Maple Lawn Farms – Hugh McPherson

16 Jul 2024

Beat the heat with Peaches & Family Fun – Some ideas for ya.

Hey gang! Summer is in full swing at the farm, and that means it's peach season! There's something truly magical about biting into a fresh, juicy peach that makes you think of sunny skies and lazy afternoons. But peaches aren't just a treat for the taste buds; they're packed with healthy hydration. Here's more from the sweet world of peaches and how they can help you stay cool on a hot day. Some REAL peachy goodness... Peaches are not only delicious but also incredibly nutritious. Here are Farmer Hugh's Top 3 Peachy Facts: Hydrating and Low in Calories: With a high water content, peaches are…

29 May 2024

ALR report part 1 – Gritt’s Farm is a bunch of quitters.

Agritourism, Maize Quest Corn Maze & Fun Park, Maple Lawn Farms, Marketing Tools, Seasonal Business

Strawberries, donuts, cinnamon rolls, sweet tea, and blueberry cake for a light, healthy mid-morning snack between sessions at Gritt's ALR. Many of us came to learn more about the food service and the Gritt's Team, led by Stevie, delivered. Hey Gang, At these kind of events you hear presenters going on about all the things they do, but Greg Huber took me aside on a NAFDMA bus tour and reminded me to ask, “What’s the story behind the story here?” The weather was picture-perfect for nearly all of our two-day, three-night NAFDMA ALR in Charleston & Buffalo, WV. We rolled in the…

30 Apr 2024

Working IN and ON.

Family Business, Maize Quest Corn Maze & Fun Park, Maple Lawn Farms, Seasonal Business

Sometimes you gotta climb down in the pit and do stuff... Hey Gang, As a business owner—and farmers are business owners, by the way — it's important to recognize the difference between working IN your business and working ON your business. Working IN your business refers to daily tasks: Plant trees Fix sprayer boom Replace well tank (#myyesterday) Kill weeds in Fun Park Working ON your business refers to daily tasks: Test new pie recipes for the season Plan marketing for your next event Start recruiting staff for the season (#myLastFriday) Shore up supply chains for food items Balancing your time…

28 Feb 2024

5 Wins Before Work.

Family Business, Maize Quest Corn Maze & Fun Park, Maple Lawn Farms, Seasonal Business

We've had some decorative snows, and temps cool enough to keep the fruit blossoms safe so far! 5 Wins Before Work. Ever wonder what we think about during the off season? Well there's plenty of work getting things ready for next year, but I get a little time to think about life, too. Hope you enjoy, Spring's just around the corner... I've always been a "maximizer" personality. I believe I was put on this Earth to do the very best and the very most with the abilities I've been given because, as you find out, when you attend funerals as a kid, time…

15 Jan 2024

Take your own advice.

Agritourism, Employee Management, Family Business, Maize Quest Corn Maze & Fun Park, Maple Lawn Farms, Marketing Tools, Seasonal Business

Make your list, check it twice, but don't make too many resolutions - Even this list is too long! Take your own advice. I never think of myself as particularly swayed by remembrance, nostalgia, or special dates - I can eat birthday cake anytime within a week of my actual birthday, for instance. However, Christmas & New Year's Eve likely create the most profound internal feelings: a sense of momentousness. Christmas is my heartwarming family time. Kids are back from college; in the past, we'd created Christmas magic with Legos and stuffed animals. Family games and meals make it a cozy time…

02 Jan 2024

Part 4 – The “Day of” & “Post-Apocalypse.”

Agritourism, Employee Management, Family Business, Maize Quest Corn Maze & Fun Park, Maple Lawn Farms, Seasonal Business

The 2023 Sunflower Festival Apocalypse before we hand-replanted... Not the best look! Below, the tent in mid-self-destruction. Part 4 - The "Day of" & "Post-Apocalypse." The last three weeks, we covered what we learned, discovered, and uncovered as the weather handed out an old-school rainy season over much of the upper Midwest to the mid-Atlantic and into the Northeast US. If you missed the other three blogs, take a few minutes to find and read them, as the process is sequential. We thought first about choices made "Years in Advance" regarding the very structure of our businesses to create a more stable operational…

19 Dec 2023

Part 2 – Strategic & Pre-season, the first 4 of a dozen.

Agritourism, Family Business, Maize Quest Corn Maze & Fun Park, Maple Lawn Farms, Marketing Tools, Seasonal Business

Our lavender festival brings guests and revenue into late June & early July which coincides purposefully with blueberry picking season. Part 2 - Strategic & Pre-season, the first 4 of a dozen. Last week, we started looking at how to plan for what turned out to be a rainy season (and for future rainy ones). We're breaking our planning & strategies out into five categories. Years in Advance Strategic Choices Pre-season Actions Day of Weather Event Post-apocalypse Today, we'll briefly review "Years in Advance" and then move through "Strategic Choices" & "Pre-Season Actions." Years in Advance. Some choices that enabled us to survive 2023's…

12 Dec 2023

Three lessons from a plain ol’ rainy season: Part 1 Year’s in Advance.

Agritourism, Family Business, Maize Quest Corn Maze & Fun Park, Maple Lawn Farms, Marketing Tools, Seasonal Business

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_N8zACnXLdA The video above is "Time to wash the pumpkins" was our spoof on the old Dunkin Donuts commercial we made one rainy fall day years ago. Three lessons from a plain ol' rainy season: Part 1 Year's in Advance. It wasn't a disaster. Being hit by a tornado, hurricane, flood, or fire - is a disaster. It was a plain ol' rainy season, and it just kind of sucks. We aren't used to rainy seasons; our last one is back in 2018. The last one this pervasive was back in 2002. Measurable precipitation every weekend from Labor Day through Oct 27th, with the…

01 Dec 2023

Quiet. How the recent power outage shows the hidden message in the crops.

Family Business, Maize Quest Corn Maze & Fun Park, Maple Lawn Farms, Seasonal Business

Hey folks, It's quiet. The power went out Monday after the crazy thunderstorms rolled through, and it's still out. I'm writing to you from a laptop connected to a temporary hotspot, connected to a backup generator, that is working hard to keep all the farm market freezers running. The frig and freezer are plugged in at our house, but that's about all. It's amazing the undercurrent of fans, HVAC, chargers, humming, buzzing, and noise that surrounds us most days. Now it is quiet. We enjoyed a candlelit dinner last night, then off to bed early because what else is there to do? Usually, we'd…

11 Oct 2023

While the sun is shining.

Agritourism, Family Business, Maize Quest Corn Maze & Fun Park, Maple Lawn Farms, Seasonal Business

The old farmer's adage is, "Make hay while the sun is shining." The meaning has morphed over the years but originates with a few essential agricultural factors. Let's take a look and then bring them into the modern day. Back then. Hay is food fuel for livestock. All farms had to be self-sufficient back in the old days. Your livestock plowed the fields, made milk, laid eggs, and provided fertilizer in a continuous cycle. The hay was fuel for the livestock, and storing hay kept your animals alive throughout the winter. Hay needs to be stored dry. The phrase "while the sun is…