GPS Mapping the Creation of a Corn Maze

The creation of the Marini Farm Corn Maze is a family affair! A fun activity during the Marini family Christmas gatherings is to brainstorm on new corn maze themes for the upcoming season. With this year being the anniversary of the first American in space, it was a unanimous decision among all family members to select "Space Exploration" as the 2012 corn maze theme.

Once the design is confirmed each year, the farm hires Maize Quest from Newark, PA, a professional maze designer, to plan a maze that addresses all ages and challenge levels. The designer's objective is to "make the corn maze more than just a walk in the stalks". Safety, efficiency and making the maze entertaining - from the entrance to exit points - are key areas of focus in the design development process.

This time of the year you can see aerial views of intricate corn maze masterpieces all over the region. The production behind the creation of the corn maze is fascinating. The ten acres of corn for the maze were planted on June 18, 2012, so this is a completely different operation than the corn crop planted for sale to the public. The corn for the maze is actually different, as a taller and stronger strength stalk is needed to withstand tough weather conditions and heavy maze traffic. They plant silage corn which is also used by Ipswich Ale Brewery for beer, as feed for Colby Farms' pigs and as biomass to heat the greenhouses.

How is the corn maze cut?

Many may envision a fleet of tractors all working on a separate section of the maze to get to the finished product. Surprisingly, once designed, the maze creation is a one-person operation with a professional maze engineer/cutter, a GPS (global positioning technology) and a tractor. The maze-cutting operator follows the GPS, and within six hours, the masterpiece is completed. Marini's Corn Maze is cut July 4 at which time the corn stalks are only inches high. Other steps in the process include composting, plowing, picking up rocks, fertilizing, harrowing, planting seeds, and irrigating.

This is the tenth year of the Marini Farm Corn Maze and each year the family wants to top the designs of prior years. Their biggest challenge has been weather-related issues as the corn maze is a crop and is subject to Mother Nature, which can cause flooding and muddy conditions.

Mike Marini, owner and operator of the farm, stated that their biggest success has been making the maze an interactive and entertaining experience for all age groups. They like to make the maze challenging, but do not want the visitors going in circles and getting overly confused. A strict safety policy, an experienced maze team, and a flag-tracking system keep the activity safe through all ten acres of fun. If maze visitors follow the clues, and do not take too many wrong turns, they can get throught the maze in about two hours. This is "agritainment" at its best!

Marini Farm's 2012 "Space Exploration" sponsors include: BLAST OFF 1 - Mission Accomplished (sponsor - Shaw's Supermarkets); BLAST OFF 2 - Discovery (sponsors - Brookwood School, Pomodori Pizza and Ipswich Dairy Queen); BLAST OFF 3 - Enterprise (sponsors - Pingree School, Ithaki Restaurant, Ipswich Ale Brewery, The 1646 Hart House Restaurant, and Honda North); and the ASTRONAUT level (Ipswich Butchery, Winfrey's Fudge, Stone Soup Restaurant, and The First National Bank of Ipswich).

And, in next week's blog, "More Than Just a Corn Maze", we are going to share information about more fun activities going on around the farm and helpful clues about this year's corn maze.

Written by Blogger Pros.