This Missouri Farm's Corn Maze Boosts Business — and is Designed by a Lee's Summit Company

By Amelia Schaefer

Some family farms in Missouri have added corn mazes to their fields during the fall to supplement their income.

There’s more to corn mazes than getting lost among corn that’s 10 feet tall. They can be serious business for farmers.

A rite of passage in autumn, corn mazes support farms economically, boost agritourism and can deepen community ties.

For the past three years, Boots Farms south of Moberly has benefited from the boom in corn mazes, a marriage of agriculture and entertainment that draws millions of visitors to farms around the country.

“It’s a family business, and it takes all of us to do it,” said Melissa Boots, the mom in the family. “My husband is a full-time farmer. We do corn and soybean farming, and we have taken this on as our project.”

Boots Farms features a 6-acre maze that takes between 30 minutes and an hour to complete, and a 1-acre “Lil Maze” for younger navigators.