By Carrie Muehling
NORMAL – The latest technology available to farmers helped to plant this year’s corn maze at Rader Family Farms near Normal.
“This is very exciting for us. We believe we are one of the first to attempt planting the maze with precision planting equipment on our planter,” said Adam Rader, project development manager.
“And what we’re doing is instead of having to go back out and cut the maze after we’ve planted it both ways, we are just planting and it’s leaving the rows and planting in between. As far as we know, we’re one of the first to do that.”
Rader said the sophisticated planting technique should save them a great deal of time later.
“Each of the rows has its own electric clutch and it’s shown on the monitor as either green or red. it’s showing us where it is stop and starting as it crosses those planes at the pathways,” added Rader. “Essentially, it’s been described as your 24-row planter turns into 24 individual row planters. Each one is stopping and starting as it needs to.”
While the family can’t confirm they are the first to use precision agriculture to plant a corn maze, they don’t know of anywhere else it is being done.
Rader Family Farms belongs to a maze association representing more than 400 farms throughout the United States. Rader said no one associated with the maze association is aware of a corn maze being planted this way before.
“And then also, we had been working with Precision Planting for this day, planning for this,” continued Rader. “They have not supported anybody on their technical support team that has tried this.
“So, we are pretty comfortable in saying we are at least one of the first. We didn’t know how to stake our claim, but we’re proud to be showing off some farm technology because we are not only pumpkin farmers, but we’re grain farmers, as well.”
This year’s maze design celebrates family businesses like Rader Family Farms and corn maze sponsor Beck’s Hybrids. Also new to the maze this year will be four bridges that will allow guests to get a different perspective as they work their way through the 10-acre puzzle on the ground.
Rader Family Farms opened as an agritainment business in 2009 and hosts upwards of 50,000 guests and more than 5,000 field trip students each year during the fall season. The family business employs 90 seasonal workers in September and October.
Carrie Muehling can be reached at carrie@wjbc.com.
To hear the interview with Adam Rader, click here:
