Chilton, WI (CBS/WFRV) -- With corn crops wilting around the state, making your living off a corn maze would seem like a gamble this year. But the risk is paying off for a farmer in Chilton.
The busy fall tourism season is launching at the Meuer Farm in Chilton. David Meuer says, "I wanted to stay in agriculture of course but I wanted to teach the people around me about agriculture, where their food comes from."
Fourth generation farmer David Meuer took a risk 2 years ago. Selling his dairy cows for a corny dream. But this has been a strange weather year for Meuer and other farmers. Strawberries were three weeks early, a warm winter dropped maple syrup production by 40 percent; now Meuer is dealing with a bumper crop of bugs.
He says, "These are cucumber beetles. They like to eat pumpkins."
Thankfully, David's corn looks good. It's the lifeblood of his growing tourist attraction. He says, "We've got our hay rides of course our corn cannons down there. Water balloons, you'll see farm animals normally on a farm. Cows, chickens pigs things like that."
This large corn maze is 10 acres. It's divided into two sections to make it easier to navigate and you can look for clues. Meuer says, "We have corn cops that patrol in the maze. They have on orange vests and are in there to help people who get lost, have questions."
Take advice from one veteran corn cop. He says, "Stay on the outside the outside is normally the correct path to making your way through."
And after all the feet have trampled the hand cut paths, Meuer will still be able to combine and profit from the kernels. He says, "Yes prices are good this year for the corn."