Over the summer, farmers expressed concern about the lack of rain and its effect on their crops. While that rain has finally come, owners of local corn mazes say it’s too late.
“We were very worried right before we opened. Summer was really dry, really hot. We all know the corn didn’t sprout as much as we wanted it to,”
She explained that she’s worked at the farm for five years and has never seen the corn this low. Although the farm recently opened the maze to the public, she said that it’s different than previous years.
“Usually it’s above your head, about six feet. This year, it’s about chest high, if not a little bit lower. With the drought, we have the different layering throughout the field, so some spots are higher than others which isn’t always a good sign either,”
Weakland added that this is the first year the farm had major concerns before opening the maze. She said that since the corn was so low, the field couldn’t be set up until right before the scheduled opening.
“Just preparing for it was pushed back far later than we thought we were going to, which makes it hectic and stressful because the day still comes whether you’re ready or not.”
Although the maze might be shorter than usual, Weakland said that the farm is still seeing support.
“We can see the people walking through the corn maze, but the kids love it We’re very lucky that even though we had large concerns and we still do as far as farming, our agriculture, with our customers it’s going to be pretty decent. We love our customers that come back year after year,”
She also said that the farm is expecting to see issues with the corn harvest once the maze closes.