About Me ..... Advertise ..... Contact

Monday, July 7, 2008

Agribusiness major builds corn mazes


Yes, I know summer just started but I’m already thinking of the fall. I don’t wish summer in Arizona on anyone, and I’m living in the 115 degree heat right now. I’m such a whiner.


I grew up in Nebraska around lots of farmland, corn fields, wheat fields, soybeans, and milo. However, as a kid I missed out on cornfield mazes. Mazes were very rare back then, but now they are an Autumn pastime, thanks in part to a guy named Brett Herbst. He has designed more than 1200 cornfield mazes since he started his business in 1996. According to their website, the company provides the following for people interested in starting their own cornfield maze:


  1. "A custom design for your maze

  2. Access to our "cutting team" or a video that trains you how to cut the maze yourself

  3. Your own web page on www.cornfieldmaze.com (13+ million hits annually)

  4. Territorial rights (The MAiZE cannot compete in your area)

  5. Shared knowledge & networking with other MAiZE owners (access to online chat room)

  6. Access to elementary curriculum materials for field trip program

  7. Invitation to annual MAiZE conference with other site owners

  8. Monthly updates and annual newsletter/survey results

  9. Potential funds/materials from any national sponsorship that are secured

  10. The MAiZE LLC Training Guide containing valuable information, such as:site selection tips, budget, maze creation techniques, farming techniques, operational logistics, legal/liability information, recommended layout of facilities, strategic marketing plan, samples of marketing materials, employee training guide, contact list (i.e., suppliers, media, souvenir vendors), and calendar of operations"

Brett grew up on his family ranch in Idaho, and graduated in 1995 (same year as me!) from college with a degree in agribusiness. Brett’s first corn maze was the largest corn maze ever made in the western United States. In just three weeks, he had over 18,000 visitors to the maze, and immediately people worldwide began to contact him for help to start their own corn maze. Today, his corn maze consulting company is the largest in the world.


Subscribe to my feed. C'mon it's free

3 comments:

Mommy Meryl said...

Hey there! Have you been to the corn mazes at the Dairy & Agric. farms here in town? Allie's preschool went to a farm and then her Kind. class went to another one last year - they are lots of fun!

My Vision said...

I haven't, but I want to go. Maybe my oldest daughter will be old enough this year to enjoy doing that.

t said...

I think the reason they are not popular here (or even existent?) is b/c it wastes farmland. There was a big brou-ha-ha here last summer over corn being planted too close to the road and fatal accidents have been the result. My coworker's sister and two boys age 2 and 6 months old were killed in a car accident b/c both parties could not see each other coming up on the intersection. That is how tight it is planted here.