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October 5, 2001

By Lana Robinson
Field Editor

Corn and beef have a longstanding history in Texas, but 7A Ranch in Hondo has linked the two commodities in a new way.

For the first time this fall, the Graff family will be throwing open their gates to welcome the public to wander through a 7-acre cornfield MAiZE—a unique source of good farmin' fun for adults and children alike. Though the correct pathway can be walked in only 15 minutes, most wandering maze-goers will require about an hour to travel through more than three miles of curves, swerves and decision points. The maze is designed in the shape of Texas with the Alamo inside the Texas—much like the Texas Farm Bureau logo.

The "MAiZE craze" is one more step in the Graffs' diversification strategy to market their 7A Heritage Beef products, build connections with urban neighbors and put some extra change in their pockets.

"Agri-tainment is an up and coming thing," said Ken Graff. "We've been in it since 1997. You've got to have the personality to be able to deal with the public. Everything before has been private parties and private tours. This is our first foray into the public marketplace. That's going to be a learning experience. We don't know who's coming."

Graff runs a cow/calf, row crop and hay operation on 1,150 acres and began direct marketing natural beef products from the ranch five years ago and subsequently online.

"I'm the fifth generation here—and our kids are the sixth. I think it's important for us to be able to stay on the farm, and we work hard to make our own way. The only way to do that is to think outside the box. Our natural beef products and our farm tour business help us maintain the family farm," he said, noting that private parties at the ranch pavillion include a band, barbecue meal, trick roper, and comedy act. "Also, we have the Planet Agriculture stuff here to help educate people. We're just 30 miles away from San Antonio. Too many people do not know where food and fiber comes from. What we're going to try to do with this corn maze is market heavily to those people to get them here and educate them."

Ken and Laurie Graff first saw a photo of a corn maze five years ago. Last September, a client at one of the parties hosted at the ranch mentioned the popularity of the mazes, and that she had seen them on the East Coast and up in the Midwest. She sent the Graffs some newspaper clippings and that's when they began seriously considering the new venture. They negotiated with three different companies before settling on one founded by Brett Herbst of Salmon, Idaho. A Brigham Young University agribusiness graduate, Herbst launched his first corn maze in 1996. His original labyrinth in American Fork, Utah was the largest corn maze created in the western United States. It didn't take long for news of this "corny" attraction to spread and after drawing 18,000 people in only three weeks, The MAiZE was born.

"I think Brett was like us. He grew up on a farm. He looked outside of the box and decided there had to be a better way to make a living in farming. He is going to have 102 maizes under his belt this year. We've got a five year commitment with them,"Graff said.

Herbst submitted four design plans to the Graffs before they finally made a decision on the maze they wanted. In late August, the company sent a crew to lay out and cut the design in the corn patch. Graff said the methods are a trade secret, and jokingly attributed them to "space aliens."

"This is a learning experiment. We put in drip irrigation, and I think we're the first in this county to have it for row crops. We did learn that we need to close our spaces. It's 10 to 12 inches deep. We planted six rows and every other row is a soft row. It's been very dry, and in this drought, we never could get our centers to close up. It's somewhat uneven. We had trouble getting water to it. But where there was compost and water got to it, it's over your head. That shows what natural fertilizer and a little bit of rain will do. This will catch up to it," he said in mid-September. "We also have an acre of pumpkins. We're going to see how that works."

Prior to the Sept. 11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Graff said demographics indicated that they should draw somewhere between 15,000 and 20,000 people to the MAiZE over a 10-week period. It remains unclear what impact the tragedy, along with a recession, will have on the numbers.

The Graff's MAiZE gives Texas residents the chance to "get lost" daily through November 25.

"Visitors can also enjoy a hay ride to the pumpkin patch (additional fee to purchase pumpkins), try out the Straight Ahead Hay Bale Maze, take a ride in our barrel train, launch tennis balls with one of our ball launchers and check out our tricycle maze," said Laurie Graff.

Hours of operation are Friday 6-9 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m.-9 p.m.; and Sunday, Noon-7 p.m. (Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. by appointment only).

Special events highlighting fall include: Halloween, Trick or Treat Weekends—Oct. 19-21 and Oct. 26-28, especially for children ages 10 and under, who are invited to come to the maze in costume and go trick or treating in the maze (the maze will not be haunted); and Wild West Weekend—Nov. 10, which features the sounds of country and western music and entertainment by world-renowned trick roper Doug Whitaker.

Cost is $9.50 for ages 12 and up.; $7.50 for ages 6-11; and free for kids 5 and under.

The Graffs offer elementary age field trips, and other group tours, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., by reservation. For special rates and other details, or to reserve a specific date and time, call 830/741-3968.

The Graff's maze is located one half mile east of the intersection of Highways 173 and 90 on the outskirts of Hondo—30 miles west of San Antonio. Look for the MAiZE signs.

For more information, maps and moneysaving coupons, visit http://cornfieldmaze.com.

A recent aerial view of the MAiZE on Simpson Farms, near Lubbock, reveals lots of twists and turns for those interested in adventure.