Farm finds sustainability through corn maze attraction
By Andrew Adams
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LELAND, Utah County, Utah (KSL, KSL TV) — Seven generations have now called a farm near Spanish Fork their home, but keeping the farm in the same hands in the modern economy hasn’t been easy and has forced the owners to be creative.
Rex Larsen said that’s why the family farm, 1750 West 8000 South, now is home to Glen Ray’s Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch.
“It’s just fun to me to have our family involved in a united effort to produce something very wonderful, I think,” Larsen said.
According to Larsen, the farm has been in operation for 156 years after originally being started by his grandfather, Lars Larsen, who moved from Denmark and settled in the Spanish Fork area.
“It gives me a lot of pleasure and maybe even pride to think that I’m sticking a shovel in the same ground that he did,” Larsen said.
Even Larsen’s father, Glen Ray Larsen, found success growing corn and other produce.
Larsen, however, said the modern economy has proven difficult for a local farmer who raises corn, barley and alfalfa and has only found favorable market prices for his cattle.
“Right now, it’s a real challenge,” Larsen said. “Anything to do with crops — all of those markets are depressed.”
Eight years ago, Larsen’s daughter, Kara Lewis, hatched a new idea — using some of the property to host a corn maze as a seasonal attraction.
“She thought, ‘Glen Ray’s rhymes with corn maze,’” Larsen said.
Lewis spearheaded the plan, and the family created a parking lot out of an alfalfa field and used GPS mapping technology to carve a maze out of a corn field.
Glen Ray’s has only expanded in the years that have followed.
“We have our ‘Field of Fright’ haunted corn maze, which has just grown,” Lewis said. “It’s now the largest haunted attraction in southern Utah County.”
Lewis said local governments have been better in recent years at helping to connect local farmers with resources, and she noted that the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food has a site specifically dedicated to the idea of agritourism.
The corn maze, which is currently open Monday through Saturday, has helped the family farm find sustainability and profitability.
“We can add that additional income to support the rest of the farming operation that may not be as sustainable,” Lewis said.
Larsen acknowledged the property would be an attractive location for development, but he continues to tell developers, “not yet.”
“That kind of helps pay all of the expenses and helps us add that little margin that sometimes can make the difference between a profit and a loss year,” Larsen said.
He hopes to keep the farm in the family for even more generations.
“I hope that someone will carry on our legacy,” Larsen said. “I hope that this is a way to tap into the interests of our next generation, our grandkids.”
Larsen said one grandchild is great at creating special effects inside the corn maze.
“If that piques his interest and the others are interested in more of the farming aspect, I hope we can keep it going for the next generation,” Larsen said.
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