ll do it again but make it bigger next year to be able to go longer.”
Huus is married to Christina Huus, a teacher.
