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 AT'L DO FARMS--James and Patti Simpson and their family run the At'l Do farms Maze, near Shallowater, Texas. The farm name comes form the Texas colloquialism for "That Will Do" which James is fond of saying to his family. (Journal photo by Jennifer M Latzke.)
Twists and turns bring success to farm familyBy Jennifer M. Latzke
In life, there are many twists and turns. For the Simpsons of At'l Do Farms, its those twists and turns that make their business such a grand success. James and Patti Simpson, of Shallowater, Texas, run the At'l Do Corn Maze, a family agritourism venture that literally grew out of their farming operation. In 2001, the Simpsons were farming the land, just like their families had farmed before them. But, the couple knew that there had to be a better way to be able to fulfill their dreams of staying on the land while still making a profit. Starting a winding journey So, they began the winding journey of research and found agritourism as a viable option. "I knew how to grow corn, I had the location and the equipment," James said. It wasn't long before they settled on the idea of a corn maze as a natural extension of their farm. The Simpsons found a Brigham Young University graduate who was offering his consulting services in setting up independent corn mazes around the country. For a nominal fee the consulting service would conduct a feasibility study to see if a corn maze was appropriate for the proposed area, put together a website, advertisements and promotions and even show the operators how to plant and maintain a maze. It was a perfect fit for the Simpsons. The company, The MAiZE, sent them a starter packet and put them in touch with other corn maze owners around the country. The Simpsons quickly figured out that they could go beyond offering just a corn maze. "With agritourism, the maze was just the first piece," Patti said. "There were orchards and dairies who had their own mazes." Others were adding apple festivals, and pumpkin patches, and other farm-oriented activities. The first year, the Simpsons only had their corn maze and a few other offerings. Their business quickly evolved over the next few years, though, to add a pumpkin patch, corn cannon, petting zoo, and other fun activities. Today the corn maze hosts about 8,000 people each season. Folks come from Lubbock and a 100-mile radius for school trips, birthday parties, family reunions and other celebrations. The Simpsons believe their fun activities should be tempered with education for everyone who comes for a day at the farm, and so they offer presentations on agriculture catered to age and farm experience. They want their visitors to come away from a day at the maze having had a lot of fun, but also learning more about the farmers and ranchers who are their neighbors. Following a map Of course, the maze didn't just appear overnight. The Simpsons discussed their idea with their insurance agent and other business advisors and made a plan before turning the corner. Insurance was the first concern. "That first year, we were able to use our general farm policy," James said. But, then their operation was reclassified as an amusement venture and so they pooled their resources with other maze owners around the country to buy insurance at lower premiums. As a preventative measure employees attend safety briefings each season and there is one employee who is a first responder and another who is a trained EMT just in case something should happen. "Safety is our number one concern," Patti said. They even have "Corn Cops" stationed throughout the maze to monitor that visitors are being safe with each other as well as not destroying the corn maze itself. The Simpsons started with a small investment because they were still farming at the time. The family bought a little building and had a tent set up for additional shade. Pioneer even donated the corn seed they planted, James said. Finding donated seed and other sponsorships was one way being a member of the MAiZE group helped get their venture off the ground. "Once our banker saw the revenue, he helped us expand," James said. The property that the corn maze sits on now includes a pond and gazebo, a petting zoo, a pumpkin patch, and a large parking lot for buses and cars. The Simpsons were careful, however, to separate their farm from the agritourism venture by forming a separate corporation. "We wanted to keep the assets of the maze separate from the farm in case something happened," Patti said. Fortunately, though, the corn maze was a success the first year and grew from there. Choosing a path They ran their agritourism venture side-by-side with their farm up until 2005, when they decided to go full into the corn maze. They worked with their financial advisors to put a plan in place to make the transition smooth. "We were at a point that either we needed to invest heavily into the farm, or this," James said, explaining the decision to turn to the corn maze full time. "This allows us as a family to do activities." "We have more fun, and less stress," Patti said. For three months out of the year the family is busy with the operation of the corn maze, but they have the rest of the year for normal family activities. Son Eric and twin daughters Emilee and Allison help out after school and on weekends with the various duties around the operation during the season. Patti takes care of the reservations for tours. And James has a full-time job that allows him some vacation time to spend on the maze, but for the most part his weekends are devoted to planting, raising and maintaining the corn maze and the other attractions. "It's a partnership," Patti said "We don't live a normal life during the three months of our season, but we know it's just for the season." Both Patti and James advise others looking into setting up their own agritourism project to plan for the operation to grow, even if they're starting out small. Also one of the biggest obstacles the Simpsons found was that they had to learn to deal with people. Farming can be a solitary existence, but when you invite people to your farm for fun, you have to learn to handle them, the Simpsons explained. "We had to learn how to handle large crowds," Patti added. "Attitude is everything. If you're calm, they'll be calm." Rather than taking a crop to the market, the Simpsons had to change their thinking about what their product really was. "People are our commodity now," James said. "Really, growing corn is the easiest thing we do," James said. With the corn maze, the Simpsons know that the future will be full of exciting twists and turns. But for the Simpsons life isn't so much about the destination as it is about the journey. Jennifer M. Latzke can be reached by phone at 620-227-1807, or by e-mail at jlatzke@hpj.com. For more information... Call: 806-763-5594 Email: atldofarms@door.net Visit: www.cornfieldmaze.com/sites.php?ID=&username=txlubbock At'l Do Farms is open to the public Friday through Sunday, and by reservation Monday through Friday. The maze opens Sept. 15 and will close Nov. 24. 11/12/07 Date: 11/7/07
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